Nevada Rural Housing study brings Carson City's housing shortage into focus

A comprehensive housing study released Wednesday by the Nevada Rural Housing Authority breaks down Carson City's housing shortage as it stands today, but several new developments either underway or being planned in Carson City should put a dent into the demand, said NRHA Deputy Director Bill Brewer.

"The good news is that units are needed so badly that any housing is welcome and going to make a difference," he said. "The real need we have, and a desperate need, is additional units."

The latest community development report released this month by the Carson City Community Development Department shows well over three hundred residential building permits were issued between 2016 and February 2018. This includes permitting for more than 200 single-family detached units as well as over 100 combined for single-family attached and multi-family unit projects.

Some of the developments currently under construction in Carson City including Mills Landing, a 105-lot subdivision featuring single-family attached units located on State Street between William and Long streets; seven single-family attached townhomes at Anderson and Robinson streets; 16-unit apartment complex on Linda Kay Court right off Fifth Street; and 10 residential units on the third and fourth floors of the mixed-use project funded by the Hop and Mae Adams Foundation on Curry Street between Proctor and Telegraph.

Sixty-four new apartment units were added on to the 175-unit Bella Lago Apartments along Airport Road and have been completed. Leasing has begun there.

Homes continue to be built in Schulz Ranch, located along either side of at Race Track Way, at Center Drive and Topsy Lane behind the Stewart Indian School. Dozens of homes have already been built, sold and moved into there since late 2016 and more homesites are continuing to be built upon in that development.

Construction of additional phases of the Silver Oak Development along the Silver Oak Golf Course are also underway with 31 planned home sites on nearly eight acres surrounding Jon Mankins Park off Oak Ridge Drive. Siena at Silver Oak, located along the northwest corner of the golf course, has also begun construction with dozens more lots available. Construction has begun on some homes there.

"We expect the Schulz Ranch development (Topsy/Race Track area) and Silver Oak to continue building single family homes at a steady pace," Carson City Community Development Director Lee Plemel said. "There should also be a couple of townhome projects and multi-family apartment projects constructed in 2018."

The bad news for residential construction in Carson City is that it isn't moving fast enough, Brewer said, and affordable housing especially remains in short supply.

"The need is so great," he said. "Carson City really needs at least 1,300 multifamily units."

He said housing for working families earning $10-15 per hour — well below the area's annual median household income of $51,684 and closer to federal poverty levels — continues to be most scarce in Carson City.

"They are having an extremely difficult time finding a place to rent," Brewer said. "They've waiting years for a voucher, then going out into marketplace to use it and can't find anything available."

He said the rental market in Carson City is generally at levels that will serve 90-100 percent of households that fall into area's median income. For a family four, Brewer said that's $62,900.

"It would be affordable for folks at that income level," he said.

But not for families at lower income levels.

Brewer said he expects there to be vacancies of existing affordable housing units as new multi- and single-family units become available. As affordable housing units are vacated for the new units, this will begin to increase the vacancy rate for low-income families still on the waiting list for housing.

But current housing projects won't resolve the supply shortage completely. Brewer said he expects construction of residential units will need to continue for the next three years in order for supply to meet current demands.

"It will happen," he said. "There are projects in process, but it wont be an immediate fix."

There are still several planned developments currently under review by the Carson City Planning Commission, or that are pending a building permit and waiting for construction to begin.

"We do have a relatively high number of residential projects with approvals that are waiting to be constructed," Plemel said.

Construction of about a thousand more apartment units are currently pending, according to the Carson City Planning Department.

A 372-unit apartment complex, part of the Blackstone Ranch development in the southwest corner at East Fifth Street and Saliman Road, has been approved and is pending its building permit.

The first phase of Blackstone Ranch, 189-unit single-family detached development on the Lompa Ranch property along North Saliman Road and East Robinson Street, has been approved by the Carson City Planning Commission and construction is currently pending site improvements of the 44.5 acre parcel.

A 228-unit apartment complex in Northeast Carson City, located on nearly 24 acres near Arrowhead and Centennial Park drives, has also been approved by the Carson City Planning Commission and is pending its building permit, too.

A 150-unit apartment complex on about six acres along GS Richards Way in Northwest Carson City has been approved and is pending its building permit.

Carson Hills Apartments, a 300-unit apartment complex off South Curry Street and behind the Galaxy Fandango Theatre, has its building permit currently under review by the city.

Other developments whose building permits are under review include a 90-unit apartment along GS Richards Way as well as Arbor Villas, a 147-unit single-family attached development off Little Lane.

A site improvement permit has been issued by the city for Jackson Village along Eagle Station, a planned unit development of 41 single family detached residences.

"We do expect to see an increase in the number of residential units actually constructed in 2018 compared to the last two years," Plemel said. "It’s not unusual to have a much larger number of units that are approved than will actually be constructed in any given year."

Plemel said the exact numbers of housing units that will be completed this year and ready to be occupied is still uncertain.

"It remains to be seen how many units will actually be constructed in 2018," he said. "Developers are planning years ahead, and some of the projects — like Lompa Ranch — will take 10-20 years or more to build out."

According to the NHRA Housing Survey, part of the comprehensive study just released, Carson City currently has an estimated population of 54,997 and 21,692 households. More than 55 percent of those total existing housing units are owned homes, while 44.4 percent of households are rentals.

This means that 9,635 existing housing units in Carson City are renter-occupied while 12,057 are owner-occupied, the NRHA study said. Carson City ranks ninth statewide in its median household income according to the NRHA Housing Survey.

Median rent in Carson City is $927 a month, the NRHA study said, and median housing value is $241,921.

For more information about Carson City's housing data, visit www.nevadaruralhousingstudies.org to read details the NRHA housing study for this area.

More data from the Carson City Community Development Department is forthcoming, so this story is developing. Please check back for updates.