Spring Valley advisory board denies waiver for 15-foot retaining wall, asks applicant to return with more detail

Spring Valley — The Spring Valley Town Advisory Board on July 29 denied requests from the Cowell Family Trust for waivers of development standards tied to a proposed four‑lot subdivision, including permission for a 15‑foot retaining wall, increased fill height and a small reduction in gross lot area.

The board’s denial came after the applicant’s representative described site constraints — an existing fill condition, proximity to a Nevada Energy primary power line, and drainage requirements that the representative said require raising the lot by 2 feet — and after residents and board members pressed for clearer information about impacts on adjacent property owners.

The applicant’s representative, Joey DeBlanco, said the lot currently “sits 10 feet higher than everything else around it” and that engineering and drainage work produced a design that required a “15 foot high retaining…