OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Carson City Growth Management & Planning Commission Meeting - May 27, 2026

Board of Supervisors — Wednesday, May 27, 2026
BodyCarson City, Nevada
SessionBoard of Supervisors
DateWednesday, May 27, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:13:31
Transcript — Verbatim
0:54

And gentlemen, it's four o'clock.

0:56

This is the uh call the meeting to order of the growth management commission of Carson City.

1:04

Uh call the role, please.

1:06

Chair borders present.

1:08

Vice Chair Cron.

1:09

Here.

1:09

Commissioner Brooks.

1:10

Here.

1:10

Commissioner De Christopher.

1:12

Commissioner Peterson.

1:14

Commissioner Preston.

1:15

Commissioner Paisell.

1:17

Here.

1:17

A quorum is present.

1:18

Thank you.

1:19

Commissioner Crohn, will you lead us to the pledge, please?

1:26

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

1:33

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

1:45

The public is invited at this time to comment on any topic that relates to a matter over which this public body, and this is the public body called the Growth Management Commission, has supervision, control, jurisdiction, and advisory power, including any such matters that are not specifically included on the agenda as an action item.

2:04

No action will be taken on any matters raised or for this period for public comment.

2:10

Is there any public comment on the growth management?

2:16

Hearing none, uh possible action is approval of the minutes of May 28th, 2025.

2:24

Which are in your packet.

2:26

Are there any additions or corrections to the minutes?

2:30

If not, could I have a motion to approve?

2:35

Commissioner Brooks, thank you.

2:37

Is there a second?

2:38

All second.

2:39

Second by Commissioner Pazell.

2:41

Any further discussion?

2:43

All in favor say aye.

2:44

Aye, opposed, no.

2:46

Abstain.

2:47

Abstain from me.

2:49

One abstention.

2:51

All right.

2:57

GM 2026-0068.

3:01

Uh discussion and possible action regarding a recommendation of the Board of Supervisors for a resolution establishing the maximum number of residential building permit allocations under Chapter 18.12, the growth management ordinance of the City Municipal Code for the years 2027 and 2028 estimation of the maximum number of residential building permits for the years 2029 and 2030.

3:47

Thank you, Mr.

3:48

Chair.

3:49

As this commission knows, the planning commission serves as the growth management commission.

3:54

So the growth management commission annually reviews information from various city departments, including public works, fire, sheriff, and parks, and from the school district and makes a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors on three items.

4:09

One, you establish a fixed number of residential building permit allocations to be made available in 2027, 2028, and you estimate the number to be made available in 2029 and 2031 units or more.

4:35

And you also, thirdly, and lastly, you establish the maximum average daily water usage for commercial and industrial building permits as a threshold for growth the growth management commission review, and we'll talk more about that in a little bit.

4:49

What the Board of Supervisors has found is that we have to annually consider for managed growth in Carson City the following items water quantity, quality, supply capacity, and infrastructure, store treatment and disposal capacity and the ability of the system or infrastructure to transport sewage from a source to the treatment system, the sheriff's protective services, the fire protective services, transportation and circulation, drainage and flooding, school enrollment and capacity and parks and recreation.

5:28

You have memos addressing each of these essential resources to help you understand the capacity and the impacts.

5:35

No one, in terms of department heads or the superintendent of schools, has suggested reducing the development rate to less than 3% growth.

5:46

So per municipal code 1812040, each calendar year, the residential allocations are put into two categories the general property owner and the development project.

5:58

And again, the development project is if you're yielding 31 or more units.

6:02

Traditionally, the city has utilized a division, if you will, of 43% of the allocations in the first quarter going to the general property owner, and 57% of the allocations going to the development category.

6:18

After the first quarter, all of the allocations are put into a single bucket, and it's a first come, first served basis for the allocations.

6:27

Traditionally, the number of building permit allocations available each year is based on a maximum growth rate of 3%.

6:36

This graph shows 20 years worth of allocations versus housing starts.

6:42

What you'll see is in the last 20 years, our allocations were, or yes, our allocations or our housing starts were significantly less than the number of allocations.

