Amidst a room full of protesting residents, Sparks Planning Commissioners voted Thursday night in support of amending the regional Master Plan to make way for housing and businesses in a remote area of Spanish Springs.

The proposed Wingfield Commons development off of Vista Boulevard rests on land bordering the new Golden Eagle Regional Park and undeveloped public lands owned by the Bureau of Land Management.

Developer Harvey Whittemore is seeking a Master Plan amendment and land-use change for the section of land as part of The Foothills development. If approved, the 60-acre Wingfield Commons would house about 817 residential units — including single-family homes, condominiums and apartments, said Mike Hillerby, executive vice president of the Wingfield Nevada group. However, it's likely to be fewer than that, when landscaping, patios, open space and other requirements are factored in, he said.

The change to the Master Plan involves several steps, and must undergo several public hearings and approvals from the Sparks Planning Commission, Regional Plan conformance review and the Sparks City Council. A separate zoning change on the land would be needed to move forward with proposed development plans, and may be sought later.

Residents have expressed concern about the development's possible effect on neighboring property values, traffic and schools.

Michelle Robbins, a resident of Black Hills Drive in the Cassero Ranch development, expressed disappointment at the outcome of Thursday night's Planning Commission meeting.

"I'm disappointed you're told what you contribute to the community doesn't matter," Robbins said. "You attend meetings, do your homework, plead with officials, and you're told if you want open space, just go ahead and buy it."

Robbins' backyard is open to a narrow, sagebrush-covered swath of BLM land, the park and the proposed development.

Many neighbors are concerned about falling property values at a time when the housing market has been weakening.

"I don't want them to build apartments because of the traffic; it's never been an issue of the quality of persons living there," Robbins said. "We are overpopulating a real small area. We have apartment complexes throughout Sparks that are starving for people to move in."

She said when she moved to her house two years ago, the park and a possible equestrian center were mentioned, as well as the current zoning of the private property, which was at two dwelling units per acre.

"It was definitely a selling factor to those homes," Robbins said. "It's more desirable to live near a park, not a commercial zone."

She said her backyard and all of her neighbors' backyards were required by the city to have open fencing, and now will have the development in her "visual backyard."

There is a quarter-mile of open space between the park and the proposed Wingfield Commons, Hillerby said.

He noted the retail center might include things like batting cages, food, retail and a family fun center, and that the developer has been approached about building an ice rink there.

Robbins said there are a large number of houses in that area whose residents must use Vista Boulevard as their only major access road in and out of their neighborhoods.

"When we had a brush fire out here, it took us 45 minutes to an hour just to get out of the area and into Sparks," Robbins said. "There won't be the roads to facilitate a lot of traffic."

Robbins said a small section of Vista Boulevard — a road managed by the Regional Transportation Commission — runs only one lane in each direction and might not be widened for another four years.

"With all the new construction with the park, it would be good to see what will come up with the traffic just from that," Robbins said. "There's already change going on out there. I would've liked to see them wait and have more patience. I understand there's going to be growth, but we have no idea how busy it's going to get."

Hillerby said the developer already holds an easement for a two-lane road that runs along the north end of the park.

"We are aware there is already a traffic problem on Vista," Hillerby said. "The expansion of the road is controlled by the Regional Transportation Commission, and we share the same frustration. Traffic has been here for a long time, and now the park will add an estimated 5,000 car trips per day."

Traffic studies won't be finalized until the project studies and the development's exact parameters are decided.

"It won't generate that much traffic; the park will generate far more traffic than the Commons," Hillerby said.

Whether the development is approved or not, resident Ira Hansen and his family will remain. Hansen's five-acre property borders the park and the proposed development.

"I want to live there 'til the day I die, no matter what comes along and goofs up the traffic or schools," Hansen said. "We will leave our land as rural as possible for as long as possible. It has been a great place for my kids to grow up, where they're living the rural lifestyle and we're raising horses."

He said that won't stop him from offering his opinion during public hearings on the development.

"This development doesn't fit with the neighborhood, and it doesn't comply with the Regional Plan," Hansen said. "The planning commission granted this Master Plan amendment without considering how it would affect the road network, schools, the sewer and storm drainage. This is a huge change from two houses per acre to up to 40 houses per acre.

"This will destroy the character of the park and destroy the intent for this area," Hansen added.

If the Master Plan amendment is approved to make way for the development, it may be some time before anything is built, Hillerby said.

"There is still a lot of work to be done," Hillerby said. "We're looking at schools, drainage, sewer and roads. We need to go back for a land use designation change (at city council and Regional Planning Commission) and then go back with a detailed handbook, architectural plans with types and uses of buildings. This is one step in what is a pretty long process."

"The realities of the housing market already have had an impact on when we will build the project," Hillerby said. "Construction will follow the demand."