Rezoning waiver rejected in Pahrump

A waiver that would allow to rezone 26 parcels from a rural to a suburban estates zoning district in a Pahrump neighborhood has been rejected.

The Pahrump Regional Planning Commission on Wednesday voted 5-2 against the waiver after a group of residents spoke against the measure.

The waiver application would have allowed the rezoning of 26 parcels from rural to suburban estates zoning in an area totaling 34.19 acres. Nye County code allows the suburban estates zone designation to be applied only to areas of 40 acres or more.

The parcels are in the vicinity of River Plate Drive and Red Rock Drive, south of Amarillo Avenue and north of Hickory Street. While a rural estates zoning district allows livestock, a suburban estates zoning district is intended for low density single-family residential living and does not allow livestock except for grandfathered uses.

Of the 26 parcels, nine are vacant and 17 are developed with single-family homes, according to the documents.

The rezoning request was started by the petition from a group of neighbors. One of the neighborhood’s residents, Lynette Sandquist, had been earlier denied a multi-pet permit that would allow her to keep multiple livestock on her property, but because of the neighborhood’s zoning, Sandquist was still not in violation.

Nye County Commissioner Donna Cox asked the commission to postpone a vote on the waiver.

Cox argued that while the petition was submitted a year-and-a-half ago, many of the area’s residents haven’t been notified about it.

“I would like to see this held and I would like to see it brought back based on these findings,” Cox said.

Mike Jacoby, who purchased a property just outside of the proposed rezoning area a year ago, said he hadn’t been notified about proposed rezoning.

“I’m dead set against it,” Jacoby said about the proposed change.

The rural estates parcels outside of the subject area are not affected by the waiver as they will continue to be allowed to keep livestock, according to the documents.

Judy Fesnock, one of the petitioners, said the petitions started a year-and-a-half ago but had been delayed because it had been originally turned down by the planning commission.

“We do have a petition that was signed by all those individuals at that time,” Fesnock said.

County commissioners approved the rezoning of the parcels to suburban estates in March. The final step was subject to a waiver being approved by the Pahrump Regional Planning Commission.

Officials said petitioners would have to file an appeal to bring the waiver proposal back.

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