Gardnerville Plan for Prosperity

August 2006

Contents

Executive Summary

Introduction

i.1 Purposei.2 Processi.3 Relationship to other Policies and Documentsi.4 Relationship to Existing Plans and Policies

SECTION ONE: Opportunities, Objectives,Goals and Policies

1.0 Introduction1.1 Opportunity Sites1.2 Overall Planning Objectives1.3 Goals and Policies1.4 Factors for Success

SECTION TWO: Urban Design Concepts

2.0 Introduction2.1 Overall Urban Design Concepts2.2 Downtown Development Area Concepts2.3 Stodick/US 395 Concepts2.4 South Gateway Concepts

SECTION THREE: Action Plan

3.0 Introduction3.1 Administrative Actions3.2 Regulatory Actions3.3 Financing Actions

Gardnerv i l l e ’sHistoryThe Town of Gardnervillewas founded in 1879 byLawrence Gilman ofGenoa when he movedthe Kent House from theGenoa area to a 7-acretract of land on the EastFork of the Carson River.Gilman had purchasedthe land from a home-steader, John M.Gardner, in whose honorhe named the new town.

In its new location, theKent House was renamedthe Gardnerville Hotel.The hotel is no longerstanding, but its site wasjust west of the present J& T Bar, near the inter-

section of Eddy and MainStreets (US Highway395).

Gilman added a black-smith shop and a saloonto his hotel to ensure histown’s utility and popu-larity with the ranchers.As the town prospered, anumber of hotels, shops,and saloons sprang up.By 1899, Main Street waslined with two livery sta-bles, a woodworkingshop, a boarding house, atin shop, three generalmerchandising stores, ahall, four saloons, onemeat market, one furni-ture store, a drug andconfectionary store, andtwo hotels. The ValhallaSociety-a Danish organi-

zation whose purposewas to disseminate infor-mation to immigrants-was formed in 1885, mak-ing Gardnerville animportant social center inthe valley as well as acommercial center.

Because of its location,Gardnerville came toserve as feed stop for the24-horse freight teamspassing between CarsonCity and Bodie.

(Dangberg, Grace.Carson Valley: HistoricSketches of Nevada’sFirst Settlement. CarsonValley Historical Society.Carson Valley, Nevada,1972.)

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Executive Summary

The Gardnerville Plan for Prosperity is the product of a pub-lic planning process and represents the community’s valuesand vision of the future. The Plan provides a framework ofgoals and polices, planning concepts and implementationpriorities and has a companion document of DesignGuidelines that convey the Town’s expectations for quality.The Plan is to be incorporated into the update process for theDouglas County Master Plan, zoning and related CapitalImprovements Programs.

Overall ObjectivesThe planning process resulted inthree overall objectives for theTown’s future:

OBJECTIVE 1: Creating a Mixed-use and Connected CommunityContinue to plan for mixed-use proj-ects that create and connect to walk-able neighborhoods.

OBJECTIVE 2: Make Sure Plans areFeasibleMake sure plans for mixed-usedevelopment are realistic. Initial proj-ects would benefit from a horizontalmix of uses that are connected bycarefully coordinated site planning,where uses come together aroundstreets and open spaces.

OBJECTIVE 3: Improve US 395’sImageOld Town and the ‘S’ Curve continueto be a priority investment district.Other important sites identifiedincluded the South Gateway andWaterloo/US 395. However, all newinvestment should improve the

image of the town.

Overall ConceptsThe Gardnerville Plan for Prosperityemphasizes creating mixed-use dis-tricts and neighborhoods that areinterconnected. They emphasizeprotecting and creating economicvalue.

Community CharacterPlanning and design concepts reflectthe scale, pedestrian orientation andblock patterns found on Main Streetand adjacent traditional neighbor-hoods. In Old Town, new investmentis to respond to this immediate con-text. In outlying areas, new develop-ment will reflect this tradition whileproviding for the needs of contempo-rary demands of the automobile. Ineach case, new development wouldbe recognized as part of the town.

Mixed-use PlacesThe Plan for Prosperity emphasizesmaster planned developments thatmix residential and commercialuses. These developments may be

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Above:New investment should contribute to thepreservation, enhancement, and cre-ation of livable mixed-use neighbor-hoods.

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Gardnerville Plan for Prosperity

Above andRight:

(1) Sketch of thecorner ofGilman andHeritage Park

(2) Sketch ofcommercialservice frontageat StodickParkway

(3) Sketch of“South ValleyPlaza”–amixed-useneighborhoodwith commercialfrontage andplaza thatserves asGardnerville’ssouthern entry

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Executive Summary

The Gardnerville Plan for Prosperity makes recom-mendations for existing non-residential areas along US395. The Plan provides added detail for three impor-tant opportunity sites–Old Town, Stodick Parkway/US395, and the South Gateway.

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1. Old Town2. Stodick

Parkway/US 3953. South Gateway

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horizontal mixed-use where com-mercial and residential uses are partof the same site plan but notstacked. In the long term, uses maybe stacked vertically. This is a tradi-tional pattern for Main Street in OldTown.

Pedestrian ConnectionsMaking Gardnerville a walkable townis a key overall planning concept.Every new development in the townwould be connected to existing andfuture sidewalks and the local streetsystem rather than be planned as anisolated project.

Traffic Calming The community expressed thedesire to design public and privateimprovements that calm traffic on US395. This includes streetscaping andpaving materials that make it clearthe highway is passing through apedestrian district. The same philos-ophy is to pertain to local roadswhere on-street parking, designwidths, and pedestrian amenitiesindicate cars are sharing neighbor-hood streets with pedestrians andbicycles.

