Before approving the 2020 update of the County Master Plan last week, Churchill County Commissioners heard from several community members who spoke on the record urging commissioners in spite of the current housing crisis, and the inevitable change that will come with growth, to focus on the main goals of the plan and protect our rural way of life.
Associate Planner Dean Patterson gave Commissioners a run-down of the public process that led to the revised document and the results of the Planning Department's work over the past year-and-a-half to revise the County Master Plan.
Patterson said the oldest Master Plan at the county was done in 1990 and is continually updated every five years or so. Under Nevada Revised Statutes, the Planning Department is required to hold several opportunities for public input into the plan update. Planning Commissioners held a variety of public workshops beginning in late 2019, inviting impacted stakeholders who could address specific issues by chapter.
Although there were several delays due to COVID, the Planning Commission approved the updated plan in March and forwarded it on to the County Commission for a public hearing and their approval. Changes were made to several sections, said Patterson, including the addition of an Introduction, a change in the way appendices are listed, updated language and content in several sections.
Chapter one addressed population and housing with the shortages projected as Fallon Naval Air Station continues to add 1,000 personnel by 2024. Patterson said the vacancy rate is one of the indicators of interest, being right at 8% before the recession and is now less than 4%.
Chapter two addressed education, showing a general decline in student enrollment, with private school enrollment over the past five years increasing. The data also showed a serious need to address childcare needs.
Conservation and Natural Resources are addressed in Chapter Three, with sections on renewable energy, agriculture, mineral exploration, and water. It is this chapter that re-introduces the consistent use of the “Oasis of Nevada” and the special features to promote the community, weaving that theme throughout the document. He also said there are over 60 square miles of irrigated acres of agriculture in the valley, and Chapter six of the Master Plan focuses specifically on protecting agriculture, the Navy, and economic development.
According to Patterson, the focus on protecting agriculture and the NAS Fallon installation is paramount. During the past year, through COVID as well as during the recession, agriculture continued to be recession-resistant, providing a steady economic base for the community.
Other chapters include a focus on hazards and mitigation, historic preservation, recreation, transportation, and public services and facilities. Addressing the 2019 utilities plan, law enforcement, and the sewer and water systems, Patterson said this section was important because the goals and policies around infrastructure drive much of the rest of the plan along with land development decisions.
Wrapping up with open space, land use, and a policy plan for public lands – important because of federal law that requires Federal Land planning decisions to be consistent with local plans - Patterson said Jeremy Drew with Resource Concepts Inc. will now work to update the 2010 Public Lands Plan.
Commission Chairman Pete Olsen thanked the public who attended the meeting and made comments, agreeing with their positions. “I don’t want our community to be ruined, and we will do our level best going forward. We have urgent needs for housing, and you are correct, we need to speak with one voice. We normally have a lot of boring meetings with no public here, having you here is special, and we need that.”
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