Officials from Lewis Equipment Co. were denied permission once before to expand their equipment yard on South Dandelion Road, but developer George Harris was able to rezone property for them at the Nye County Commission meeting Tuesday.

Instead of a large group of residents of Autumnwood Estates subdivision on hand to protest, only one resident personally voiced objections.

Subdivision residents Barbara and Mamie Pringle had written objections on file. They also objected to the Sun State Components truss factory being constructed down the street.

Thomas Leak and Jane Jacobus suggested at least a 30-foot-wide buffer for parking any construction equipment.

Land owner George Harris said his plan for the nine-acre site would include a 40-foot landscaping buffer adjoining homes on Cedarwood Street and a height limit of eight feet on stacking equipment that would remedy the problem.

The application was fast-tracked after the Pahrump Regional Planning Commission meeting July 9, in which the RPC voted 4-2 in favor of the master plan amendment, which was one vote short of the required super-majority.

"The majority point of view has changed from, 'we better not make it worse' to 'we can make it better,'" Pahrump Regional Planning Commission Chairman Mark Kimball said.

The approval of Lewis Equipment to move to South Dandelion Road in 2001 has created controversy ever since. It has been seen as an example of bad planning.

Harris said the property will never be able to be developed as it's zoned, VR-20 residential, since it's next to other commercial developments like Desert Lumber Co. He successfully requested a general commercial rezoning.

"This is strictly to help mitigate a long-term problem. Their condition is nothing will be above eight feet anymore so there will not be anything seen any more. I think it's a win-win for everybody," Harris said.

Bruce Winchester, a resident of Autumnwood Estates however, was doubtful. He said Lewis Equipment hasn't done anything to properly maintain their existing property.

"We moved out there for quiet, for the scenery. We can see the mountains and everything else. We could possibly have two or three more cranes 60 feet high. They drop stuff occasionally, it shakes the whole ground. They have done nothing to maintain the existing property," Winchester said.

Nye County Commission Chairman Joni Eastley suggested Winchester speak with code compliance officer Dick Johnson about the existing problem.

"I have no doubt he will be visiting that property," Eastley said.

Planner Steve Osborne said the actual Lewis Equipment Co. site is zoned under the old open use zoning, which was common before the adoption of the comprehensive rezoning map last year.

Harris also received approval of an application to rezone 7.4 acres at 2320 and 2350 W. Bell Vista Ave. to a commercial manufacturing zone for a warehouse development. This project was also fast-tracked after getting a favorable recommendation at the July 9 RPC meeting.

The county commission remanded a previous application back to the RPC June 17 when Harris wanted a light industrial zone. While both requests were described as spot zoning, the commercial manufacturing zone was seen as less of an intrusion into the neighborhood. The property lies just west of the Horizon Market store on the corner of Bell Vista Avenue and Leslie Street.

"There are other projects in the area that are even more intense use of the land," Kimball said.

The RPC chairman said he thought Harris's plan made sense as a test case of whether Pahrump could capitalize on higher warehousing costs across the state line in California.

"This type of development is going to create jobs and take a certain amount of business out of other states where the fees are too high," Kimball said.

* A request to rezone property to neighborhood commercial and multi-family at the corner of Thousandaire Boulevard and Oakridge Avenue was remanded back to the RPC.

The property owner, FMC Pahrump, wanted to develop a commercial shopping center, self-storage warehouse and a 160-unit, multi-family development on 37 acres.

Osborne said the applicant removed his plans to put in multi-family housing in the rear of the property.

Calvin and Norma Morrison, residents at 5591 Oakridge Ave., protested the plans.

"We just want to remind commissioners that Oakridge is a two-way street that only runs from Kellogg to Manse. So there would be a tremendous increase in the amount of traffic that we're very unhappy about in a low density area," Norma Morrison said.

"Multi-family really does not belong in a low density residential neighborhood," Calvin Morrison said.