County backs town on metal building project

Design review of a storage facility located south of Gardnerville was denied 4-3 by Douglas County planning commissioners.

The project proposed on land owned by Butch Peri just east of the Muller-Pinenut Road roundabout was previously denied by the Gardnerville Town Board.

Typically design reviews at the county level are done administratively, but in this case Community Development officials decided to present the issue to planning commissioners.

Peri told planning commissioners he’d invested more than $8 million in infrastructure to his property, including building the roundabout and an expanded lane, without a single project done.

Town Manager Erik Nilssen said that he was clear early on the in the process that the proposed metal structures were against the town’s design standards.

He told planning commissioners that his key concern wasn’t the interior of the project, but the parts of the project that were visible to the public.

The town had previously denied a design review for a metal structure proposed to replace Joe Benigno’s Tree Service building that burned down last winter.

Planning Commissioner Brian Oland voted against the project, pointing out that if the county overturned the town, it sent a message that developers could ignore the town, knowing they could go to the county.

Planning Manager Sam Booth said that county staff looked at the criteria they had and determined that the storage facility would meet county requirements.

Planning commissioner Bryce Clutts voted in favor of the project, asking Nilssen whether there were any other metal buildings in Gardnerville.

Clutts was joined by planning commissioners Kristi Kandel and Kirk Walder in voting in favor of the project.

Oland, Mark Neddenriep, Nicholas Maier and Maureen Casey voted with the majority.

Proponents may either appeal to Douglas County commissioners or redesign the project.

On Thursday, Douglas County commissioners reappointed Walder to the planning commission. Also appointed were former Douglas County commissioner Dave Nelson, who is replacing Oland. Ken Paxton is replacing Kandel, who resigns effective the end of the year.