Update: Planning Commission upholds staff in substation appeal

Update: Douglas County Planning Commissioners upheld Community Development staff for three of four conditions on a land division map to create a parcel sought by NV Energy.

Because there's no guarantee that a substation will actually be built there, planning commissioners limited their discussion solely to the land division. 

Planning Commission Chairman Kirk Walder specifically cited part of the staff report that raised the issue.

“The appeal references the intent to use Parcel 1 as a substation, but this intent is not guaranteed, and even if it were, the future development has no bearing on the application to divide the land that is currently at hand,” staff wrote.

An appeal of conditions placed on a new NV Energy Substation located at East Valley and Stockyard Roads just below Grandview Estates is scheduled to be heard at today’s Douglas County Planning Commission.

Planning commissioners met 1 p.m. Tuesday in the Douglas County Courthouse, 1616 Eighth St., Minden.

The power company sought approval for a tentative map on the site, moving the substation located along Buckeye Road on Aug. 10 2023, at the Administrative Hearing Panel.

The panel voted to continue the issue and in Feb. 14, staff issued a letter of approval with conditions.

The power company took issue with four of the conditions, including the improvement to Stockyard Road across the property, relinquishing 5 acre feet of water rights, providing a paved pullout for a new cluster mailbox and not putting an additional driveway on East Valley Road.

The tentative parcel map would split a 605-acre parcel so NV Energy can purchase a 20.68-acre parcel from Pine Nut Estates.

The rest of the property is proposed for a 118-unit subdivision that has been looking for a water purveyor.

NV Energy Survey Supervisor Leland Johnson said the final condition would limit the other property owner.

“Pine Nut Ranch Estates has been and is currently working with Douglas County on the remainder parcels of this land division,” Johnson wrote. “(The) condition … may negatively impact and constrain the proposed subdivision in particular the condition that Parcel 4 shall utilize the existing access easement on the south property line for access to East Valley Road.”

Johnson said there is a proposed access point for a four-way intersection a quarter mile north of the southern property line from a realigned Stockyard Drive for access to the west side of Pine Nut Ranch Estates.

“Therefore, confirmation is required that this condition will not foreclose the above from future county approval of the agreed upon access and alignment,” Johnson said in his appeal.

Residents of Grandview Estates aren’t happy with the proposal, with Derek Harpt providing public comment in opposition to the location.

“I’m asking the planning commission to reject the division of this parcel since it will adversely affect the nearby residential community in multiple ways,” he said.

In a letter to planning commissioners, Grandview Estates Homeowners Association President Steve Mothersell Sr. said he named the project for the views of the Valley.

“The idea of locating a huge substation immediately west of this community is at best ill conceived,” he said. “It will have significant social and economic impacts to this beautiful community that cannon be quantified.”