MARK WAITE / PVT Pahrump Regional Planning Commission members approved a rezoning to allow construction of two 50-room hotels and a restaurant on five acres just north of Terrible's Lakeside Casino. But RPC member Dan Schinhofen expressed concerns over the already busy traffic volume on Homestead Road. Advertisement

A zone change and master plan amendment to allow the building of two 50-room hotels and a 7,000 square-foot restaurant on 5.3 acres just north of Terrible's Lakeside Casino was recommended for approval by the Pahrump Regional Planning Commission Wednesday.

Curtis Moen, a former head planning technician for Nye County, now working as a consultant for M3 Group Land Development, spoke on behalf of landowners Dawn Rabon and Brenta Stoney, et al.

Moen said the project could be delayed by the previous denial by the RPC of plans for an apartment complex across the street on Homestead Road between Zolin Avenue and Heritage Drive.

RPC members were skeptical about the plans, based on past projects that didn't materialize. RPC member Nevada Tolladay cited the example of Terrible's Town Casino, where the county was told a hotel was going to be constructed there.

"We don't have that hotel yet. Is it proper, possible to set a time frame for this hotel completion in exchange for the approval?" Tolladay asked.

Nye County Assistant Planner Cheryl Beeman said developers typically have three years to begin developing their property before the zoning expires. She said that stipulation could be tightened up to require completion of the project in that time frame.

"The only thing that would cause us to fall through with a hotel in a timely manner -- right now we're looking at 12 months -- would be the completion of a water and sewer line to the property," Moen said. "If you would put a time frame on us we would ask it not be less than two years."

Moen said developers would begin building the restaurant first. He wouldn't identify the restaurant afterwards, but did admit it would be part of a chain.

"We looked at doing the restaurant as a stand alone entity," Moen said. "The other way we looked at it, because of negotiations going on at this time, it might be done all as one shot. It would depend on the quickness we can get utilities down there."

RPC member Dan Schinhofen had concerns with the already busy traffic on Homestead Road. Pahrump town board representative Laurayne Murray said Homestead Road will eventually be five lanes wide, though Beeman said the capital improvement plan doesn't call for that to happen for several years.

Concerns over the traffic on Homestead Road have been aired recently by the RPC over various projects proposed on that thoroughfare.

Murray was concerned language stipulating development begin on the property within three years could just mean paving a parking lot for the restaurant.

"We do want to see that there's a commitment to finish the hotel," RPC Chairman Mark Kimball told Moen.

But RPC member Carrick "Bat" Masterson asked, "If he already gets a restaurant on it and doesn't have a hotel on it, what do you say, 'it's now residential, you have to tear it down?'

"If they think they need that hotel and they're going to make money on it, they're going to build it," Masterson said.

Kimball said if a hotel isn't built there, the applicant would have to come back for a site review before building anything else.