Pahrump auto body shop set to expand

Top Notch Repairs, a Pahrump auto repair shop, is set to expand after the Pahrump Regional Planning Commission gave it the go-ahead.

On March 15, planners approved a conditional use permit (CUP) that allowed for the expansion of a grandfathered use on a 4.7-acre property located at 3681 W. Bell Vista Ave. in Pahrump.

In addition, officials approved a waiver that allows the expansion of a grandfathered building to be located within 1,000 feet of an existing residential dwelling on property zoned mixed use.

In a letter to Valerie Martel, one of the owners of the business, Nye County Planning Director Darrell Lacy said that the use of the property for an automotive repair business with storage of vehicles, equipment and materials qualifies as a legal non-conforming or grandfathered use is allowed to continue as such.

An employee of the business who spoke on behalf of the business’ owners at the meeting said the company currently has 42 employees, up from the six employees with which it started.

“We are prepared to do whatever it takes to expand the business,” he said.

“I think it would be a great improvement for the community, and certainly for the neighborhood, that was kind of a dormant thing. We’ve since paid and put in water drainage and fenced it,” he said.

Development of the property began in the early 1980s, according to the documents. In 1992, a metal building was added. In 2016, a grandfathered use for the subject property was added. Recently, an encroachment permit was issued and a driveway and parking area were paved.

The current code compliance issue related to night lighting of the parcel is expected to be remedied prior to submittal of Site Development Plan Review application, Nye County Principal Planner Cheryl Beeman said.

“We did talk to the applicant, and for their overall future expansion goals, they may want to come back with a zone change at some point in the future, and we have a couple of possibilities for them that would allow them to expand the grandfathered status of their property,” Beeman said.

A commercial manufacturing district would allow them maximum flexibility for the business’s future expansions, Beeman said.

“However, to move this case forward, we are just processing the CUP and waiver,” Beeman said.

The Hubb Bar, which uses public water system, isacross the road from the business.

“The site is located within a 2-to-10-year capture zone of that public water system well,” Beeman said about the automotive business.

Automotive is a potential contaminant source and it’s one of the most common found in the Pahrump Valley, Beeman said, citing the Community Source Water Protection Plan.

Public water systems throughout Nye County volunteered to take part in the development of the Community Source Water Protection Plan.

The purpose of the plan is to protect the public water systems’ drinking water resources.

It also ensure a sustainable water supply, according to the documents.

Officials would have to mitigate any potential contaminant sources. The business has yet to go through the site development process with Nye County Public Works and Planning and fire departments, Beeman said.

The Nye County Planning Department has already approved several automotive shops in town that went through the conditional use permitting process.

“We do coordinate with state agencies to make sure that we mitigate any spills of automotive fuels,” Beeman said.

The Town of Pahrump, Nye County Sheriff’s Office, Pahrump Fire and Rescue, and the Nye County School District did not offer comments on the expansion of the business.

Contact reporter Daria Sokolova at dsokolova@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @dariasokolova77