The Washoe County Board of Adjustment on Nov. 7 approved an amendment of conditions to extend the special use permit for a Silverado Homes senior rental continuum-of-care project for five years, with additional conditions limiting construction hours and making the extension a one-time allowance.

Staff and board members discussed whether a five-year extension was typical. Julia Lamb, Washoe County planning staff, said two-year extensions are more common and that the county typically sees only one or two SUP extensions annually. "A 2 year extension is very typical," she said, adding that the length is ultimately within the board's purview.

Applicant Mike Evans of Silverado Homes told the board the project is a rental senior-continuum-of-care community and said his request for five years was prompted by a nearby senior project, Vintage, which is under-occupied. "For both of us to be operating at the same time, we're just gonna saturate that market," Evans said, arguing that a five-year window gives the project time to avoid direct competition while occupancy stabilizes at the nearby facility.

Board members voiced differing views about the length of the extension. Board member Rob said five years "is pretty excessive" historically, but indicated support for approval as a one-time concession. Pat Caldwell noted concerns about market unpredictability and asked about the cost to reapply if the SUP lapsed; Julie O'Lander, county staff, stated the reapplication fee is about $262,700 and pointed to additional staff time as a factor in permitting extensions.

To address concerns, the board approved the amendment with conditions in Exhibit A and added two specific conditions during the hearing: building hours restricted to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and that this five-year extension be the one and only time extension granted for the permit. Rob moved to approve the amendment of conditions for case WAC25-17 for Silverado Homes, and Kathy Julian seconded the motion. The motion passed.

The board and staff clarified process questions: initiating a building permit within the extension period is the key trigger to retain the extended authorization; the building department generally allows an 18-month window for permit-related activity, which itself can be extended for building-department reasons. Julie O'Lander emphasized that once a building-permit process is started within the extension window, the matter moves to the building department for timelines and any further extensions.

The board's action preserves the applicant's previously granted five-year time frame while adding explicit limits intended to reduce the likelihood of repeated extensions and to limit construction hours near nearby properties.