Consultants for Hogle-Ireland, an Irvine, Calif., land planning firm, should wrap up the Pahrump Valley hard zoning plan by March 2007, partner Mike Thiel told a crowd at the Bob Ruud Community Center Wednesday night.

The meeting, in front of a packed house, was convened to show exhibits and collect comments on revising the mixed use zone outlined in the master plan. Hogle Ireland was awarded a $715,179 contract for the zoning plan.

Nye County Commissioners adopted a master plan for the Pahrump Valley in 2004, drafted by Tri-Core Engineering, that outlined different zones. That was followed by adoption of the zoning ordinance.

However, property is still zoned under the old open-use or highway-frontage zone, unless the owner decides to develop it, in which case it would be classified under one of the new zones, residential, commercial or otherwise. A property owner can also petition to rezone property to one of the new zones.

Hogle-Ireland will draft a study that, if accepted by the county commission, would apply the new zones to all existing property. Planner Robert Zegerra said that will include sending out notices to the owners of the 45,000-plus parcels in Pahrump Valley.

Exhibits displayed Wednesday may be viewed at the Nye County Administration Office. Questionnaries may be returned until Oct. 20. They should be sent to Hogle-Ireland, 2860 Michelle Dr., Suite 100, Irvine, CA. 92606. The e-mail address is crose@hogleireland.com. The questionnaire may also be filled out by logging on to www.pahrumpzoning.com.

The zoning will be based mostly on the recommendations in the master plan, with some tweaking, like the mixed-use zone, planners said.

Senior project manager Kathy Lottes said the mixed-use zone as it stands can include anything from an auto repair business to a residence to an office. It has resulted in some contentious zoning disputes.

The recommendation on the mixed-use zone will be brought back for a separate public hearing, probably in December, Hogle-Ireland Director of Public Relations Cristi Silverberg-Rose said.

Audience members examined seven mixed-use locations that are under study: Calvada Boulevard and Dandelion Street; around Highway 160 at the north end of Leslie Street; around the Desert View Regional Medical Center on Basin Avenue and Linda Street; Homestead Road between Highway 160 and Kellogg Road; Highway 160 between Calvada Boulevard and Malibou Avenue; a community gateway at the west end of Highway 372 and a community gateway at the west end of Bell Vista Avenue.

Planners showed photos of existing businesses in each of these areas. They also had pie charts showing the percentage of existing land uses.

The 117 acres from Calvada Boulevard north to Honeysuckle Street, between Dandelion Street and Pershing Avenue, is 93 percent vacant. It could be a mix of general commercial and multi-family residential.

The study area at the north end of Leslie Street can house some commercial area, much of it's already laid out for residential.

A 350-acre study area around the hospital, from Basin Avenue to Highway 372 and from Linda Street to Big Five Road, could have a "hospital overlay" zone around the hospital itself and commercial development on Highway 372.

The Homestead Road strip is 65 percent vacant and 30 percent single-family residential. The stretch north from Gamebird Road could be zoned low-density residential with some low-impact commercial, like offices, that don't generate much traffic. Some commercial could be allowed on main intersections, like Homestead Road and Manse Road.

General commercial would be logical on the Highway 160 corridor, since parallel roads exist as a buffer to single-family residential construction, Zegerra said.

Then there are the two "tourist gateways" to Pahrump on the west ends of Highway 372 and Bell Vista Avenue. Those could be a tourist commercial overlay, which would allow for tourist development like motels, resorts and small convenience stores. They could also be single-family residential with some enhanced landscaping and monuments, Zegerra said.

"These are just potentials, just to get things started," he said.

Planners were only expecting about 30 people for the presentation and open use, but about 100 showed up. They were hampered by lack of a public address system.

Audience members included a number of real estate professionals.