Andersen Ranch West back to planning commission

A contentious proposal to create 61 residential lots on the historic Andersen Ranch west of Ormsby Boulevard will again be reviewed by the Carson City Planning Commission on Wednesday.

The meeting begins at 4 p.m. in the community center. The Andersen project will not be heard before 5 p.m.

Andersen-Colard Ranch Enterprises LLC is seeking to create 61 single-family residential lots and a 50.33-acre remainder parcel with an existing residence on two parcels totaling approximately 80.53 acres. The acreage is zoned single-family 1 acre (minimum lot size) and single-family 12,000 (minimum size in square feet). According to a staff summary, the minimum lot size for the homes would be approximately 14,380 square feet. There would also be 3.89 acres of common open space, which is different than public open space. For example, common open space can be a shared space among residents of a private development.

The property is being developed under Carson City Municipal Code 17.10. This chapter of code governing common open space development was officially — and unanimously — repealed by the Board of Supervisors earlier this month. However, because Andersen Ranch West was filed before the repeal using the previous code, it will not be affected by the repeal.

In September of last year, planning commissioners recommended denial of the Andersen West project. The 6-1 vote followed extensive public testimony from residents and neighbors concerned about housing density, increased traffic and other issues.

In November, the Board of Supervisors voted to send the project back to the planning commission for further revision. Supervisors raised many of the concerns voiced by planning commissioners.

The amended tentative subdivision map still includes the initial 61 home lots requested. According to Carson City Community Development, the 17.10 provisions would require 15,500 square feet of common open space for the subdivision. The current proposal exceeds that at nearly 170,000 square feet, not including detention basins.

“Without adding the private yard areas of each lot, the total amount of provided open space is approximately 11 times the required amount of open space,” R. David Snelgrove, planning and right-of-way manager for CFA Inc., wrote to city planners in a Feb. 7 letter.

The proposal concentrates homes on the northern 30 acres, which is zoned single-family 1 acre. Transferring density from the southern single-family 12,000 zoning is allowed under 17.10, according to Community Development, but such a move has been a point of contention for critics of the project.

The fate of the southern acreage itself is less certain. About 70 residential lots could be developed there in the future, per current zoning, but the applicant has proposed a portion of the existing ranch remain in “private open space.”

“In addition to the common open space area that is provided on the 29.7 (acre) Andersen Ranch West development site, the property owner has identified a 9.46 (acre) area around the ranch house that would be private open space,” wrote Snelgrove. “This area is located on the southern portion of the property that is currently not proposed for development.”

In other action:

• Planning commissioners will review a tentative subdivision map for Blackstone Ranch Phase 2 that would create 204 single-family residential lots on approximately 58.52 acres within the Lompa Ranch North Specific Plan Area.

Located at 2230 E. 5th St., the property is zoned single-family 6,000 and multifamily duplex. The residential lots would have a minimum size of 6,000 square feet, according to a staff summary.