The Washoe Board of County Commissioners voted to accept the appeal by the WCSD to approve their grading permit for the property at the corner of Arrowcreek and Thomas Creek.  The vote was 4-0: Commissioner Herman was not present.  Many parents and residents attended and many spoke.

Principal Takeaways

1. The plan is unchanged from the plan reviewed at the townhall meeting.
2. The WCSD does not have possession of the property now.  This will be required before grading begins.
3. No one from the WCSD met with neighbors to address their concerns as directed by the County Commission on August 28.
4. Commissioner Lucey did not meet with neighbors as requested in 12 letters to him.  He said he walked the property.
5. No public speaker opposed the new school.  One suggested they reconsider an alternate site that had been considered.
6. Several residents argued that having a new school would raise property values in the area.
7. Only two public speakers impugned the motives of the residents expressing concern regarding the safety issues.
8. Commissioner Lucey indicated that widening Arrowcreek Parkway so that it is all 4 lanes is in RTC’s plans for the 2022-2026 time frame.
9. Commissioner Lucey asserted that the seismology and hydrology investigations could not be done until the grading permit was approved.

Fundamental Issue: Trust

• Attendees who believe that the county engineering and WCSD contract engineering will adequately address the issues of flooding, earthquake hazard, and traffic want to see the development move forward without delay.
• Attendees who are skeptical of the assurances of the county engineering and contract engineering want to see further study of these critical issues before the construction work proceeds.

Statement of the Day

Bruce Glassman proposed that Commissioner Lucey insist that the Arrowcreek Parkway be widened by 2022 and that the WCSD buy flood insurance for the downhill neighbors.

Links

Arrowcreek Townhall Meeting

Arrowcreek Grading Appeal

Arrowcreek School Plan

The developers were right.  They would get a more favorable hearing from the Board of County Commissioners than from the Citizen’s Advisory Boards and the Planning Commission.  Those bodies are now rightfully skeptical of both the developer-funded engineering reports and the Planning Department Staff reports.

The meeting started at 10:00 AM.

ROUND-1: Homeowners vs Autumn Woods-II (duplex development on Zolezzi Lane).  Time 1:45 PM

This is an unusual development of duplexes in an area zoned for Medium Density Suburban (MDS).  There are expected problems with traffic given the Montessori School on the one side and the big apartment development a few blocks away.  The property floods frequently from Whites Creek or from a tributary.  The Planning Commission primarily denied it because it is not compatible with the neighborhood.  Commissioner Lucey asked if the developer would be willing to pave Jeppson Lane past their driveway to the length of the property.  The developer said no.

• Seventy-five residents wrote in opposition to the appeal.
• How will the detention ponds be maintained? What if the HOA fails?  There is no access road to the detention ponds that will handle heavy equipment.
• One neighbor echoed the developer’s argument that they had an “investment-backed expectation to get their way.” Don’t the homeowners and taxpayers have an “investment-backed” expectation that the character of their neighborhood be preserved?
• Appellant lawyer John Compotic (sp?) said the county staff were experts and not aligned to make it easier for developers. This was met with derision in the audience.  He went on to say the Planning Commission’s decision seemed arbitrary.
• Representatives of the Montessori school requested solid fencing or a wall so that residents would not be able to see the children.

The Planning Commission had denied 7-0 with prejudice.  They saw many unresolved issues.  The Citizen’s Advisory Board had already denied it twice.  The county commissioners accepted the appeal 4-0 (Commissioner Jung was not present).

ROUND-2: Homeowners vs Lemmon Drive Estates, 98 lots  … Time 3:15 PM

These are urban lots; some as small as 6000 sqft.  Side setbacks to be 5’ with front and back setbacks to be 10’.  It’s another plan that will contribute to flooding in a flooded area and add traffic to a distressed highway.  One egregious aspect is the major grading done by the developer without a permit and with the plan denied by the Planning Commission.  In another county, the developer would be ordered to restore the property to its earlier condition and be fined.  But there’s little appetite to enforce compliance against developers in Washoe.  He will be asked to move a couple of the large rocks so that the illegal grading doesn’t pose a new flood hazard to the neighbors.  With this issue and the developer’s travel plans, he asked for a continuance on the hearing of his appeal.  Public input included:

• “The commissioners are not fulfilling their contract of employment.”
• “The commissioners need to understand it’s an issue of integrity.”
• “The primary school is dilapidated, unsanitary with disintegrating asbestos panels.”
• “Lemmon Valley Drive is frightening to drive on.”
• “There is no police (Sheriff) presence to control speeding on the damaged road.”
• “It’s time to consider the ‘M-Word’, moratorium for North Valley development. There is no responsible way to approve new development.”

There was a lot of discussion of the problems of Lemmon Valley before the District Attorney reminded the commissioners that their only choice was to deny or accept the appeal.  They voted 4-0 to grant a continuance till their next meeting “next Tuesday”.  This is the outcome the developer wanted.  There is no future meeting on the county website calendar.

ROUND-3: Homeowners vs Prado Ranch North (Lemmon Valley Drive at Deodar) … Time 4:15 PM

It makes no more sense than the other plans to develop in a flooded area.  The arguments are both compelling and depressingly familiar.  Commissioner Herman made the point “This plan doesn’t ‘compute’ at all.”  The debate became more heated with more audience participation.  The public had largely concluded that decorum was wasted before such capricious authority.  Commissioner Hartung asked some probing questions about improving Lemmon Valley Drive and pressed whether it would be expanded to 4 lanes with a bike lane.  Commissioner Hartung also wants to see all the neighborhood roads repaired.  Engineer Dwayne Smith said this could proceed after the subgrade becomes accessible (after the flood recedes).  Raising and widening the road of course displaces more water which will end up in the yards of the flooded residents.  Here are some of the public comments.

• “Moving 248 acres of soil for the combined development risks local wells and the soil may never recover.”
• “NRS requires that appeal issues be addressed. If not, then the commission is in violation.”
• “Developers are draining their properties onto those of homeowners.”
• Again, “What about the homeowner’s investment-backed expectations?”
• Suggestion to flow the majority of the waste water effluent from the Stead Plant to the county plant. This will require a new 8” pipeline.

The proceedings reached a deadlock when no one would second Commissioner Herman’s motion to deny the appeal.  And, no one would second Commissioner Berkbigler’s motion to accept the appeal.  Counsel Liperelli explained that the commission was obliged to approve or deny the appeal now or soon.  Commissioner Lucey broke the stalemate making the argument that the county couldn’t afford to fix Lemmon Drive, and so we needed to approve development to get at least part of it fixed.  He did not emphasize the fact that the development would contribute to flooding, traffic congestion, and school overcrowding in the process.  The appeal was accepted 3-1 (Commissioner Herman was the “no”).  The developer got what he wanted.  The meeting ended at 5:50 PM.

While the North Valley’s CAB and the Planning Commission seek sensible plans considering the issues raised by residents, it appears that the county commissioners are making arbitrary and capricious judgments overturning the unanimous decisions of the subordinate bodies in order to favor developers.

Links:

Autumn Wood II … LINK LINK LINK LINK

Lemmon Drive Estates … LINK

Prado Ranch North … LINK  LINK  LINK