The Mortensen Ranch Development is part of the Mortensen-Garson zoning overlay district in Verdi.  The M-G district has been annexed by Reno.  It is bounded by the Somersett development to the east.  The plan is to build 676 homes on 6,000 acre lots within a 955 acre property.  Much of the property is too steep to build on.  The development occurs in two valley features.

Principals:

Property Owner: Stan Lucas

Developer: D. Fred Altmann

Rubicon Design, Derek Wilson

Summit Engineering, Tom Gallagher

Traffic:

There will be two exits on the south side of the development connecting to 3rd St. and to I-80.  There will be a third, gated emergency exit on the east side going into the Somersett development.  Regular access to the Somersett development is prohibited.

Water:

Some water will be provided from an existing well in Boomtown while additional water will be provided by TMWA.

Sewer:

City sewer lines will be run to the development to connect to the Truckee Meadows Wastewater Reclamation Facility (TMWRF).

Concerns:

• Two entry roads are insufficient for a development of this size.  This will produce gridlock at commute times and will be a hazard in case of a wildfire evacuation.  It will also hamper the transit of emergency vehicles into the neighborhood.
• Building in the watershed drainage channels will produce flooding downstream in the Sierra Canyon development.
• There are four new developments within the M-G district that can bring in 3,000 homes, but the developers are not coordinating on how infrastructure can be provided.
• Fire and police protection depend on additional capability that is only vaguely described.

 

References:

Staff Findings & Tentative Map

Site Map