A rezoning of 520 acres on East Mesquite Avenue to heavy industrial use was approved by a 3-2 vote of the Nye County Commission Tuesday.

Commissioners also voted 3-2 to approve a rezoning of 2.06 acres from neighborhood commercial to general commercial for a hotel and casino by the owner of K-7 Pizza, Raja Gangadharan, on Hafen Ranch Road and Thousandaire Boulevard.

The breakdown of the vote was the same: All three Pahrump commissioners -- Butch Borasky, Peter Liakopoulos and Gary Hollis -- voted for the rezonings; Joni Eastley and Roberta "Midge" Carver voted in opposition.

The RPC voted 4-3 April 8 to recommend approving the rezoning and master plan amendment for much of East Mesquite Avenue from various zones to create a block of heavy industrial zoning, but Eastley noted a super-majority was required of five planning commissioners to pass the master plan amendment.

Ned and Sheri Cole, 1750 Kitty Hawk Drive, said there was no justification required for the rezoning since the request came from the Pahrump Regional Planning Commission.

The plan was to set aside more industrial property in Pahrump Valley.

"We bought this property with the intention of constructing a residence. It has nice views," Ned Cole said. "Now I'm having second thoughts about constructing a home there because of the potential of heavy industrial."

Cole said the county's own master plan states establishing industrial uses adjacent to residential areas poses a health and safety threat.

Sheri Cole said 207 acres of the 520 acres to be rezoned is owned by Nye County itself.

"How can you vote something that's helping you when you own that much land and it's harming all of us?" Sheri Cole said. "Please don't damage this for us. We bought this because we wanted to live on it."

The Coles both confessed to being unaware a federal detention center was going in down the street because they live more than 300 feet away, outside the notification area.

Robert Groesbeck, speaking on behalf of Creekside Investments, an affiliate of Pahrump Valley Disposal, wanted the county commission to recognize the landfill as a grandfathered use under county code. He said the landfill was a legal, non-conforming use that would require Pahrump Valley Disposal to acquire a conditional use permit to expand the landfill business.

Groesbeck said neighbors were mistaken in believing the landfill could become a park or golf course in the near future, saying even when it closes, there will be a 30-year, post-closure monitoring period.

Nye County Planning Director Jack Lohman recommended against inserting any special language on the landfill grandfather status.

* The RPC had voted unanimously May 14 to recommend rezoning a 2.06-acre parcel at 5921 Hafen Ranch Road from neighborhood commercial to general commercial and voted 6-1 to recommend approving the conditional use permit.

The conditional use permit was approved on the condition owner Raja Gangadharan, who operates K-7 Pizza, build a six-foot block wall separating the hotel-casino from an adjacent dog kennel and include a one-acre parcel for additional parking.

Eileen Hart-Crawford, owner of K-9 Kastle Bed and Bone, said the 45-room, three-floor hotel and the casino would be a great project on Highway 160 but not next door to her dog boarding and training facility.

Debra Bowman, 5720 S. Hafen Ranch Road, repeated concerns at the RPC meeting she had over schoolchildren passing that location en route to Hafen Elementary down the road. She presented a six-page petition against the project.

"Hafen Ranch Road isn't even functioning very well for that purpose without having a hotel-casino come in and a bar and gaming," Bowman said. "We just feel that this is the wrong site because of the surrounding areas and future development."

Eastley said she rarely disagrees with the RPC. But on this project she said, "I think this is a great project in the wrong area."

In other planning matters, county commissioners:

* Approved a zone change and conditional use permit for a sports bar opening into the old Donut Shop at 440 E. Wilson Road. Borasky abstained from the vote, stating he received a complimentary room at the Republican Party state convention from the applicant, Fely Quitevis, owner of Precious Properties.

* A 320-acre tract at 7501 E. Chrominum Blvd., at the northeast corner of Jeane Avenue and Eberhard Road, was rezoned from heavy industrial reserve to the community facilities zone, for the proposed site of the new community college.

* A master plan amendment was approved, converting 30.8 acres from mixed use to light-industrial use and another 51.5 acres to heavy-industrial use, between Commerce Street and Industrial Road east of Higley Road, for the Spring Mountain Industrial Park.

* A request by developer George Harris for a rezoning of 7.4 acres on West Bell Vista Avenue just west of Leslie Street from the rural estates zone to light industrial was remanded back to the RPC.

Harris said he plans to build a regional office warehouse business center. He said the opening of the large freight airport at Ivanpah and an increase in inventory taxes in California will benefit his warehousing business in Pahrump.

Harris said 130 warehouse jobs could be created, paying from $18 to $20 per hour.

Harris presented photos of other projects he constructed in Pahrump as proof that "we're not in the process of entitling our property and flipping it. We spend a lot of money on a quality project."

The RPC May 14 recommended denying the application by a 6-1 vote on the grounds it would be spot zoning. Eastley suggested Harris reapply for a commercial manufacturing zone, a suggestion RPC Chairman Mark Kimball said his board would probably look at favorably. Lohman said it could still be considered spot zoning, but would be a less intensive use than light industrial.

County officials agreed to fast-track the new application.

Neighbor Joe Perez, 2090 W. Larsen Drive, had concerns over the traffic, while neighbor Steve Saum felt it could help clean up the area.