Carson Valley Meats proposes Carson City facility
Gardnerville-based Carson Valley Meats will appear before the Carson City Growth Management and Planning Commission Wednesday, Sept. 29, to review its proposal for a meat processing facility to be located off of Brick Road in Carson City.
The project area has a Master Plan designation of Mixed-Use Commercial (MUC) and is zoned General Industrial (GI) and is surrounded by property that is also zoned GI, according to the Carson City Staff Report published on the Commission’s website.
The project is within Master Plan requirements for new businesses in Carson City, is a conditional use according to Carson City Municipal Code and will provide at least five new jobs to the area.
“We’ve heard over and over that northern Nevada ranchers and producers are in need of a processing facility, and we’ve received a lot of community support for what we’re trying to do,” Karin Sinclair, owner of Carson Valley Meats, said. “We’re excited to have found a location that meets all standards of approval for Carson City planning and community development with regard to water, sewer, traffic and drainage among other conditions the county has set forth.”
Sinclair purchased the historic Storke Dairy in Gardnerville in 2020 in the hopes of opening her facility there. The Douglas County Board of County Commissioners, while in favor of the project, declined Sinclair’s application due partly to concerns about the project’s proposed wastewater treatment system that has never been used in Nevada, while having been used for decades in other regions.
“This project is essential to local ranchers and livestock producers,” Sinclair said. “Local facilities are able to continue processing meat even when large-scale facilities are impacted by nationwide events that could – and have – been impacted by events like the pandemic, which have created gaps in the food supply chain.”
The project site is located in an industrial area with vacant industrial properties to the north and east, and warehouse uses to the east and south. The facility will be limited to harvesting animals one day per week with animals on-site for a maximum of 24 hours, and with manure and waste removed within 24 hours of processing. Meat will be stored in the on-site freezer. The facility will be USDA certified and will be required to obtain and maintain all local, state and federal permits and licenses, including but not limited to a wastewater discharge permit from NDEP, a Nevada Department of Agriculture license to operate, and USDA permits.
Sinclair said Carson Valley Meats supports the “Farm to Table” movement by providing a viable local alternative for both producers and consumers. The project includes a retail counter much like the neighborhood butcher shop of days gone by.
The Carson City Growth Management and Planning Commission meeting agenda is located on the Carson City website: https://www.carson.org/government/city-meetings-live-broadcast-and-archi....
Go here to read the entire Carson Valley Meats application and staff report.