Planning Commission Tackles Heavy August Agenda Home-Base Business to Relocate to Commercial, Industrial Zoning, Conservation Easements Addressed

The Planning Commission faced a heavy agenda for its Aug. 13 meeting and considered special use permits, industrial zoning language, and the transfer of development rights.

The commission denied the special use permit application from Garrett Roosa, owner of One Horse Overhead Door at 1955 S. Allen Road. Roosa is the new owner of the business, following the death of Randy Stanley, and wanted to continue operations in that location.

Dean Patterson, senior planner with the Public Works, Planning & Building Department, explained the garage door business had been at this location for more than 30 years, and the sheriff at that time permitted Stanley to operate as a home-based business. Since then, the operations have expanded beyond the scope of a home-based business, Patterson said.

Commissioners agreed, but also did not want to push Roosa to close shop or relocate. They voted unanimously to deny the SUP, but gave Roosa two years to find a commercial location for his business and suspended code enforcement actions.

Language creating the new Industrial Zoning Districts of I-1 (light industrial), I-2 (medium industrial) and I-3 (heavy industrial) was adopted. The commission also rezoned 175 industrial parcels in the county with their new designations. Only existing industrial parcels were rezoned; no new industrial parcels were created. The amended ordinance will be heard by the Churchill County Commission on Sept. 4, with a second reading and possible adoption on Sept. 17. 

The commission approved the sending site application for 93 transfer of development rights, or TDRs, from Marc Simoncini for his Lonesome Duck Ranch on Beach Road. While Simoncini’s request for the sending site application was approved in a 5–1 vote, it started a larger conversation about the TDR program.

Property owners are able to receive TDRs, which translate to money, to establish a conservation easement on their land instead of subdividing that land. The program was started to halt development of land around the NAS Fallon accident potential zone, and many of the agricultural lands around the base are now in conservation easements. Simoncini’s ranch is in this zone, and the Navy opposed his initial desire to subdivide an 80-acre parcel into eight separate parcels.

The Sending Site Committee, which reviews these requests before they go to the commission, recommended approval of the TDRs. However, the Public Works, Planning & Building Department staff recommended immediately extinguishing the TDRs, which caught commissioners by surprise.

“The Sending Site Committee reviewed the application and recommends approval of the sending site. Recommended approval of 93 TDRs. In addition, its recommend the new TDRs be extinguished by the board to avoid increasing the overly large pool of TDRs that already exist. You’ll find this in the motion, and will probably be our recommendation for future sending site applications,” said Patterson.

Currently, there are 12,770 TDRs in the county — 300 privately held with the county owning the balance. Patterson said each TDR represents a house, and currently there are more TDRs than existing homes in Churchill County.

Randy Hines, Public Works director, said his department has discussed what to do with the large number of TDRs on hand. The committee may have “jumped the gun” in recommending extinguishing new TDRs, but the issue will be brought to the commission later, Hines said. The approved sending site application will be forwarded to the county commissioners for final approval of the TDRs.

Also approved:

The SUP for Northern Nevada Research Co., 7162 California Street in Hazen, for the addition of a 30-by-40-foot facility.

The SUP for Bulldog Auto Restorations, 3921 Arnold Way, renewed after applicant Brenda Garabito met parking conditions.

The SUP application for Valley Rentals, 7250 Reno Highway, by Robert Yost, approved pending resolution of Nevada Department of Transportation concerns.

Abandonment of a 20-foot drainage easement on Conrad Place, filed by Gary Laca.

Termination of a SUP for 75 Bench Road after the closure of a horse boarding business.