The Churchill County Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend approval of a Special Use Permit (SUP25-38) for a proposed Tractor Supply Company store at 11 River Village Drive, subject to the conditions listed in the staff report.

Dean Patterson, public works and planning, described the proposal: a roughly 22,000-square-foot store with outside display areas and approximately 20,000 square feet of fenced outside product storage. The staff report noted compatibility measures — an eight-foot block wall to mitigate noise and light, landscaping buffers and required road-department improvements, and called out an existing billboard that consumes the site’s allowed signage. NDOT provided standard comments; the applicant will need NDOT review for any signage or new approach on the Reno Highway.

Developer and design representatives said they are contractually expecting the billboard to be removed and that lighting will comply with the county’s night-sky standards. “All are downward lighting. No upward lighting. We are following the night sky ordinance,” an engineer said while describing cut sheets showing downward fixtures and an eight‑foot screening wall along the south side of the property.

Public commenters expressed concerns about traffic volume, pavement wear and neighborhood impacts. Paul Loop told the commission he worried that heavy delivery trucks could damage River Village Drive and said residents would be affected by increased traffic. Rita Murphy told commissioners she did not want “a tractor supply place in my backyard,” cited negative experiences at other locations and raised worries about lighting and noise that could interfere with stargazing and neighborhood quality of life.

Commissioners discussed NDOT’s separation requirements for highway approaches and staff’s recommendation that access be taken from River Village Drive, not the Reno Highway. The commission approved the permit subject to staff conditions (including NDOT coordination, required paving and access improvements, required screening and adherence to lighting restrictions) and noted a 10‑day appeal period available to submitters or opponents.

What’s next: The applicant will finalize NDOT sign/access approvals, address the billboard/signage issue (remove or apply for a variance), and complete required road and site improvements per the staff report before proceeding to the Board of County Commissioners for final action.