The Carson City Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission during a joint meeting Wednesday. After adjourning, the planning commission reconvened and approved a special use permit for a new marijuana store at 3060 U.S. Highway 50 East.
Photo by Scott Neuffer.
A new marijuana store may be coming after the Carson City Planning Commission on Wednesday approved a special use permit for a proposed operation at 3060 U.S. Highway 50, west of the highway’s intersection with Airport Road.
The vote for approval was unanimous and followed a joint session with city supervisors on the ongoing Carson City Master Plan update.
The permit for GTI Nevada LLC allows 4,500 square feet of a 5,550-square-foot space — formerly Evergreen Gene’s garden store — to become the second RISE dispensary in Carson.
Planning commissioners added two conditions of approval to the project to a long list of conditions already stipulated by the city. The first of the new conditions is that developers extend a sidewalk/multiuse path along Highway 50.
The second new condition is developers work with the Nevada Department of Transportation on a right-in/right-out driveway to the store.
“I’m speaking tonight in my private capacity and not as a supervisor for Ward 2,” Maurice White said during public comment. “Recognizing that the intersection at Airport Road and Highway 50 is very high volume — it has quite a number of accidents today; recognizing this property is very close to that intersection, if it’s appropriate, I would like the planning commission to consider a condition that this driveway be right-in and right-out only.”
The new store would also be close to Verano’s Zen Leaf marijuana dispensary, which is located just west along Highway 50.
“Having this pop up literally in our backyard was quite a surprise for us,” testified Alexis Jensen, general manager of Zen Leaf. “It’s a little concerning. Adding more shops doesn’t bring more people.”
Jensen said existing dispensaries have supported each other. GTI (Green Thumb Industries) also owns the RISE pot store in south Carson.
“But I just feel adding this other dispensary would just be a race to the bottom. Again, I don’t want the capital to turn into the green capital,” Jensen said.
City code was changed in 2022 to allow four marijuana retail establishments in the city versus the two previously allowed following state legalization of recreational marijuana in 2016.
If developers of the second RISE location want to expand into the remaining square footage on the property or add curbside services, they would have to amend the special use permit, according to Carson City Community Development.
Planning commissioners also approved two special use permits for Carson City Public Works. One is for a 2,111-square-foot addition to the department’s fleet maintenance building at 3303 Butti Way. The other is for an 8,025-square-foot office and warehouse at 3320 E. Fifth Street. Both properties are zoned public regional.
MASTER PLAN
Preceding the regular hearing on special use permits, planning commissioners discussed the ongoing Master Plan update with the Board of Supervisors.
The Carson City Master Plan was first adopted in 2006 and sets land use designations for zoning and development in the city.
In October, supervisors approved an amount not-to-exceed $199,871 contract with Clarion Associates to begin a 19-month process to update the Master Plan. Adoption of the update is expected in spring of 2025.
Community Development Director Hope Sullivan said Wednesday Clarion worked on the original Master Plan in 2006. In December, the land-use consulting firm interviewed supervisors, planning commissioners and “people representing a cross section of the community,” she said.
“It’s really, really important to me — and I say this like every time we talk with the consultants — this is not an employee-driven plan. This is a community-driven plan. I did not interview because I want to hear from the community and help facilitate and help implement,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan said during the update process residents can provide input via email to masterplan@carson.org. Additionally, a website has been set up for community engagement at https://www.envisioncarsoncity.org/.
More joint meetings and public focus groups are planned for spring and fall.
The joint boards took no formal action Wednesday on the update but discussed topics ranging from revitalization of the north and eastern corridors of the city, to housing stock, to a focus on infill projects.
Planning Commissioner Sena Loyd said looking at the city’s current Master Plan map shows a “gazillion” different land-use categories.
“I think it (the update) could be an opportunity for us to really clarify what we want out of our land use and make it easier for the community,” she said.
Darcie White of Clarion Associates said the update is not a “start-from-scratch” plan but rather a matter of finetuning the existing plan.
“I really want to stress something that Hope (Sullivan) mentioned, that we are just at the beginning,” she said.