Washoe County Board of Adjustment approves Chocolate Drive amendments and major-grading permit for 240-unit multifamily development

The Washoe County Board of Adjustment on Feb. 6 approved amendments to the Chocolate Drive multifamily project and a separate special-use permit authorizing major grading for the same development in Sun Valley.

The board voted to approve an amendment to the administrative permit (WAC24-0010) for Petcor Investments that extends the time to obtain a building permit and updates parking, bicycle storage, trash enclosure, common-open-space and landscaping provisions. The board separately approved special-use permit WSUP24-0019 to allow major grading associated with construction of the 240-unit development.

The project site spans two parcels along Chocolate Drive between West Second and West Fifth avenues, adjacent to Red Hill Open Space. Planning staff and the applicant said the administrative amendment keeps the same unit count (240) and two-story building heights but modifies parking and site layout to conform to Washoe County’s 2024 development-code changes. Under the updated code, staff said the required parking dropped to 288 spaces; the applicant is proposing 360 spaces, including 20 garages and 102 carports, plus long-term bike storage for each unit and 105 short-term bike parking racks.

On grading, staff said the special-use permit covers 98,389 cubic yards of cut and 96,701 cubic yards of fill, with a net balance of 1,638 cubic yards on-site and a total disturbance of 23.87 acres. The plan includes four detention basins and tiered retaining walls (maximum 10 feet each) separated by 10-foot…