Parcel map committee approves amendment moving, shrinking building envelope at 360 Abies Road

The Washoe County Parcel Map Review Committee approved an amendment of conditions to parcel 1 of parcel map 5503A that reduces and moves the primary building envelope at 360 Abies Road during a meeting that began at 2 p.m.

Tim Evans, planner, told the committee that the amendment—case number WAC25-0002 for Michael and Jennifer Gottschalk—would reduce the existing 15,468-square-foot building envelope to a 12,575-square-foot envelope in the southeast corner of the parcel and add a second, 2,447-square-foot envelope in the southwest corner. Evans said the two proposed envelopes combined are smaller than the existing envelope and that staff supports approval.

The change stems from a contours-based survey provided by the applicant that, Evans said, shows portions of the parcel previously mapped as steeper than 30% slope are actually below that threshold. "The contours with an actual surveyor going out there and shooting lines on the property identified that that area is not greater than 30," Evans said, describing why the southeastern corner can now be used for a single-family dwelling without violating the hillside development intent tied to the original parcel map.

Evans said the parcel lies in the Forest Planning Area and the High Density Rural regulatory zone. He told the committee the original tentative parcel map (referenced in staff materials as WTPM20-0006) located the building envelope to avoid slopes of about 30% or greater; the applicant's new contour data captures additional lower-slope area that staff says allows more developable area while remaining within the county's hillside considerations.

The project was routed to 14 agencies for review and, according to Evans, three agencies returned conditions included as Exhibit A in the staff report. No members of the public spoke during the public comment period. The named applicant, who joined the Zoom meeting, identified himself and said he had no additions to staff’s presentation: "Tim did a great job of kind of presenting the information," Michael Gottschalk said.

Rob Pierce, committee member, moved to approve the amendment "after given recent consideration of the information contained in the staff report and information received during the public hearing," citing the conditions of approval in Exhibit A and Washoe County Code Section 110.6060.3 as the relevant standard. Wayne Handrock seconded the motion. The committee voted unanimously in favor (ayes recorded from Rob Pierce, James English, Wayne Handrock, Eric Young for Christopher Bronsick, and Jen Donahue), and the committee chair declared the motion approved.

The committee's procedural notices and appeal procedure were read during the meeting: appeals of parcel map review committee decisions must be filed in writing with the planning staff within 10 calendar days of the date the committee decision is signed and mailed to the original applicant. The staff telephone number given for appeal information was (775) 328-6100.

The committee closed the item and moved on to routine reports and adjourned. No additional committee direction or follow-up tasks were recorded on the record for this amendment request.