Gas station proposed for vacant BofA site
The Pahrump Bank of America shuttered its doors in May 2022 and, with the exception of the drive-thru ATMs left in place, the property – located on the corner of one of the valley’s busiest intersections - has been essentially vacant ever since. But developers are now looking to bring new life to the site as a Green Valley Grocery, filing an application with the Pahrump Regional Planning Commission (PRPC) for authorization to proceed to the site development process.
Before the PRPC will render its decision on the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) required to move the project forward, however, members of that board wished to pass the item by the Nye County Water District Governing Board for its opinion.
“We felt it was very important from a planning commission standpoint that we hear from the water board on this item,” PRPC member Tim Bohannon explained at the water board’s April meeting. “The concerns that were expressed during the [March 12 PRPC] meeting included the drainage, or the runoff, we were very concerned with that. We were very concerned with spillage… And then we know from public comment that there were floods in that area many years ago and that was problematic in the past… We wanted to make sure there were no issues from that aspect.”
Anthony Celeste and Marissa Fehrman of Kaemphfer Crowell were in attendance at the water board’s April meeting as well, representing the project applicant/owner Wheeler Peak Plaza LLC. Water board members asked several questions about proposed operations and the potential impacts of a fueling station at the property and ultimately, with the site located outside of an established Source Water Protection Area, they voted unanimously to recommend approval of the CUP application.
The project is pegged for a two-acre, General Commercial zoned parcel at 750 S. Highway 160. As detailed in a justification letter from Kaemphfer Crowell, Wheeler Peak Plaza LLC proposed to construct a commercial center that includes a fueling station, convenience store, car wash and quick-serve restaurant.
“The current Bank of America building will be demolished in preparation for the proposed development. A drive-up Bank of America ATM kiosk will be located in the southern portion of the site, which is currently undergoing the permitting process through a separate application,” the letter states.
“The proposed gas station is comprised of six fuel canopies. There is access to the site off of both Highway 160 and Highway 372 and additional existing cross-access to the adjacent parcel to the northwest of the site where McDonald’s is located,” the letter continues. “There is one existing driveway off of Highway 160 and two existing driveways along Highway 372 that will remain in place. The site provides 49 parking spaces where 36 spaces are required. All required setbacks are met on site.”
With the water board’s recommendation secured, Wheeler Peak Plaza LLC will now return to the PRPC for a final decision on its application.
The PRPC typically meets on the second Wednesday of each month. The next PRPC meeting is slated for Wednesday, May 14 at 6 p.m. inside the Nye County Commissioners’ Chambers, 2100 E. Walt Williams Drive.
Agendas for each meeting are posted three days prior and can be found at NyeCountyNV.gov
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com
