By Mark Waite

Wulfenstein Construction won approval from the Pahrump Regional Planning Commission Wednesday to rezone 60 acres around the Pahrump Valley Raceway and the Nevada Division of Motor Vehicles to open a propane production and cylinder filling facility that will employ at least 24 people.

The propane facility is planned just east of the DMV near some self-storage sheds on Basin Avenue. The nine parcels were rezoned from the light industrial to the heavy industrial zone, an accompanying master plan amendment was also approved.

Other parcels that were rezoned, which won’t include the propane facility, like the Wulfenstein Construction storage yard and the 20-acre racetrack site, were legal, non-conforming heavy industrial uses that had been grandfathered under the regulations, according to Nye County Planning Director Steve Osborne; the DMV and mini-storage site were not.

Planners concluded the parcels bounded by Oyster Street to the west and Basin Avenue to the south all met the minimum lot size for the heavy industrial zone and the uses were compatible with surrounding land uses and zones.

The item was approved almost without discussion and without a presentation on behalf of Wulfenstein Construction and Wulfco.

RPC member Greg Hafen II only asked, “we’re not zoning somebody out of business?”

Nye County Assistant Manager Darrell Lacy said all light industrial uses are allowed in a heavy industrial zone.

Jim Wulfenstein told the Pahrump Valley Times the community shouldn’t look for a ground breaking or the jobs right away.

Wulfenstein said his family is still in negotiations with a company that would operate the business to iron out all the details. There are also discussions with Double M Construction to build it, he said.

At this time the rezoning clears up the other non-conforming lots as well as gives confidence to the people planning the propane business they can proceed, Wulfenstein said.

* The RPC rezoned a 9.63-acre parcel at 1221 N. Blagg Rd. from village residential to mobile home park zoning, despite the objection of a few neighbors. A mobile home park zone requires a minimum of five acres.

The rezoning will allow a development with up to 120 mobile homes on 9.63 acres. A conceptual plan was submitted.

RPC Chairman Terry Hand asked consultant Dave Richards of CivilWise Services, “are you realistically thinking you’re going to make every one of these a single wide?”

Richards said if there were double wide mobile homes, two units could be combined into one. The application was submitted with the maximum density. Hand had a problem with zoning for single wide mobile homes.

Richards said more design work will be required to be approved by planning and public works involving grading, drainage and traffic studies.

“I have a question: Why are we putting in a trailer park when it is surrounded by residential homes,” RPC member Joe Goode Sr. asked.

Osborne said the property fit the master plan designation as medium density residential, which allows multi-family housing like apartments and mobile home parks.

Hafen was satisfied the site plan review process, which occurs after the rezoning, will determine whether there’s adequate setbacks and lot sizes.

RPC member John Koenig wanted to require the developer to begin construction within three years, a requirement Osborne said is already in the zoning code, or the property reverts back to the previous zone.

Fred Smith, a resident at 200 Stagecoach Road, said, “the whole purpose of us moving there in a low density area is completely shot.”

“We wanted to live in Pahrump where we live. We picked that particular location because it’s quiet and it’s nice,” Smith said.

Smith lives in a rural estates residential zone north of the mobile home park and claimed his Realtor misled him into believing the area would be residential.

An area farther south fronting on Irene Street, and a parcel across the street on Blagg Road, is already zoned neighborhood commercial, other parcels bordering the mobile home park on the south and east are also village residential.

Tonya Snider, also of 200 Stagecoach Road, said 100 people would be in her backyard, crime would go up and shops would be built in the neighborhood if the mobile park goes in.

“It’s bad news, we don’t like it, our neighbors don’t seem to like it either,” she said.

Richards said his client had a property that was master planned for this intended use.

“The natural transition from low density up to higher usage, the next one would be medium density and up from there. So somewhere you’ve got to draw the line,” Richards said.

* A conditional use permit was approved for Living Waters Bible Church, 3061 E. Heritage Dr., to add a 1,440-square-foot modular office. Planner Beth Lee said the church was a legal, non-conforming building constructed in 1982 before the adoption of the zoning ordinance, it’s located in a village residential zone.

Pastor Ed Dreese told Hafen the church had a commercial well and septic system. The additional space will be used for an office and library. He said the church is located on 4.1 acres.