Plans for old K-Mart building head to planning commission

At their Wednesday meeting, which starts at 5 p.m. in the community center board room, Carson City planning commissioners will consider new plans for the old K-Mart building on North Carson Street.

“Originally constructed for Kmart in 1995, the approximately 179,000 (square foot) building was vacated in 2006. The property has been mostly vacant, except for a fitness center in the northwest corner,” reads an application by project designer Frame Architecture. “The building is currently owned by Carson Silver LLC. With this special use permit submittal their plans include indoor RV and mini-storage, food and beverage located in the same area as the former Kmart food service, additional commercial and retail spaces and outdoor boat and RV storage.”

The application also states: “The property is on land lease and no decision has been made to the status of the lease.”

Planning commissioners will review the SUP request that would “(1) establish a personal storage/retail/office complex including indoor and outdoor storage of recreational vehicles and boats; and (2) allow for a personal storage facility exceeding 14 feet in height next to a residential area; on property zoned retail commercial planned unit development (RC-P), located at 3456 N. Carson St.,” according to the agenda.

“The building will include 119,119 square feet of indoor personal storage, 21,160 square feet of indoor RV and boat storage, and 37,899 square feet for retail or office use,” reads a staff report. “There will be an additional 53,309 square feet of outdoor, screened storage of boats and RVs on the west side of the building.

“Per CCMC (Carson City Municipal Code) 18.04.130 a personal storage/retail/office complex is allowed in the RC zoning district subject to first obtaining a special use permit and complying with the provisions of CCDS (Carson City Development Standards) Division 1.10. Per CCDS Division 1.10 storage facilities that are adjacent to residential areas may not exceed 14 feet in height. The existing building is 24 feet in height, exceeding the maximum height for personal storage facilities adjacent to residential uses; therefore, the applicant is also requesting a special use permit to exceed the height limitation.”

In a separate item, planning commissioners will consider making a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors concerning a proposed amendment to city development standards “to eliminate the requirement that materials and/or equipment be stored at heights not to exceed the height of the required wall or fence,” according to the agenda.

The applicant for this item is Rapid Space LLC. According to planning staff, current development standards stipulate “outside storage areas in the commercial and industrial zoning districts are required to be enclosed by a 100 percent sight obscuring fence or wall a minimum of six feet in height.”

“Stored materials and equipment are not to exceed the height of the required wall or fence. Rapid Space LLC (applicant) currently operates an equipment storage yard and is unable to store all of their equipment in a manner consistent with the code,” reads a staff summary.

In other action:

• Planning commissioners will review a SUP request to expand an existing childcare facility at 151 E. Park St. The property is zoned retail commercial and multifamily apartment.

“Little Timbers Academy (applicant) is proposing to construct an addition to the child care facility, approximately 2,460 square feet in size to increase the maximum number of children by 50 students,” reads a staff summary. “The parcel has two use districts, RC and MFA. A childcare facility is allowed with a SUP in RC but not in MFA. Under Carson City Municipal Code 18.04.020, a SUP is required where a use is allowed in one use district on the parcel but not the other use district.”

• Planning commissioners will weigh a SUP request for a temporary cellular on wheels (COW) “to offset the gap in wireless service coverage between the decommission of an existing site and the establishment of a permanent facility on a site zoned general commercial (GC) located at 1281 N. Roop St.,” according to the agenda.

“Verizon Wireless (applicant) is proposing to install a 67-foot-tall temporary wireless telecommunication facility in an area where coverage will be affected by the decommission of an existing permanent site located at 705 N. Plaza St. The request states it may take up to two years in order to pursue approval and to construct a permanent facility. A SUP is required to establish a wireless telecommunication facility,” reads a staff summary.

Don Winne, owner of the Ormsby Plaza Apartments, located at 850 E. William St., wrote to the planning department expressing concerns about the COW being too close to residential units.

Staff responded: “The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) regulates the towers and how local government can treat the facilities.”

• Planning commissioners will review an SUP, again, for a new marijuana store at 3060 Highway 50 on property zoned general commercial.

“Essence Henderson LLC (applicant) is requesting a SUP to establish a new 4,500 square foot marijuana retail store, in an existing 5,500 square foot retail building on the north side of Highway 50 East just west of its intersection with Airport Road,” according to the city. “A SUP, LU-2023-0453, for a marijuana retail store at this location was approved by the Planning Commission on Jan 31. After the approval, the applicant realized the SUP was obtained with the incorrect company name, GTI Nevada LLC, listed as the operator. Per Carson City Development Standards Division 1.20, subsection 1(a), a new SUP is required due to the change in operator. No other changes are proposed.”

The city currently has two pot dispensaries, one in south Carson (RISE) and one already on Highway 50 close to the proposed store (Zen Leaf). City code was changed in 2022 to allow four marijuana retail establishments in the city versus the two previously allowed after state legalization of recreational marijuana in 2016.

Essence Henderson LLC is affiliated with RISE owner GTI (Green Thumb Industries) that is based in Chicago, according to business filings at the Nevada Secretary of State’s Office.