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Planning commission extends Rock Springs Solar permit deadline, approves small parcel change
Summary
Washoe County Planning Commission approved a two-year extension to obtain building permits and a minor parcel swap for the Rock Springs Solar project, while staff reiterated construction haul-route requirements after residents raised concerns about road damage.
The Washoe County Planning Commission on Feb. 3 approved an amendment extending the deadline to obtain building permits for the Rock Springs Solar special use permit and made a small parcel adjustment to the project.
Julie Olander, a county planner, told the commission the amendment to condition 1.c would change the permit expiration from May 4, 2026, to May 4, 2028, remove a 12.25-acre parcel from the approved project and add a 15-acre parcel. She summarized the original approval as a 120-megawatt solar generating facility with an 84-megawatt battery storage system on roughly nine parcels totaling about 660 acres.
The applicant sought extra time, Olander said, because the project experienced delays ‘‘beyond the applicant's control,’’ including setbacks tied to a transmission right-of-way dispute raised in 2022–23. Olander said parcels within 500 feet had been noticed and that staff had received no written objections to the amendment.
During public comment, Julie Wardley said she was concerned about damage to local roads after the project’s first phase, describing frequent flat tires, deep ruts and mud in winter and asking whether the county would require paving or other mitigation. ‘‘All those roads were torn up so severely…Everybody got a flat tire,’’ Wardley said.
Olander and staff responded that the project's existing conditions include condition 2.j, which requires a construction haul-route and mitigation plan addressing construction traffic impacts to be submitted before construction begins. Staff emphasized that the current hearing concerned only the time extension and noted that construction-traffic requirements remain in force.
Commissioner Rob Pierce moved to approve the amendment of conditions for Case WAC250018 (CED Rock Springs Solar LLC), citing the staff report and public hearing information; the motion was seconded and carried. The commission confirmed it had made the required findings under Washoe County code.
