Guiding Vision:
The city’s vision is guided in seven Guiding Principles: Well-managed growth; access to open lands and recreational opportunities; economic vitality; vibrant downtown and gateway corridors; livable neighborhoods; unique history and culture and; a connected community.
Today, we’re continuing our series on the Master Plan draft currently under review by the city and its leadership.
A Master Plan is essentially the city’s blueprint for the next 20 years, which includes guidance and goals for growth, housing, economic development, natural resources, aesthetics, and much more.
The first Master Plan was adopted by Carson City in 1958, followed by five additional updates, the last being in 2006.
You can read the full overview in our previous reporting here.
The first topic covered by the Master Plan was the goals and priorities for well-managed growth.
The second was Access to Open Lands and Recreational Opportunities.
The third was Economic Vitality.
The fourth, Vibrant Downtown and Gateway Corridors.
Today, we’re taking a look at the fifth goal: Livable Neighborhoods
Livable neighborhoods contain not only homes, but also services and amenities for supporting the day-to-day activities of residents and visitors.
Carson City residents value the community’s safe, attractive, and diverse neighborhoods. However, like many communities across the country, Carson City is experiencing cost of living increases as wages stagnate and the housing supply struggles to keep up with demand.
Many of the community’s younger residents aspire to buy a home and start a family in the City, but struggle to find options they can afford.
Today, Carson City’s housing stock is made up of predominantly older, detached single-family homes, but is becoming more diverse, as townhomes and apartment buildings continue to pop up around the city.
Based on the projected population growth, Carson City is anticipated to need around 2,100 additional housing units by 2042. These homes will need to accommodate a range of income levels and household types, including higher-end homes for affluent community members, options for older residents looking to retire in Carson City, and smaller homes for young families looking to start a life here.
Infill and redevelopment have occurred in multiple forms: on larger parcels that remain within the Urban Services Boundary (in the form of new planned neighborhoods); within older neighborhoods (in the form of individual homes or small multifamily developments); as well as along aging commercial corridors.
While this activity has helped to expand the variety of housing options that are available for new and long-time residents, the scale and intensity of infill and redevelopment has at times generated concern from residents of established
neighborhoods.
Goals
Livable neighborhoods contain not only homes, but also services and amenities for supporting the day-to-day activities of residents and visitors.
Carson City will encourage the development of new neighborhoods within the Urban Services Boundary that contain a mix of land uses and housing options that meet the varying functional and financial needs of its residents, including single-family detached and attached homes (duplexes, townhomes), smaller homes, multi-family homes, accessory dwellings, and housing included as part of mixed-use developments.
The City will also work to maintain the quality and character of established neighborhoods, encourage reinvestment in older neighborhoods, and ensure that infill and redevelopment is designed in a manner that is compatible with existing neighborhoods.
The main goals to achieve livable neighborhoods include:
Expand Housing Options to meet the needs of existing and future residents and workers of all ages, abilities and income levels
- Maintain the ability for Carson City residents to choose from an array of housing options and lot sizes based on their lifestyle preference, income level, and stage of life
- Encourage a mix of housing types, price points, and unit sizes as part of new developments
- Support the incorporation of detached single-family homes on smaller lots, higher-density housing types like duplexes, townhomes, multi-family apartments, condos, and live-work options
- Provide opportunities for accessory dwelling units (ADUs)
- Encourage the construction of homes and the renovation of existing homes to meet universal design or visitability principles that facilitate aging-in-place, accommodating older residents and others with mobility limitations or disabilities
- Promote variety and visual interest in the design of new neighborhoods through the incorporation of varied lot sizes, building styles, and other features, as consistent with the land use policies
Support the Retention and Expansion of Affordable and Workforce Housing
- Collaborate with local non-profits and housing partners to access and employ programs that provide funds devoted to affordable housing
- Work with non-profits and government agencies to expand the availability of certified affordable housing units, options for first-time homebuyers, and workforce housing units through the development and construction of new affordable and mixed-income housing projects
- Support organizations to enable the purchase, rehabilitation and long-term management of manufactured home parks, and consider expanding opportunities for site built housing options where appropriate
- Collaborate with agencies and organizations to prevent Carson City residents from becoming homeless and facilitate assisted housing options to meet the needs of vulnerable populations
- Enforce appropriate standards for safe and decent affordable hosing in Carson City, such as length of stay omits for RV parks, motels and hotels, and encourage the conversion of short-term units to permanent housing
- Remove regulatory barriers to the construction of affordable housing
- Establish and maintain an inventory of public lands that may be suitable for workforce and/or affordable housing development, then collaborate with other agencies on the development of key sites as opportunities arise
- Connect residents to available housing programs, grants, opportunities and agencies available to assist with weatherization and retrofitting to improve energy efficiency, down payment assistance, first-time homebuyer assistance, rental assistance, and other needs
Maintain the Quality, Character and Livability of Established Neighborhoods
- Work with partners to develop strategies and incentives to increase home ownership opportunities for residents and to promote regular maintenance, renovation, and reinvestment within the City’s established neighborhoods
- Ensure infill and redevelopment fits the surrounding development
- Prioritize infrastructure improvements such as traffic calming, sidewalks, pathways, street tree plantings, etc. in established neighborhoods based on documented deficiencies.
