Maverik wins fifth approval in three years

Gardnerville’s new design standards resulted in the Town Board seeking redesign of two projects along Highway 395 at the southern entrance to the town.

The Gardnerville Maverik appeared for the fifth time to undergo a design review. The design review will likely be the only public hearing for either project.

Its plan had the main building in the center of the lot, something that might have been OK, had they built it after their original design review in 2019.

However, Town Manager Erik Nilssen said the standards require buildings to be located toward the highway instead of behind a parking lot.

Representatives of Maverik argued against having to move the building, saying they felt having people walk across the parking lot was a safety issue.

More concerning for those driving down Highway 395 is the future of the intersection.

A traffic study indicated that a left turn from Stodick onto the highway will be significantly degraded and recommends a High T intersection be installed at the highway. That will entail a new median in the highway west of the intersection to prevent left turn access into Maverik’s driveway, requiring motorists to turn at Stodick Parkway.

The traffic engineer for Maverik said there wouldn’t be a traffic signal or sign, though the store would contribute to a traffic signal should one eventually be installed.

The town doesn’t have any control over either the state highway or Stodick Parkway, which is a county road.

Douglas County’s transportation plan shows Waterloo Lane being rerouted south of the Douglas County Community & Senior Center to meet Stodick, which would require a traffic light.

The town board also approved a light redesign for the former site of Joe Benigno’s Tree Service that succumbed to fire on March 6, 2021.

A previous design review on the parcel was approved for the property by Gardnerville on Sept. 7, 2021, despite not entirely meeting the town’s design standards.

When site improvement plans were submitted in December 2022, they were significantly altered from the approved review.

Owner Jill Alley said that she planned to construct the project as approved until bids came in for construction.

She told Town Board members she received around $750,000 in insurance for the structure but the cost of building to the approved plan was $1.4 million, thanks in part to significant inflation.

The new plan rotated and moved the main building and made it smaller, and the landscaping had been reduced.

Alley said the insurance company allocated money for increased landscaping out front to screen the site, and the town board agreed.

Nilssen said the project consists of an office building and a shop.

“Due to this parcel’s location adjacent to the highway it is also subject to standards higher than general guidelines,” according to Nilssen’s report.

“The goal of these guidelines are to create a higher standard of materials, architecture and landscaping for development within the Town of Gardnerville.”