For two decades, ‘It’s (Been) Great to Be Home’

In December 2002, developer Blake Smith filed the Articles of Incorporation for Somersett Owners Association with the state, putting the community on the map. Residents came together for a 20th Anniversary Celebration in January, and we continue marking the milestone here with early photos of the community, an interview with the first residents, and a look back at professional golfer Tom Kite’s visit in 2004 to play an inaugural round of golf on the course he designed.

It’s been an incredible two decades - cheers to the next 20 years!

First residents look back on 20 years in Somersett

Somersett is now officially 20 years old and is nearly built out. But how has the community changed over the past two decades? We turned to the people best suited to answer this question, Somersett’s first residents, Andrew and Erin Zarcone.

The Zarcones fell in love with Reno when they arrived from Santa Cruz to attend UNR in 1995. They moved back to the Bay Area after graduation but always had the goal of returning to Reno. When Andrew’s job gave him the green light to work remotely, they said, “OK, let’s do it.’’

The Zarcones moved into their new home in late 2002, and they were a bit isolated at first, especially once the sun went down and the construction crews went home. “It was pitch black at night,’’ Erin remembers, “There was no one else here.’’ And to add to the isolation, a huge snowstorm blanketed the area soon after they moved in. “The developer plowed a single lane from the entrance to our driveway,’ Erin said.

They heard about a new master-planned golf community that was being developed in the city’s northwest. So, in August 2002, the Zarcones came to Somersett to tour the model homes on Morgan Pointe Circle and fell in love with the brand-new community. The only problem was that the developer, Silver Star, was only releasing homes in small batches and there were lots of interested buyers. So, one night, in what they called “camp out to buy,’’ the Zarcones and other would-be Somersett residents lined up their cars at the community entrance and parked overnight so they could be the first to claim a home the next day. The following morning, Erin and Andrew secured their first house on Morgan Pointe Circle.

Over the years, they had a front-row view of the community being born. Golf holes were constructed, the Town Center and the Village rose out of a flat dirt lot, and of course, lots of new homes appeared. And with the homes came lots of young families who joined the Zarcones and their growing family (they have three children). “We know so many 16–20-year-olds that grew up together here in Somersett,’’ says Erin.

The Zarcone family lives on Painted River Trail, but this is the fourth home they have owned in Somersett. After Morgan Pointe, they built a custom home on Mountain Spirit Trail only to see the economy tank and the young family found themselves one of only three homes in a relatively isolated area of Somersett. From there it was on to Deerbrook Court where they lived for 10 years starting in 2010. “We loved that street so much,’ says Erin, but the family eventually needed more space, so they bought a lot and built the home where they live now, on Painted River Trail.

Two of the Zarcones’ most memorable times in the community involved natural disasters.

The first, the Verdi fire in August of 2006, burned 7000 acres of mostly brush along the northern edge of Somersett and threatened nearly 50 residences. The Zarcones were evacuated from their home on Mountain Spirit, but in the end, no homes were damaged thanks to quick action by firefighters. “They literally dumped the red powder on our back yard,” Erin says.

The Zarcones also experienced the earthquake swarm in 2008 that shook Mogul, Verdi, and Somersett for four months. It was nerve-wracking, says Erin who was pregnant with their second child at the time. One day the TV news showed up on their doorstep and asked them, “did you know that the last epicenter was in your driveway?” Andrew says some of the quakes did more than shake the ground. “We could actually see it rolling through the hills,’’ he says pointing to Peavine Mountain. As frightening as the earthquake swarm was, the Zarcones said it was never like the “big, big’’ quakes in the San Francisco area.

Tom Kite plays the championship course

Professional golfer and golf course architect Tom Kite was commissioned in 2001 to design the championship course along with Roy Bechtol, and Randy Russell of KBR Design. The team designed the 18-hole course to blend into the high desert landscape, which wasn’t an easy task due to its immensity and elevation changes. “When Roy, Randy and I first viewed the site, we were blown away with the size of what we had to work with,’’ said Kite. “This truly is the “Big Country.’’

Kite also designed the Canyon Nine, but with a different vision from the championship course. Canyon Nine employs a series of controlled hitting areas rather than traditional tee boxes. Varying the tee-off locations helps reduce wear and tear to isolated tees. In addition, holes #5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 each incorporate two separate hitting areas to appeal to different levels of play.

And there were lots of good times as well. The kids attended Summer Camp at the Club at Town Center, enjoyed East Park, and played Junior Golf at the Somersett Golf & Country Club. “I think it’s the best kids’ golfing program in Reno,’’ says Erin. The family also frequented the Town Center and the restaurants that have served the community there.

Over the years the community has built out and matured, and Andrew believes it is moving in the right direction. Financially things have improved, it’s managed well, and “there are people on the Board who really care about the community,’’ he says.

Erin says that communication has improved as well, “There’s a lot of transparency,’’ she says.

It sounds like Somersett is in a great position to embark on its next 20 years!

When work on the championship course was complete, Kite played the inaugural round on September 18, 2004, trailed by a large contingent of media, dignitaries, and residents, including the Zarcones. Erin and Andrew remember that Kite talked about his vision for the course and was quite pleased with how it turned out. “He raved about it,’’ says Andrew. But he did joke that he made the course “too hard.’