The master-planned golf community of Somersett is set on over 2,300 acres designed in perfect harmony with the dramatic beauty of its West Reno setting. Somersett offers a private Country Club featuring a Tom Kite designed championship golf course, a 9-hole par three golf course, the Club at Town Center (a multi-million dollar, 21,000-square-foot recreation and social club), 25 miles of paved and unpaved hiking, bicycle, and vehicle trails that will link Somersett Park East and Somersett Park West and six pocket parks, natural open spaces and community landscaping, a fire station and an incomparable selection of new home neighborhoods and custom home sites. Services being provided by Manhard Consulting, Ltd. for this project include construction management, surveying, land planning, permitting assistance, and engineering services, including hydrologic and hydraulic modeling analyses, ecological services and wetland design, and roadway design for this project.
Manhard’s planning staff was added to the team once the development agreement was completed. Guided by the tolerances allowed in the existing development agreement, our planning staff worked closely with the client and the City of Reno to re-plan four of the six villages. This approved land plan maximizes views to the golf course and surrounding mountain ranges while meeting the infrastructure requirements of the community. During the development stage, the City of Reno adopted new and restrictive regulations regarding development on steep slopes. Although the Somersett development was not bound by these new regulations, the new land plans are sensitive to the intent of the regulations and development on steeper slopes. The goal of the developer was to create a sense-of-place that would carry throughout the entire development while maintaining the density required to create a sustainableengineered design that would meet the goals the community.
Detailed hydrologic and hydraulic analyses were completed for both existing and proposed conditions for the entire development. The modeling analyses included the design of approximately 15 detention and retention structures, some of which required a Safe Dams permit from the State of Nevada.
To offset the impacts that occurred to the drainages during construction of the development and golf course, approximately 0.53 acres of wetland were created, 1.10 acres of wetland were enhanced, 26,250 linear feet of riparian zone was enhanced with upland species, and 7,650 linear feet of riparian zone was enhanced with wetland species. All creation and enhancement areas will be monitored for a period of five years.
Manhard is providing subdivision designs, both preliminary and final, for five subdivisions at Somersett, ranging from attached housing to single-family custom estate lots. The engineering designs include roadway and utility design, complex grading, hydrology, and erosion control. In addition, Manhard is designing a golf maintenance facility, a fire station, park and golf clubhouse. Extensive earthwork calculations have been performed on all areas to aid in achieving a dirt balance during design and to assist construction managers during construction.
Approximately 4,500 feet of the major roadway, Somersett Parkway, was designed by Manhard. The design included a major 12-foot by 12-foot undercrossing for pedestrians and wildlife, two eight by eight box culverts for drainage and wildlife, a traffic-calming roundabout, and all associated grading, utilities, and drainage. Coordination of construction traffic, existing residents and the curiosity of the general public is a constant challenge.
One of Manhard’s primary duties on the Somersett development is assisting the developer in managing the construction of the site. This presents challenges due to the extreme topography, climate, poor soils and accelerated development schedule. To date, Manhard’s construction management division has worked closely with the contractors onsite to shorten the development schedule and meet the increased demand for completed villages.
Manhard construction managers are onsite to assist crews with any unforeseen obstacles that may occur. The construction managers track progress, keep the jobs on schedule, and mitigate any extra construction costs that may be incurred by the contractor and the developer. As the construction of each project nears completion, the construction managers coordinate the necessary inspections for final acceptance by the City of Reno.