Developers will know the basic details they have to show on plans presented to the Pahrump Regional Planning Commission, after the passage of Nye County ordinance 2007-30 Tuesday.

Dave Richards, vice-president of CivilWise Services, which represents most clients presenting plans for approval by the RPC, has seen some of his projects rejected because the planning commissioners had little idea what would be located on a property up for a zone change.

Common boiler plate language on many applications presented to RPC members only included a summary by county planners that approval of a project would allow for a variety of single family, multi-family and commercial developments. Many specifics of building projects were withheld by the consulting firm.

During a debate last August, Richards requested the county put in writing its requirements for conceptual site plans, so he could inform his clients.

Nye County Planning Director Jack Lohman said conceptual site plans were formerly only required for conditional use permits on which the RPC has the final say, not for zone changes or master plan amendments, the other two most common requests presented to the RPC.

Richards said it would be expensive for clients to have extensive site plans drawn up for zoning requests that may be turned down anyway.

Lohman disagreed and only wanted some type of drawings showing the basics of what will be on the property, something professionally done, not drawn on cocktail napkins.

Lohman said the planning commission needs to see the size of a building footprint, any ingress or egress to streets for traffic control, the number of parking spaces, and landscaping buffers between commercial and residential property.

Nye County commissioners were a little taken aback to hear an endorsement of the proposal from developer Tim Hafen.

"I think the conceptual plan shows what needs to be shown to the planning department and we support it," Hafen said.

Builder Rick Walker persuaded commissioners to eliminate requirements to show building elevations, colors and materials.

Walker wasn't successful at convincing commissioners to eliminate multi-family residential housing developments from a requirement to submit conceptual site plans. Those plans are required for commercial and industrial projects.

Nye County Manager Ron Williams said developers of multi-family projects need to show if, for example, there's a parking lot for 200 cars.

"If you've got a multi-family structure that's more than four units, the feeling is you need to submit a site plan for it," Williams said. "Our intent was not to write site development plans for residential districts."

County planner Steve Osborne conceded the RPC really didn't need to know the color of buildings in a planned project. County Commissioner Peter Liakopoulos thought that was ridiculous.

"Are we going to be the traffic cop for the color of the building?" Nye County Commission Chairman Gary Hollis asked.

"Absolutely. That's what zoning is all about. You want to know what your neighborhood is going to look like," Williams replied, in a testy exchange with Hollis.

During a previous discussion last August, Hollis angrily replied the county passed a zoning ordinance, so neighbors would know what was going to be built next to their property. He agreed with Richards conceptual site plans shouldn't be needed.

"They (the RPC) want to make sure it's not a huge crane company sitting next to a subdivision of residential lots. We have that," Williams said. He was referring to Lewis Equipment Company, which was built next to the Autumnwood subdivision on South Dandelion Street.

Williams assured commissioners of a catch-all phrase that already exists in the Nye County code.

"There is a provision in the conditional use permit that gives the planing commission the ability to send something back for further consideration and that can be anything," Williams said.

Richards, who frequently spars with commissioners, came out in favor of the ordinance. He only commented about being able to list a building's use in the plans generically, not having to define whether it's a shoe store, barber shop or some other type of business.

Williams said the intent of the ordinance is to streamline the planning process, without tying up developers having to come back repeatedly to get approval on a project.

"We can't answer every question the planning commissioners might ask or the county commissioners might ask," Williams said of the wording in the ordinance.

Liakopoulos said based on his experience as a county commissioner this past year, he wants language in the ordinance to be as specific as possible.