6:53

In 2025, there were 779 allocations available and 595 housing starts.

7:01

And that was probably one of our biggest housing start years.

7:05

2028, again, I tell you this every year is a little bit inflated because we had Carson Hills front load all their permits.

7:14

Yes, sorry.

7:14

What did I say 2028?

7:16

Yeah.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Land Use and Zoning████████████████████████████████32%
Water And Wastewater Management███████████████████████████████31%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████████10%
Cannabis Regulation██████6%
Public Safety████4%
Economic Development████4%
Public Engagement████4%
Education Funding███3%
Liquor License Regulation██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Carson City Growth Management & Planning Commission Meeting - May 27, 2026

The Carson City Growth Management Commission (GMC) reconvened as the Planning Commission (PC) on May 27, 2026, at 4:00 PM. The GMC portion focused on the annual review of residential building permit allocations for 2027-2028 and estimates for 2029-2030, including presentations on water, wastewater, fire, and school capacity. The PC portion addressed several special use permits (cannabis production facility, school/child development center), an easement abandonment, and staff reports. Public comments included concerns about neighborhood safety, permitting compliance, and access to meeting information.

Consent Calendar

  • GMC: Approved the minutes of May 28, 2025, with one abstention (Commissioner Brooks).
  • PC: Approved the minutes of April 29, 2026, with one abstention (Commissioner Brooks).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Tanya Brown (PC): Spoke about an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) at 2828 Lucas Lane, stating that the owner (Mr. Portillo) has had unpermitted construction on other properties and has sent a cease-and-desist letter after her earlier opposition. She requested the commission revoke the ADU approval and require a five-year waiting period. She emphasized her concerns were about safety and neighborhood character, not race. The chair noted no action could be taken on that matter at this meeting.
  • Denny French (both GMC and PC): Expressed concerns about water quality blending, the need to consider water affordability, electricity capacity for future growth (data centers, AI), and the value of reusing wastewater products. He also asked for public access to meetings and materials, noting difficulty with computer access and the library's limited viewing options. Later, he commented on the St. Teresa school proposal, raising parking and traffic concerns but acknowledging the site's thoughtfulness.
  • Public comment via email: A comment from Casey Baldwin was acknowledged by the chair.

Discussion Items

  • GMC: Residential Building Permit Allocations (GM 2026-0068)
    • Staff (Hope Sullivan) presented the annual review of growth capacity. Key points:
      • Staff recommended maintaining a 3% growth rate, giving 811 allocations in 2027, 835 in 2028, 860 in 2029, and 886 in 2030.
      • The split of 43% for general property owners and 57% for development projects in the first quarter was also recommended.
      • The 10,000-gallon-per-day threshold for commercial/industrial water use was retained with the additional criteria from 2021 (water conservation and public benefit findings).
    • Andy Hummel (Utility Manager) presented water and wastewater capacity: water rights are sufficient (18,648 acre-feet, current use ~10,000-11,000); the Quill water treatment plant is being upgraded (23M contract); wastewater flows are approaching 85% of permitted capacity (6.9 MGD), and a facility master plan update is underway.
    • Kevin Nyberg (Acting Fire Chief) reported on the new Fire Station 55, which added 25% more fire capacity and reduced response times on the east side of town.
    • Commissioner Preston proposed changing the allocation methodology from fixed 3% to a rolling five-year average of actual housing starts, to better align with population growth projections (state demographer: 0.7% growth). He argued this would prevent premature buildout. Commissioners Brooks and Cron expressed support but noted economic cycles should be considered.
    • Commissioner Paisell asked about electricity capacity; staff noted this is not currently part of growth management but could be added by Board request.
  • PC: Abandonment of Easement (AB 2026-0067)
    • Staff recommended approval of abandoning a 15,798 sq ft drainage and public utility easement on Research Way. Applicant Jim Bailey (Meridian Surveying) accepted the three conditions. Unanimously approved.
  • PC: Cannabis Production Facility (LU 2026-0070)
    • Staff reported the facility on Highway 50 East has been operating since 2015 with no proposed changes. Water use averages 120 gallons per day (less than neighboring auto shop). No complaints received. Approved unanimously subject to eight conditions.
  • PC: St. Teresa of Aviva School and Child Development Center (LU 2026-0028)
    • Staff recommended approval for a 59,675 sq ft building on 13.91 acres (rezoning from Limited Industrial to Public) at 3000 North Lompa Lane. Maximum 330 students (combined child care and K-8). Traffic study requires a four-way stop at Carmine Street and right-turn-only exit. Condition added to include building elevations on the site plan. Commissioner De Christopher suggested census-based capacity (students on site) rather than enrollment, but staff noted state licensing uses enrollment. Approved unanimously with 10 conditions (amended condition #2 to include elevations).

