Buzzy's Ranch purchase still being pursued

Carson City officials and owners of Buzzy's Ranch continue to discuss the fate of the highly valued property next to the Carson River.

Progress in turning the roughly 480 acres into a city-owned open space and preserve will be the topic of a presentation to the Planning Commission during its meeting today.

The land is prized for many other reasons. Developers have sought to obtain the site for building and people living nearby have long fought to keep the site from being developed.

"Everybody's still interested in completing the transaction," said Juan Guzman, the city's open space manager. "We hope for a resolution early next year."

Its owners, the Robert Lorin Andersen and the Jimmie Pete Jarrard children's trusts, agreed in January to halt any action that would result in the land being developed - at least until the city had a chance to make an offer on the land.

An appraiser was chosen earlier this month to determine how much it's worth. This price should be determined by the end of the year. The city can't offer any more than the current market value price for the land, Guzman explained.

Once an appraised value has been established, the parties will decide whether the amount is "in the ballpark," he said.

If so, city supervisors will make a formal offer for the land, and the representatives of the trusts will weigh the offer, Guzman said.

While the group Save Buzzy's Ranch no longer has its Web site, it still carefully monitors the situation, said Joe Childs, a member of the group.

Buzzy's still is "the most desirable piece of open space in the city," Childs said.

Government officials and land-management professionals regard the site as valuable because of its wetlands and protective flood plain.

"It's one of the most important places in (Carson City) to protect from a ecological perspective," said Laura Crane, The Nature Conservancy's Carson River project director.

It also provides within its borders wetland, wet meadow and riparian habitats. While it supports a variety of creatures and plant life, it's important to birds because the river there maintains trees and willows they require to survive, for example, she said.

Buzzy's is bordered on the south by the Silver Saddle Ranch, which is owned by the Bureau of Land Management and serves as open space, allowing access to the Carson River and Prison Hill area. The BLM considered acquiring Buzzy's itself several years ago.

Riverview Park sits to the north. The property also is bordered by the river and Mexican Ditch.

• Contact reporter Terri Harber at tharber @nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111, ext. 215.

If you go

WHAT:

Planning Commission meeting

WHEN: 3:30 p.m. today

WHERE: Sierra Room,

Community Center, 851 E. William St.