MARK WAITE / PVT Construction crews were busy putting up the frame for what is expected to be more retail space added at the Pahrump Valley Junction Shopping Center on Highway 160. Advertisement

Motorists will have to detour around construction at the Pahrump Valley Junction Shopping Center until probably October, Michael Clutts, superintendent for Danoski Clutts Building Group LLC, said this week.

Danoski Clutts is building a 5,000 square-foot building just north of the shopping center housing the Albertson's Supermarket on Highway 160. A second 11,000 square-foot building will soon be under construction on the other side of the oil change business, Clutts said.

Clutts said he doesn't know yet what businesses are going to locate in the new buildings, but they would probably be more retail shops. The detour is a precaution until the two buildings are completed which he expected to happen by October.

Information was sketchy on other commercial construction going up around town.

Ken Murphy, owner of Shadow Mountain Construction, said veterinarian Dr. Suzanne Zervantian will be moving her animal hospital into a shopping mall nearing completion on East Basin Avenue, near the Nye County Government Complex.

Murphy said he has potential leaseholders for more office space in that mall, but he hesitated to reveal names since they haven't signed leases yet.

Murphy said the construction projects under way in Pahrump will help resolve a much complained about shortage of commercial businesses in Pahrump.

"We need some more, we just don't have enough of it yet," Murphy said.

Two shopping malls are under construction on Highway 160 on both sides of Rainbow Avenue.

The mall to the north of Rainbow includes two buildings, developer Andy Jordan of Serenity Homes said a clothing store selling children's clothes, will be located in the larger building facing Highway 160. A leaseholder hasn't been confirmed for the other building, Jordan said.

A mall destined for an office complex south of Rainbow Avenue on 2.2 acres along Highway 160 is still up for lease by developer Brock Metzka.

The former home of Archie's Restaurant will be soon occupied by Quizno's Subs, which is expected to open within a month.

Rockwell Commercial Group is awaiting tenants for the rest of that shopping mall just south of the Saddle West Hotel and Casino. That string of buildings formerly housed a laundromat, Chinese restaurant, adult video store, barber shop, a travel center and a dermatologist's office.

Pahrump Senior Building Inspector Brent Steed referred inquiries about the tenants of the new shopping malls to Mark Duvall, Nye County planning technician.

Duvall said his department won't receive notice of what businesses will be locating in the new buildings until they apply for a tenant improvement agreement.

At that time the planning department will review the tenant improvement applications to verify it meets the uses permitted in that zoning district.

Duvall said with much of the current construction under way, "It's just to build the building then try to lease it to someone.

"The way it works they get the zoning, then they build the building based on site development (plans) with the idea what types of conforming businesses are going in there," Duvall said. "We just don't know who they're going to have occupy those buildings. The tenant improvement process is fairly quick; it's only a couple days."