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A property owner who wanted to build a full-scale hotel and casino on 55 acres at Wilson Road and Leslie Street was allowed to withdraw the application without prejudice after opposition at the Pahrump Regional Planning Commission meeting Wednesday.
Property owner Che Keav Taing submitted a request for a master plan amendment and zone change to general commercial for property in the master plan designed as low-density residential and mixed use at 600 S. Leslie St.
Interim Planning Director Cheryl Beeman said a third of the property, 23 acres, was designated mixed use which allows for a variety of uses; the remaining 32 acres were planned for low-density residential. The Regional Planning Commission has the authority to determine the zoning in a split-zoned parcel.
Beeman said Leslie Street was envisioned as a commercial corridor from Highway 372 north to Simkins Boulevard, while Wilson Road is still listed as a local street.
RPC member Mark Kimball said when developers submit plans to rezone property for major projects like this, they should submit a site plan.
"I know we put people in kind of a bind, they're looking to get something zoned before they do their plans. But when we know something is a master plan amendment and a non-conforming zoning use, and there's a major, full-scale commercial development that's proposed, why isn't it reasonable to ask for some kind of schematics with definition of heights and sizes before we're asked to impact an entire residential area?"
Beeman said during the drafting of zoning ordinances, residents complained it would be a financial hardship to submit engineered site plans at the time of zoning, especially if it was a conceptual change.
"Ninety-five percent of the plans we see are speculative zoning as opposed to ready to apply for building permits," Beeman told the RPC.
But Kimball asked why the developer couldn't submit plans like Terrible's Town Casino did at the same meeting.
Alex Mendez, representing CivilWise Engineering, said his company charges $1,500 for conceptual site plans for parcels. He said Wilson Street has become a critical east-west corridor for the hospital, library, Manse Elementary School, the Wal-Mart store and Albertson's Supermarket.
"I think that you will see in the future that Wilson will get even more congested than it is now," Mendez said. The developer's intent was to build a casino, but that's predicated on the customer support from people in the area, he said.
Neighbor Roxy Glover, who lives on Happy Lane, just west of Leslie Street, didn't want to see a commercial development in the area. A commercial development would stick out in the neighborhood, detracting from the primarily residential nature, she said.
"The applicant himself is not really sure he'll go with a casino. It all depends on what type of studies determine whether this is a viable commercial activity or not," RPC Chairman Charles Dupre said. "On the basis of what's before us, we do not have enough information to support this."
RPC member Garrick "Bat" Masterson said there could be more commercial development in the area, but a more residential-type commercial, like convenience stores.
"It's close to the hospital, that's great. But that's not where we want our hotel casinos, near the hospital. If it was neighborhood commercial, I could support this, doing the whole thing in 55 acres."
Kimball said the owner was merely making the property more valuable with a zoning change.
Mendez said he could ask CivilWise Engineering clients in the future to pay for a site plan for submission with rezoning requests. Kimball said it may be worth spending an additional $1,500 on property worth millions of dollars.
In another matter, RPC members recommended the Nye County Commission deny a request by property owner Russ Bateman for a master plan amendment and rezoning of 3.8 acres to neighborhood commercial on property planned for low-density residential at Wilson Road and Linda Street. County commissioners will consider the application Oct. 18.
Beeman said Champions Sports Bar is within 600 feet of the property, but it's also within an area designated for low-density residential development. She said granting the rezoning would be a major commercial encroachment in a residential neighborhood. No site plans were submitted for this development, Beeman said.
Mendez argued there's a number of commercial businesses along Wilson Road, including Dinettes Plus, Pro-Flame Propane Gas Service, a mini-storage site and the public facilities like the hospital and library. If the area isn't approved commercial now, it will be in the future, he said.
"You may be right but those of us who live around there are going to fight you on this," Kimball replied. "I think we're all going to be sorry if Wilson develops the way you're saying. You're going to develop a bottleneck."
Rather Kimball said Basin Road should be the major east-west thoroughfare.
"I think we ought to leave this one alone and if it's going to change, it's going to change later," he said.
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