A request to rezone 10 acres to heavy industrial for an impound storage lot was rejected by the Pahrump Regional Planning Commission Wednesday.

Two other requests to rezone property for commercial uses were either withdrawn or denied, because the applicants didn't submit a site map showing what would be on the property.

Car Mine Ltd. Partnership submitted a request to rezone property at 2771 E. Charleston Park Ave. and 2770 E. Commerce St., which had been rezoned general commercial on the comprehensive zoning map approved in June, to heavy industrial.

The property in the Forbes Park subdivision had been planned for a mix of residential and commercial developments in 1992 according to the conditions, covenants and restrictions. RPC member Nevada Tolladay said car storage was permitted under the CC&Rs, though Planning Director Jack Lohman noted they referred to commercial parking lots, not a junkyard.

Lohman said a salvage yard would include dismantling vehicle parts -- a junk yard -- but it would fit neatly into an industrial category. However, he said there wouldn't be enough of a buffer to residential properties to the east.

Consultant Dave Richards of CivilWise Services said the impound lot would serve law enforcement agencies like the Nevada Highway Patrol. The applicant is willing to build an opaque fence around the property and there wouldn't be a lot of noise, he said. Richards pointed out the existence of other industrial businesses nearby, an AmeriGas facility, Redi-Mix concrete plant and Jonaire Inc., an air-conditioning service company.

RPC member Mark Kimball was cynical about complaints from residents who said they expected a residential development but lived on streets nearby with names like Factory Road and Warehouse Road.

Jeff Hammer, 1211 Factory Road, said 17 lots adjoin the proposed impound lot that are zoned village residential. Industrial properties that already exist in the subdivision are located far enough away to still allow for a beautiful neighborhood, he said.

Shawn Hastings, 1211 Warehouse Road., said "I do think it will be an eyesore, plus it will bring some traffic up there, possibly big trucks and tow trucks."

RPC member Jacob Skinner said the Lewis Equipment Co. case set a precedent for heavy industrial uses near residential zones.

"I think although there are other uses that are heavy industrial, I think there's a need to correct mistakes that have been made in the past," he said.

Kimball concurred, "It doesn't seem to be consistent with our planning to put heavy industrial right next to residential."

Craig Poulson, a neighbor, wrote the applicants didn't provide specifics on fences or walls surrounding the property, lighting, schedules for dispatching trucks, whether it will include repair work, stacking heights of dismantled vehicles and a history of the company.

A lack of information, namely a site map of development, doomed two other projects up for RPC approval.

Michael and Wanda Hudson wanted to rezone 3.26 acres from rural estates residential to mixed use at 7400 S. Squaw Valley Road for various commercial, multi-family residential and single-family residential uses.

Nye County Assistant Planning Director Cheryl Beeman said the home owner wanted to also use his property for fabricating metal mounts, like solar panels. But she said the RPC didn't finish finalizing a policy on home occupations.

Teri Clark, from TLC Business Services, said the owner was from Alaska and bought the property two years ago sight unseen.

"They thought they could do this fabrication business when they bought the property," Clark said. "They were lied to."

"It's smack dab in a residential area. I have a nice home there," said Janie McKay, 3660 Savoy Drive. "We just do not want that to be a business-type area because I already have experienced having a business across the street from me at one point in time."

Lohman said, "It's a classic example of spot zoning; there's no way around it even if you are going to do a home business."

A request to rezone 2.4 acres at 5080 and 5110 S. Sunland Ave. and 5081 and 5111 S. Malibou Ave. from low-density residential to general commercial was withdrawn until next month.

Two lots front on Manse Road and are zoned open use, the other two are zoned rural estates, Beeman said. The two lots encroaching on a neighborhood weren't suitable for general commercial, she said.

RPC member Carrick "Bat" Masterson said neighborhood commercial would be more appropriate.

"I have a real issue not having a site plan at all," RPC member Norma Jean Opatik said.

Kimball said, "we've turned countless folks away only to have them come back with a site plan to get permission for approval."

Lohman said a site plan allows the RPC to see whether there are adequate parking spaces, the footprint of the building, and other information needed to make a decision.

"This application is premature. The applicant really hasn't justified the need for the changes. We're being asked essentially to participate in a landowner's speculation. That doesn't make him a bad guy but it doesn't allow us what I view as the proper oversight of the development in our community," Tolladay said.