Townhome residents not giving up

Minden Townhome residents who say a proposed three-story hotel will destroy their views and privacy will take their arguments to the Douglas County Board of Commissioners Thursday, despite a project approval by the Douglas County Planning Commission.

Traffic issues are another concern for those appealing. According to a study by Solaegui Engineers Ltd., the center is expected to generate about 6,000 average daily trips.

The area now averages between 26,000 and 32,000 trips daily, according to information from the Nevada Department of Transportation.

Project architect Darren Burger said commercial interests in the center are integrated and moving buildings could mean a loss of commercial quality.

Located on 13.3 acres just south of the junction of Highway 395 and State Route 88, the proposed center includes more than 191,000 square feet of commercial space. The 80-room hotel is located on the edge of the property next to the townhomes.

Long's Drugs, Sizzler and Sierra Nevada Trading Company have all expressed interest in the project, according to information from Sky West Real Estate Services.

The development will be skirted by multi-family and single-family homes, commercial development, office buildings and Douglas High School.

In other business:

-- Bears could have a harder time finding dinner in local garbage cans, should commissioners approve expansion of Douglas County's bear ordinance. Residents whose bins have been raided by bears two or more times in a two-year period will be required to purchase a bear-proof collection bin.

Because Tahoe Basin residents will be impacted, the ordinance will be subject to one more reading at the Board's Lake meeting.

-- The Douglas County Redevelopment Agency could pay $50,000 annually over the next two fiscal years for improvements to Jacks Valley Elementary School. Cost for the school's roof and HVAC improvements totalled $1.2 million and the school was incorporated into the redevelopment district with that knowledge.

Allocations will depend on approved budgets, according to information from county staff.

-- Douglas County is expected to assume maintenance responsibilities for the first half-mile of Muller Parkway, just east of Highway 395 in Minden. The agreement, which includes .08 of a mile on Monte Vista Avenue and another short stretch of what is now known as Road A, includes roads built by Nevada Northwest as a part of the improvements for their planned development.

Susie Vasquez can be reached at svasquez@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 211.

What: Douglas County Board of Commissioners meeting

When: 1 p.m. Thursday

Where: Douglas County Administration Building, 1616 Eighth St. in Minden