Protecting and Creating EconomicValueThe urban design concepts forGardnerville are intended to createand protect economic opportunitiesfor the community and property own-ers. The concepts convey a commonexpectation about the quality andcreation of shared addresses thatcreates higher values for land andexisting and future buildings.

ActionsThe Plan identifies administrative,regulatory and financing actions thatwill help facilitate its implementation.

AdministrativeAdministrative actions include coor-dination, ongoing planning anddesign and technical studies neces-sary to implement the Plan. Thereare three priority areas of continuedadministrative efforts which includecontinued coordination and advoca-cy for enhancements to US 395;preparing a parking district study;and ongoing support of privateinvestors.

RegulatoryRegulatory actions include policy,development standards and devel-opment review activities necessaryto implement the Gardnerville planfor Prosperity. The plan recommendsupdating the Douglas County MasterPlan to include new goals and poli-cies, revising the County develop-ment standards for mixed-use proj-ects and creation of parking districts,and the Town using design guide-lines.

FinancingFinancing actions identifies potentialpublic funding sources and assignsthem to support implementation ofpublic and private investments.Recommended financing actionsinclude funding the creation of aparking district, adjusting the Town’sand County’s Capital ImprovementPlans to support the implementationof the Plan, and seek highways andtransportation funding for trafficcalming improvements.

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Below:

This overhead view of Old Town showsnew development around Heritage Park(1), redevelopment of the ‘S' Curve (2),and infill development along MainStreet (3).

The concept locates parking in the inte-rior of blocks and places commercialstorefronts along streets. Residentialdevelopment happens above or behindcommercial storefronts.

Gardnerville Plan for Prosperity

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Introduction

The Gardnerville Plan for Prosperity is the product of a plan-ning process that involved community workshops sponsoredby a citizens task force, Town Board study sessions and pub-lic hearings. The Plan provides a framework of land use,image and circulation concepts with supporting designguidelines and implementation activities. The Plan is to beincorporated into the update process for the Douglas CountyMaster Plan, zoning and related Capital ImprovementsPrograms (CIP).

i.1 PurposeGardnerville is located in the pictur-esque Carson Valley which is experi-encing unprecedented growth. TheTown of Gardnerville, with the sup-port of Douglas County, preparedthis plan to anticipate current andfuture design and economic opportu-nities that will improve the quality oflife for residents. The overall objec-tives for the planning effort was to:

• Be incorporated into County landuse and circulation policies;

• Establish community land use, cir-culation and urban design con-cepts;

• Provide design guidelines; and• Identify public investment priori-

ties.

i.2 ProcessThe preparation of the GardnervillePlan for Prosperity involved a com-munity-based planning process. Theprocess was sponsored by a citizentask force and included three com-munity workshops.

Task ForceA Citizens Advisory Committee wasused to facilitate sponsorship of theplanning process. The CAC includ-ed property and business owners,residents, Town Board members,County Planning Commissioners,Town staff, and County Staff. Thistask force was charged with commu-nity outreach; sponsoring work-shops; acting as a “sounding board”for principles and concepts; and for-

Above Top: Planning Opportunities andOptions Workshop, April 6, 2005

Above Bottom: Preliminary Concepts,May 25, 2005

Right: Preliminary Framework PlanReview, October 20, 2005

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warding recommendations to theTown Board, County PlanningCommission, and CountyCommissioners.

Community WorkshopsThe ideas and concepts used in thePlan have come from the TaskForce's workshops with an estimated100 participants in three events. Theresults from these workshops havebeen summarized on a project website.

• Planning Opportunities andOptions Workshop, April 6, 2005

• Preliminary Concepts, May 25,2005

• Preliminary Framework PlanReview, October 20, 2005

Framework Plan ReviewPrior to drafting the GardnervillePlan for Prosperity Report, a prelimi-nary framework plan was preparedand reviewed in a study session withthe task force, community workshop,and Town Board.

The Framework Plan was organizedinto three sections. These include:

• Land Use and EconomicOpportunity

• Community Design and Image• Community Circulation and

Linkages

Each section conveys basicassumptions, principles, conceptsand policy implications.

Gardnerville Plan for Prosperity

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Public HearingsIn addition to the community work-shops and study session, the planhas been presented in a public hear-ing before for the Gardnerville TownBoard, County PlanningCommission and the CountyCommissioners.

i.3 Relationship to Existing Plansand PoliciesThe Gardnerville Plan for Prosperityprocess provided the opportunity forthe community to explore their futureand express desired outcomes. Itwas intended to inform the update ofthe Douglas County Master Plan andsupporting development standardsand capital improvements programs.For the Town, it will influence priori-ties for capital projects, especiallyroadway planning and parking. Forboth the County and Town, theDesign Guidelines (under a separatecover) add additional refinement totraditional development review. TheUS 395 improvements identified inthe Plan have been conveyed to theNevada Department ofTransportation to illustrate how theState, County and Town can coordi-nate roadway improvements.

i.4 Organization of DocumentThe Gardnerville Plan for Prosperityis organized in four sections. Theseinclude:

IntroductionThis section provides background onthe purpose, process, organizationof the report and relationship to otherdocuments.

SECTION ONE: Opportunities,Objectives, Goals and PoliciesThis section provides a summary ofthe opportunities for reinvestmentand the community’s goals and poli-cies.

SECTION TWO: Urban DesignConceptsThe second section includes town-wide and sub area framework of con-cepts for land use, circulation anddesign.

SECTION THREE: Action PlanThe fourth section outlines overalladministrative, regulatory andfinancing actions that support imple-mentation of the Plan.

Design Guidelines (under separatecover)This Design Guidelines are a com-panion document to the Plan forProsperity. They provide site, build-ing and signage design guidelinesthat express the qualitative expecta-tions for the various sub areas.

Introduction