A self-contained "livable community" on the west side, at Basin Avenue and Barney Street, geared toward seniors with 864 units connected by golf cart paths and including a senior center, doctor's offices and shopping, was approved by Nye County commissioners Wednesday.

But a proposed 120-acre development on the other side of the valley, to include a 20-acre shopping mall on East Thousandaire Boulevard, two-story apartments and single-family homes, was sent back to the Pahrump Regional Planning Commission due to flooding concerns.

Jim Gronemann, president of the board of trustees of the Pahrump Senior Center, endorsed the Beverly Park project on West Basin. Consultants agreed to insert language conveying the 10,000-square-foot senior center to the county, the town or the present senior center board.

Commission Chairman Gary Hollis said the developers have committed to extending water and sewer lines to the property.

Commissioner Joni Eastley wanted a development agreement drawn up with Rockingham Capital Partners LLC. Language conveying the senior center would be included.

"It was staff's recommendation to deny the master plan amendment and zone change because you felt it was spot zoning," Eastley told Nye County Planning Director Jack Lohman. "I understand the applicant's defense of this because they're planning a livable community and there is no category for that."

Lohman said on paper it may look like spot zoning as the 72-acre property was rezoned to mixed use from mostly rural homestead zoning. But he said a community with variations function together -- the plans call for shops, a grocery store, bank, laundromat, pharmacy, beauty salon and medical office building reached by golf cart paths -- functions almost as a suburb.

A transit center, with a gazebo to wait for the shuttles would connect residents to Wal-Mart, the casinos, local churches or other destinations outside Beverly Park.

The project would group eight condos into a building, four on each floor, with elevators. Amenities like a swimming pool, tennis courts and shuffleboard would be added later.

The county commission voted unanimously to approve the project. The Pahrump Regional Planning Commission endorsed it by a 4-1 vote Sept. 12. RPC member Dan Schinhofen cast the sole vote against it. He said Wednesday he had concerns the county commission didn't insert provisions mandating age restrictions.

The going wasn't quite as smooth for Craig Becker V, fifth generation of a family of Las Vegas developers, who wants to convert 120 acres into commercial and residential development at the end of East Thousandaire Boulevard near Focus Group's Gateway project.

Commissioners first denied a motion by Peter Liakopoulos to approve the master plan amendment, zone change and parcel map creating 20 acres of general commercial, 20 acres to multi-family residential and 82 acres to the village residential zone with 8,000 one-acre minimum lots.

After Commissioner Butch Borasky had a side discussion with the developer and consultant, he asked to reconsider the item and commissioners adopted his motion to send it to the RPC for more study.

"Because of the experience level of the developer, they have used this many times with developments in Las Vegas, where a good multi-family transition is appropriate behind commercial," said consultant Dave Richards from CivilWise Services.

The multi-family section would be two-story luxury apartments like Hidden Canyon Village, a gated community in Las Vegas, where there is an adjoining shopping center at 3925 N. Martin Luther King Blvd. They also constructed Ashford Manor Apartments, Desert Meadows Apartments, Rainbow Ridge Plaza and Cheyenne Rancho Professional Plaza.

The zoning, one of the densest developments in the Nye County code, would allow for more open space and green areas to plan for drainage improvements, Richards said.

"We would like to get VR-8 because there's a lot of drainage through that area we're not going to be able to use at all," he said.