Affordable-housing plan in east Carson focus of workshop today

State officials are proposing a large affordable-housing development on parcels owned by the state and U.S. Bureau of Land Management between Fifth Street and the Riverview Terrace subdivision.

"Every community in the state is having a devil of a time attracting entry-level teachers and nurses, in part because of finding entry-level housing. This is workforce housing," said Charles Horsey, administrator of the state Housing Division.

Carson City has another obstacle to overcome: Approximately 40 percent of its state workforce is going to retire during the next decade, and those replacement workers are going to need affordable places to live, he said.

Residents in the area, however, are concerned that bringing that many new residents in the area will make traffic on East Fifth Street untenable.

It is the "only way in and out" said Monique Giron, a Hidden Meadows resident.

Giron said she has watched the Fifth Street roundabout during rush hours now and that it appears to have reached capacity. Hundreds more drivers in that area would be "too many," she said.

Residents on the east side of the city are being asked to attend a meeting this afternoon to discuss the proposal at 4 p.m. in the library at Eagle Valley Middle School, 4151 E. Fifth St.

Another east Carson resident, Joe Childs, said he was concerned about officials ensuring that it's a "good fit in the area."

Both Giron and Childs also wondered why only some residents were notified by the state about the workshop. Giron didn't receive a postcard about meeting while someone living just a few blocks away did, she said.

Given the number of houses per acre now in that part of the city, residents have "reasonable expectations about traffic, schools and other resources and services," Childs said.

No plans have been presented to the city about the plan, though as a concept, "We welcome it," said Walt Sullivan, community development director.

Whether the units will be single- or multi-occupant dwellings is unknown right now, for example, Sullivan said.

The Board of Supervisors in April consented to help the state develop workforce housing in the city.

Horsey said most of the "layers" of approval involved are with Carson City - planning, public works, utilities, parks and recreation, and the supervisors.

"We want to find out what the concerns of the neighbors are. Once we have their laundry list of concerns, we'll go back and talk to whatever experts are necessary to see if we can address the concerns that have been brought up," Horsey said.

The meeting isn't required by law. It is the first public step in the process, however. And because it involves getting land from BLM, the state isn't sure how long it will take to get the project under way.

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

If you go

What: Affordable workforce housing workshop

When: 4 p.m. today

Where: Library, Eagle Valley Middle School, 4151 E. Fifth St.