Design Guidelines

Gardnerville Plan for Prosperity

June 2006

Contents

SECTION ONE: Introduction

1.1 Purpose1.2 Relationship to other Policies and Documents1.3 Organization of the Design Guidelines1.4 Using the Guidelines 1.5 Understanding Context and Defining Features1.6 Submittal Requirements

SECTION TWO: Overall Design Guidelines

2.1 Site Planning Guidelines2.2 Architectural Guidelines2.3 Signage Guidelines

SECTION THREE: Character DistrictGuidelines

3.1 Old Town3.2 ‘S’ Curve3.3 Millerville3.4 Commercial Quad3.5 South-Central3.6 South Entry

Gardnerv i l l e ’sHistoryThe Town of Gardnervillewas founded in 1879 byLawrence Gilman ofGenoa when he movedthe Kent House from theGenoa area to a 7-acretract of land on the EastFork of the Carson River.Gilman had purchasedthe land from a home-steader, John M.Gardner, in whose honorhe named the new town.

In its new location, theKent House was renamedthe Gardnerville Hotel.The hotel is no longerstanding, but its site wasjust west of the present J& T Bar, near the inter-

section of Eddy and MainStreets (US Highway395).

Gilman added a black-smith shop and a saloonto his hotel to ensure histown’s utility and popu-larity with the ranchers.As the town prospered, anumber of hotels, shops,and saloons sprang up.By 1899, Main Street waslined with two livery sta-bles, a woodworkingshop, a boarding house, atin shop, three generalmerchandising stores, ahall, four saloons, onemeat market, one furni-ture store, a drug andconfectionary store, andtwo hotels. The ValhallaSociety-a Danish organi-

zation whose purposewas to disseminate infor-mation to immigrants-was formed in 1885, mak-ing Gardnerville animportant social center inthe valley as well as acommercial center.

Because of its location,Gardnerville came toserve as feed stop for the24-horse freight teamspassing between CarsonCity and Bodie.

(Dangberg, Grace.Carson Valley: HistoricSketches of Nevada’sFirst Settlement. CarsonValley Historical Society.Carson Valley, Nevada,1972.)

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Introduction

Gardnerville is located in one of the most quickly urbanizingcounties in the West. The Town realizes it has the responsibil-ity to plan and develop commercial and mixed-use districts tosupport higher standards for investment. The community’sexpectations for more livable neighborhoods have motivatedthe Town’s leadership to press forward with design policies tobe included in the Douglas County Master Plan and designguidelines. These guidelines, and the community discussionthat guided their preparation, demonstrate this commitment.

1.1 Purpose of GuidelinesThe Gardnerville Town Board viewsthe quality of the built and naturalenvironment as an important priority.Participants in the Plan forProsperity process stressed raisingexpectations for reinvesting alongUS 395. In newly developed areas,the pattern of development is repli-cating many of the same undesirablepatterns and design issues found inthe aging auto-oriented commercialdistricts. These guidelines, and theassociated design review process,are intended to support the Town’sefforts to improve community designand encourage reinvestment.

The Guidelines communicate thecommunity’s qualitative expectationsfor new commercial and mixed-usedevelopment. The Guidelines are atool used by project sponsors, TownBoard, County staff, the CountyPlanning Commission and Board ofCommissioners to support policies inthe County Master Plan. The docu-ment provides:

• A general description of expecta-tions for investment inGardnerville’s Mixed-use Overlayareas;

• Design criteria for site planning;• Architectural design guidelines; • Signage design guidelines; and• The submittal requirements that

support design review process.

1.2 Relationship to other Plansand PoliciesThe Guidelines are part of theTown’s and County’s planning anddevelopment review system thatincludes the policies in the DouglasCounty Master Plan; policies andstrategies found in the GardnervillePlan for Prosperity; and standards inthe County’s development code.