Promote Reinvestment in Declining Neighborhoods
- Support the retention and rehabilitation of existing housing stock in older neighborhoods as a core component of the workforce and affordable housing supply in Carson City
- Allow for the adaptation of housing units to meet the needs of current and future residents (e.g., expanded footprints, garage construction, creation of accessory dwelling units)
- Encourage the construction of new homes on vacant lots and the redevelopment of dilapidated properties
- Consider legal and regulatory measures that put vacant and/or dilapidated properties back to productive use such as the auction of tax defaulted properties, demolition by neglect vacant needling registration program, and expanded use permission of long vacant or underutilized structures.
- Pursue violations related to safety, public health, and quality of life including removal of abandoned vehicles, abatement of blighted properties, and other nuisances.
Priorities
From these goals, staff is recommending the following priorities, which means that the city should begin working towards these goals immediately following plan adoption:
Expand Housing Options to Meet the Needs of Existing and Future Residents and Workers of All Ages, Abilities, and Income Levels
Review and update residential and mixed-use zone districts in Title 18 as necessary to align with Master Plan goals and policies and land use categories and to ensure the full spectrum of desired housing types are allowed by right in the locations called for by the plan. This process should consider:
- Potential updates to housing definitions for consistency with NRS, and to more clearly distinguish group homes and “missing middle” housing types (e.g., duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, and townhomes) from single family detached and multifamily buildings;
- Evaluation of allowances for attached dwellings and manufactured housing (distinct from mobile homes) where appropriate;
- Evaluation of dimensional standards and densities; and
- Evaluation of allowed uses and accessory uses to support the desired characteristics of individual land use categories, and to ensure compliance with the Fair Housing Act.
Adopt regulatory incentives to encourage the construction of homes that meet universal design or visitability principles to facilitate aging-in-place, accommodating older residents and others with mobility limitations or disabilities, as a percentage of the total number of units in larger residential projects.
Support the Retention and Expansion of Affordable and Housing Options within the Community
Evaluate ways to partner with affordable housing developers to
increase affordable housing units.Establish and maintain an inventory of public lands, including state or federal disposal sites and City-owned properties within the Urban Services Boundary that may be suitable for affordable housing development. Make this inventory available to potential partners.
Maintain the Quality, Character, and Livability of Established Neighborhoods
As part of Title 18 updates, review and adopt residential adjacency standards applicable to infill projects that abut existing low density residential neighborhoods, in accordance with land use policies for residential neighborhoods in Chapter 10.
Develop strategies and incentives such as low-cost loans and design assistance programs to increase home ownership opportunities and promote regular home maintenance and renovation.
Promote Reinvestment in Declining Neighborhoods
Establish and maintain an inventory of vacant and underutilized properties (in the form of an interactive map) that may be suitable for infill or targeted redevelopment where consistent with the Land Use Plan.
Consider legal and regulatory measures to return vacant and dilapidated properties to productive use, including but not limited to the use of auctions of tax-defaulted properties, demolition of neglected properties, and vacant building registration programs.
Check back for Part VI: Unique History and Culture
The entirety of the Master Plan Update 2024 can be viewed here.
