Lyon County residents expressed frustration at shrinking lot sizes and zoning issues this week at a workshop devoted to a discussion of Title 15 Land Use and Development Code, Master Plan and Community Development processes that manage the region’s construction protocols.
The workshop, requested by county commissioners on Jan. 21 to hear concerns from the public on Title 15, drew about 30 people on Monday, including board members and staff members, developers and county residents.
Commissioner Robert Jacobson of Fernley, representing District 4, said he had heard residents express desires to keep lots at 15,000 square feet and for the county to maintain a level of transparency in its planning processes.
Commissioner Dave Hockaday of Wellington, representing District 5, expressed concerns about crowding from high-density neighborhoods.
“Whenever we have high density, we then have more conflict, which means more law enforcement response, and it tends to be a never-ending cycle,” he said. “Kids don’t have anywhere to play, the lots are so small. Everybody’s parked in streets. You get hit in the head with footballs and baseballs. It creates a significant amount of trouble.”
The resulting behaviors would require an increased presence from local law enforcement, he added.
After further discussion, the meeting was open for public comment, including representatives Don Smit and Susan Hanski of Project One, a development group in Carson City. Although they said were not prepared to give a presentation Monday, they frequently receive requests about affordable housing and added developers, regulatory agencies and planning commissions must all demonstrate a shift in thought about what is acceptable for housing.
“There has to be a fundamental change in philosophy when it comes to smaller lots,” Smit said, describing the one-time costs to developers for installation of wet and dry improvements – utilities, curbs, gutters and sidewalks – and the turnover to the county upon completion for maintenance.
“Then we start to make residentials start to pay for itself. Every time I come to a meeting, residential tax base doesn’t pay for the services that are required, no, it doesn’t,” he said. “You can’t build affordable housing on a 12,000-square-foot, 9000-square-foot-lot.”
He also offered to provide a presentation from the University of Nevada, Reno in the future.
Others, including Bill Miles of Miles Construction, also spoke in favor of higher density lots, stating they’ve existed in the county for some time and remained affordable and still left less infrastructure to maintain.
The conversation shifted to Lyon County’s Title 15’s origins and updates with County Manager Jeff Page explaining county staff has met with board Chair Vida Keller of Silver Springs, District 2, and Vice Chair Ken Gray of Dayton, District 3, to talk about changing lot sizes from 4,500 square feet to 2 acres.
Keller said feedback from residents since the beginning of the year primarily has dealt with high density.
“We did get direction for the county manager to look into Title 15, which will reflect into the master plan about splitting up where we can have zoning under a suburban character district,” Keller said Monday, adding they have been working with senior planner Rob Pyzel to ensure they would not be eliminating the smaller lots.
“We are saying one shoe does not fit all,” she added. “We have a very diverse county.”
Page said the county’s Title 15 document was vetted through the Planning Commission and County Commission in a three-and-a-half year public process.
The meeting ended without additional direction for staff.