Gardnerville Plan for ProsperityIn 2005, the Town of Gardnervilleprepared the Plan for Prosperity. ThePlan included land use, circulationand community design policies and asupporting action plan for vacant andunderutilized land along US 395.The Plan provides additional flexibil-

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Above:New investment should contribute to thepreservation, enhancement, and cre-ation of livable mixed-use neighbor-hoods.

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Gardnerville Plan for Prosperity • Design Guidelines

Above andRight:

(1) Sketch of thecorner ofGilman andHeritage Park

(2) Sketch ofcommercialservice frontageat StodickParkway

(3) Sketch of“South ValleyPlaza”–amixed-useneighborhoodwith commercialfrontage andplaza thatserves asGardnerville’ssouthern entry

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Introduction

The Gardnerville Plan for Prosperity makes recom-mendations for existing non-residential areas along US395. The Plan provides added detail for three impor-tant opportunity sites–Old Town, Stodick Parkway/US395, and the South Gateway.

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1. Old Town2. Stodick

Parkway/US 3953. South Gateway

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ity for property owners and investorsto mix residential and commercialuses. These policies are expressedin a Mixed-use Overlay where newstandards are intended to be moreflexible and the Guidelines commu-nicate the expected quality for newinvestment. The goals and policieswere integrated into the CountyMaster Plan 10-year update.

Gardnerville Mixed-use OverlayThe Guidelines convey qualitativecriteria for new development in theGardnerville’s Mixed-use Overlay.The Mixed-use Overlay is an areaidentified in the Plan for Prosperitywhere mixing of residential and com-mercial uses are encouraged. In thisarea connections and interface withadjacent residential neighborhoodsis critically important meeting thenTown’s objectives for building a com-munity that is walkable. The Mixed-use Overlay policy is identified in theCounty’s Master Plan.

County Master PlanThe Douglas County Master Plan isthe “blueprint” for future public andprivate investment. It contains urbanplanning policies for Minden-Gardnerville that establishes regula-tory and implementation criteria forthe Towns. The Minden-Gardnervillesection of the Master Plan has beenupdated to reflect policies identifiedin Minden’s and Gardnerville’s localvisioning and strategic planningefforts.

County Development Standards andGuidelinesThe County’s development stan-dards provide the quantitative crite-ria for projects. These include allow-able uses, height and setbackrequirements, parking standards andother measurable criteria. The stan-dards are to be updated to reflectnew Master Plan polices and

emphasis on pedestrian-friendlydevelopment. Gardnerville Mixed-Use Overlay Design Guidelinessupercede Douglas County designguidelines.

1.3 Organization of the GuidelinesThe Design Guidelines are organ-ized into three sections.

Section One OrganizationThe first section is the Introduction. Itcontains a summary of theGuideline’s purpose and process,how they are organized, how to usethem, how to look at context, andsubmittal requirements. The sectionincludes overall guidelines for siteplanning, architecture and signage.The third section provides guidelinesthat pertain to sub-areas with theirown unique character.

Section Two OrganizationThe second section includes princi-ples, design goals and guidelines.The principles are the most impor-tant. Every project should be able todemonstrate that they meet these.The design goals are also important,but may not apply to every project.The guidelines provide greater detailand apply to specific issues andtypes of projects based on theirscope and context. Not all guidelinesnecessarily apply to each project.

Section Three OrganizationThe third section provides primaryprinciples for six “character areas” orsub-areas in the Mixed-use Overlay.These principles come from theGardnerville Plan for ProsperityDesign Policies. Supporting these isa list of important urban design con-cepts and guidelines that reflect theplanning objectives identified by theTown for each character area.

1.4 Using the Guidelines

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Below and Right:

This overhead view of Old Town showsnew development around Heritage Park(1), redevelopment of the ‘S' Curve (2),and infill development along MainStreet (3).

The concept locates parking in the inte-rior of blocks and places commercialstorefronts along streets. Residentialdevelopment happens above or behindcommercial storefronts.

