 |
 |
 |
||
|
||||
|
December 21, 2005
Persistent Wang gets development approvalRPC NIXES 10-STORY HIGH-RISE PLAN BUT GREEN LIGHTS BUILDER'S 14-YEAR DREAM FOR PAHRUMP
By PHILLIP GOMEZ
Earlier this year, Wang had requested building heights as tall as 10 stories, or 130 feet. Over the years commissioners have repeatedly told him that Pahrump's ground rules did not allow buildings to be taller than 48 feet, the height of The Nugget Hotel and Gambling Hall. And for every hotel room included in his project, more open space would be required according to planning department calculations. In mid-October, Wang went before the Nye County Board of Commissioners for the umpteenth time to secure approval for the long-planned project on Woodchips Road and Highway 372. He was denied because the project envisioned too much private living space up in the clouds and too little communal open space down on the ground. The commissioners voted unanimously to deny the project, because of Wang's proposed densities, the intensity of land use and the fact that he couldn't prove he had a "will-serve" letter from a public water and sewer utility. Wang did not even show up for the meeting, despite a belated redesign lowering his building heights. "I don't know why it just now dawned on him that he should conform (to Nye County's building height requirements)," said Nye County Commission Chairwoman Candice Trummell at the time. Density has been Wang's problem all along, but last week he prevailed upon the Pahrump Regional Planning Commission to grant tentative approval for his development, with plans to build to 48 feet above ground. The project includes a restaurant, retail shops, sports facility, tennis courts, swimming pools and parking garages. However, the complex no longer will include a casino, because of the open space exactions and parking limitations. The once-envisioned 881-unit residential condo-timeshare-hotel penthouse suite has also been reduced to 506 units, and may have to be reduced further to fit on Wang's 20-acre property. In the past Wang has been hampered by having only cloudy guarantees from a utility company that he would have water and sewer connections by the time construction was completed. Water and sewer hookups could still return to haunt his project. In the mid 1990s, Wang announced he would build his own water and sewer utility. "That's the deal breaker," said Cheryl Beeman, assistant planning director for Nye County. If the Nevada Public Utilities Commission and the Department of Environmental Protection fail to sign off on Wang's proposal, all bets are off, Beeman said. In past Pahrump Regional Planning Commission meetings, commissioners have labored to clarify planning matters with Wang, who at times was combative or seemed not to understand the rural community's stricter building standards and procedures. Last week, in the absence of the late Commissioner Sheldon Bass who died Thursday and had been a severe critic of Wang's project, the commission was unanimous in granting approval. It was a final action and need not come back before the county commissioners. Wang must still work out the details with the planning department to ensure that enough parking and open spaces are commensurate with the proposed densities for the four-story hotel and mix of other living facilities. A study will also be required for the considerable amount of car and truck traffic the various new businesses will generate in the area. "He's not going to get his 10 stories," said RPC Commissioner Charles Dupre in summing up the project. "He's recognized that." |
|