Key Outcomes

  • GMC: Motion carried (unanimous) to recommend to the Board of Supervisors:
    1. Approve the draft resolution establishing allocations as presented (3% growth, 43/57 split, 10,000 gal/day threshold).
    2. Add energy as a resource/service to be studied for future growth management (per municipal code 18.12.015 I).
    3. Direct staff to review and propose a revised allocation methodology (e.g., rolling average) for next year's meeting.
  • PC: Approved all three agenda items (easement abandonment, cannabis facility, St. Teresa school) as described.
  • Staff will begin the wastewater facility master plan update and continue coordinating with utilities on growth planning.

Meeting Transcript

And gentlemen, it's four o'clock. This is the uh call the meeting to order of the growth management commission of Carson City. Uh call the role, please. Chair borders present. Vice Chair Cron. Here. Commissioner Brooks. Here. Commissioner De Christopher. Commissioner Peterson. Commissioner Preston. Commissioner Paisell. Here. A quorum is present. Thank you. Commissioner Crohn, will you lead us to the pledge, please? Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. The public is invited at this time to comment on any topic that relates to a matter over which this public body, and this is the public body called the Growth Management Commission, has supervision, control, jurisdiction, and advisory power, including any such matters that are not specifically included on the agenda as an action item. No action will be taken on any matters raised or for this period for public comment. Is there any public comment on the growth management? Hearing none, uh possible action is approval of the minutes of May 28th, 2025. Which are in your packet. Are there any additions or corrections to the minutes? If not, could I have a motion to approve? Commissioner Brooks, thank you. Is there a second? All second. Second by Commissioner Pazell. Any further discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye, opposed, no. Abstain. Abstain from me. One abstention. All right. GM 2026-0068. Uh discussion and possible action regarding a recommendation of the Board of Supervisors for a resolution establishing the maximum number of residential building permit allocations under Chapter 18.12, the growth management ordinance of the City Municipal Code for the years 2027 and 2028 estimation of the maximum number of residential building permits for the years 2029 and 2030. Thank you, Mr. Chair. As this commission knows, the planning commission serves as the growth management commission. So the growth management commission annually reviews information from various city departments, including public works, fire, sheriff, and parks, and from the school district and makes a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors on three items. One, you establish a fixed number of residential building permit allocations to be made available in 2027, 2028, and you estimate the number to be made available in 2029 and 2031 units or more. And you also, thirdly, and lastly, you establish the maximum average daily water usage for commercial and industrial building permits as a threshold for growth the growth management commission review, and we'll talk more about that in a little bit. What the Board of Supervisors has found is that we have to annually consider for managed growth in Carson City the following items water quantity, quality, supply capacity, and infrastructure, store treatment and disposal capacity and the ability of the system or infrastructure to transport sewage from a source to the treatment system, the sheriff's protective services, the fire protective services, transportation and circulation, drainage and flooding, school enrollment and capacity and parks and recreation. You have memos addressing each of these essential resources to help you understand the capacity and the impacts. No one, in terms of department heads or the superintendent of schools, has suggested reducing the development rate to less than 3% growth. So per municipal code 1812040, each calendar year, the residential allocations are put into two categories the general property owner and the development project. And again, the development project is if you're yielding 31 or more units. Traditionally, the city has utilized a division, if you will, of 43% of the allocations in the first quarter going to the general property owner, and 57% of the allocations going to the development category.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com