Carson City commission gives go ahead to a 100-acre disc golf site

A new disc golf course site won approval Tuesday from Carson City’s Parks and Recreation Commission, as did a subdivision landscape maintenance district plan.

The commission voted without dissent to alter the disc golf course site from 60 acres near the city’s landfill to a 100-acre site in the same general east Carson City area along U.S. Highway 50. A year ago, the commission had voted to recommend to the Board of Supervisors the 60 acres along Flint Drive be chosen, but landfill conflicts intervened. Tuesday night, the larger site West of Flint Drive and Rifle Range Road was chosen.

Gregg Swift of Carson City, one of several disc golf advocates, called it the best site of three looked at recently and even better than the one recommended on Dec. 3, 2013.

“Despite the delay, it really is a superior site,” he said. The delay he mentioned was because of awaiting transfer of the land from the federal Bureau of Land Management, which has been pending for some time.

He said the new site has proper terrain for a course complex, no conflicts with the landfill and there would be no problems with the rifle and pistol range about a quarter-mile away. Parks Planner Vern Krahn also said there should be no rifle range problems because shooting is in a different direction. Parks and Recreation Director Roger Moellendorf said terrain means a hill is between the proposed site and the range as well.

The landscaping and parks maintenance plan for a major Schulz Ranch development in south Carson City also was approved without dissent, but not until commissioners added a stipulation money raised via the funding mechanism in it would be used specifically for such maintenance. Supervisor John McKenna, also a parks commissioner, voiced concern about public safety taking precedence and getting such funds if another recession cut city finances for parks.

The Schulz Ranch development eventually envisions 424 lots with landscaping, trails and a central park area of 4.6 acres the city would own and maintain. The first phase of the development is for 100 lots and just some of the landscaping amenities, so lots and homes there would pay a projected $210 annually along with property taxes for the maintenance.

When all phases – including the park, trails and landscaping – are completed the plan calls for the maintenance dun to escalate to $372 per unit. Chris Baker of Manhard Consulting Ltd. urged the commission view it as similar to a homeowners’ association payment for upkeep at other developments. The development is planned in the Topsy Lane, Center Drive and Race Track Road area by Schulz Ranch LLC and Ryder-Duda Carson LLC. Buildout of all 424 lots and homes may take five to seven years, according to Baker.