Humboldt Regional Planning Commissioners approved the site plan for Humboldt General Hospital's modular doctor's office clinic building. The building will be situated on railroad land across Haskell Street from the hospital. That actually elicited a question from planning commisisoners, who wondered what the terms were for the hospital's railroad land lease. HGH owner's representative Mike Sheppard said the railroad land lease was on a year-to-year basis with renewal automatic unless canceled by one party or the other.
That answer brought a nervous reaction from the planning commissioners, who wondered at the advisability of a year-to-year lease. Sheppard said that type of lease is what is available from the railroad, and said that the Trans America Pyramid skyscraper in San Francisco is also on railroad property on a year-to-year lease. That seemed to reassure the board members.
Sheppard explained the need for the modular building, as the hospital moves forward with an expansion that will make it possible to offer memory care. He also said the site plan includes full landscaping, and will be a pleasing sight on that corner, currently home to weeds and dirt. "It will be a beautiful addition to the community," commented Sheppard.
Commissioners also questioned a situation where an 18-inch water main had burst on the property, wondering whether a similar situation in the future might damage the new modular building.
Sheppard said the floor of the new building is seven feet above the highest level of the water that accumulated in the break.
Commissioners asked questions regarding the intersection of Bridge and Haskell, very near the new modular building's location, calling it the "worst intersection in town." They were told the city plans a four-way stop for the intersection, as every effort to get a traffic light at that intersection has been stymied. Planning commissioner Lewis Trout noted that the hospital's traffic engineer had reviewed City Manager / Engineer Steve West's plans at the intersection and made the suggestion for a turn lane, which West incorporated.
In other action, the planning commisison approved an application by Scott Kolton Scrap to allow for storage of scrap metal on property at 10200 Conservation Road.
That approval came despite a protest letter from a property owner whose view looks down on the scrap storage location. Planning commissioners and staff agreed there was no feasible way to obscure the material storage from that viewpoint, noting there is already a site-obscuring fence on the property.
A request that had been on the agenda for a special use permit for a tank farm to store lubricants to facilitate Hycroft Mine operation was withdrawn before the meeting.
A large parcel map application to divide land 1.25 miles southwest of Sand Pass Road into 15 lots was also approved over the nay vote by Trout, who said he felt parcel divisions over 600 feet from the nearest publicly maintained road should have to obtain right of way approval.
There is no current requirement for such approval, but Trout felt the planning commission should take that matter before the Nevada Association of Counties for a possible legislative change.[[In-content Ad]]
