Letters to the Editor
Zoning not the issue with unbuildable ‘zombie’ lots
20 acres in Pahrump for $500… who buys these lots without knowing they cannot build on them? They seem to sell a lot of them. You can buy these little undevelopable lots all day long. Zombie lots are the talk of the town right now.
Public health requires separation distance between wells and septic tanks. Health and safety define the use of a lot and necessary utilities — not the zoning or size or type of house. You can even get FHA financing on homes with hauled water and septic holding tanks in other places. There is no size of residential development that should be allowed to be developed without water and sewer systems of some type. Or buy up some of the lots and erase the lot lines to combine and get a bigger developable lot.
Zoning is not the issue. Buying something cheap and thinking you can develop it is the issue. It is simple — to build a dwelling unit there must be systems to provide water and get rid of sewer. People need to bathe and wash their hands, etc., and then get rid of their waste. Soon they will start dumping it in the desert like the other garbage.
Sharon Minsch
Incorporation is still a hot topic in our community
There are two main drivers behind incorporation efforts. The simplest is that some ambitious individuals are drawn to the prospect of becoming recognized public officials. However, the bigger motivator for incorporation is the presence of town boards, which often serve as the starting point for such movements.
The second factor is more complex to summarize here. It involves the actual or perceived accumulation of issues tied to county actions — or inactions, such as excessive taxation, unfair regulations, and various forms of bureaucratic neglect.
One clear example comes from my experience in a suburb of Seattle, King County, Wash., which had an international airport within its limits. The airport was a significant revenue source, generating $2 million annually just in parking taxes, and even rainwater runoff was taxed. Pacific Highway, which cut through the city, struggled with persistent problems like street prostitution, which received little police attention. Many residents felt neglected, believing that while their area contributed most of the taxes, it received the least support. Matters worsened when the county’s plans included relocating thousands of refugees to a low-rent manufactured housing area, coupled with a desire from progressive circles to cultivate nonprofit organizations. We ultimately incorporated and briefly became the wealthiest city in Washington state. Despite this, we still received the refugees and nonprofits, and unfortunately, made significant mistakes during the incorporation and governance process.
I’m not complaining, but highlighting the difficult circumstances that often lead to incorporation movements. Pahrump, too, pays most taxes, yet its roads are riddled with potholes that could use proper repairs. There are new tax increases and thousands of “zombie lots” that deserve a better solution than simply “buyer beware — check with your real estate agent.” The county likely knew these lots were unbuildable yet quietly continued collecting taxes for years. Although I have no concrete evidence, I suspect that once owners discovered the problem and stopped paying taxes on these “dead” properties, the county then listed them at auction to recover lost taxes. I bought a lot at such an auction, assuming the county wouldn’t sell me worthless property. Now, if lawyers catch wind of this, they’ll have a field day.
Gene Fisher (USN Retired)