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Introduction

The Design Guidelines defineGardnerville’s and Douglas County’sexpectations for site planning, archi-tectural design and signage. They donot add steps to the developmentreview process but increase theamount of discussion about HOWprojects address the design policiesin the County Master Plan. TheGuidelines are a tool for projectsponsors, the Town and County thatframes the design discussion.

Who Reviews the Design ofProjects?The Town Board currently reviewsprojects in Gardnerville. The Boardmakes a recommendation to theCounty Planning Commission andCounty Commission. The County isrequired to implement the MasterPlan design policies, which are thebasis for the Guidelines. Projectsponsors can take advantage of themore flexible development standardsin the Mixed-use Overlay by demon-strating to the Town how they haveapplied the Guidelines to their proj-ects.

Do the Guidelines Apply to YourProject?If your project falls within the Mixed-use Overlay, then they apply exceptif the project is exempt from develop-ment review. Exempt projectsinclude interior renovations, single-family homes not requiring subdivi-sion, and minor renovations.

What Sections Apply?The Guidelines includes OverallGuidelines (Section One) andCharacter District Guidelines(Section Two). Overall Guidelinesapply to every project in the Mixed-use Overlay. The Character DistrictGuidelines provide criteria for differ-ent neighborhoods in the Mixed-useOverlay. For example, if your projectis located in Old Town, you would

use sections 2.1 (overall site plan-ning guidelines), 2.2 (overall archi-tectural design guidelines), 2.3(overall signage guidelines) and 3.1(guidelines for Old Town).

1.5 Focus on Fitting Projects intoTheir ContextThe Town expects each project tocontribute to implementing circula-tion, architectural and signageobjectives for the site and surround-ing area. Each project should beplanned and designed to fit existingand anticipated investment with aparticular focus on the pedestrianexperience. Project sponsors needto consider the following questions.

Site connections: How can drivewayand sidewalks design increase theconnectivity and accessibilitybetween the commercial and resi-dential portions of the project and thedistrict?

Building alignments and orientation:How can building alignments, orien-tation and transparency contribute topedestrian connections? What arefriendly building and landscape set-backs along public streets? How arebuilding storefronts, residential yardsand entries oriented?

Streetscape and landscape design:What type trees exist along publicstreets? Is there a landscape plan forthe neighborhood or district? Howcan the landscape plan help to knitthe project together and link it to thesurrounding community?

Roadway and parking lot design:How can parking lots and drivewaysbe designed to increase pedestriancomfort, safety and connectivity?How can trees be used to reduceheat generated by parking lots?

Architectural context: What are the

The Design Guidelines are part of theGardnerville Plan for Prosperity. Theywere developed through a communityprocess.

Above Top: Planning Opportunities andOptions Workshop, April 6, 2005

Above Bottom: Preliminary Concepts,May 25, 2005

Left: Preliminary Framework PlanReview, October 20, 2005

Gardnerville Plan for Prosperity • Design Guidelines

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strongest architectural features inthe adjacent neighborhoods andbuildings and how can the projectcomplement them?

Signage design: How can an overallsignage concept contribute to thegraphic identity of the project and thearea?

1.6 Submittal Requirements The development review processalready requires basic project infor-mation. The Guidelines require addi-tional information about the develop-ment site context. The Town’s designand development review submittalrequirements require the followingexhibits:

Context Analysis for Design Review• Board with photos showing site

and adjacent structures • Map including adjacent neighbor-

hoods, site features (existingbuildings, trees, creeks, views,slopes, etc) and adjacent struc-tures

• One page written description ofhow the project has responded to

its current and future context

Development Program Summary• Site plan, size and dimensions• Existing and proposed square feet

and unit count• Existing and proposed parking• Multifamily private and any com-

mon usable open areas

Subdivision Design Information(Subdivision only)• Subdivision lot layout• Grading plan/contours and site

sections• Any proposed improvements such

as landscaping or fences/walls

Design Information• Typical building elevations• Typical floor plans and roof plans • Site cross sections• Site landscape plan• Fence/wall details• Color and material board• Typical street sections

Sketches of public elements (asrequested by the Town)