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Commission for zoning changes
By Ralph Pokorny
Nevada Daily Mail
"I look at this part of town as an area for future commercial development," Ron Clow told the Nevada Planning Commission before they voted 6-3 Tuesday evening to send a positive recommendation to the city council to change the zoning on property at 210 N. Osage Boulevard from M-2, light industrial to C-3 commercial so part of the building located there can be converted into an apartment.
During their June meeting the planning commission deadlocked on the recommendation to permit the change in zoning and the city council directed them to take a second look at the issue.
The property, which is owned by Rudy Horst and is the location of his business Hard to Resist, is the former location of the Producers Grain elevator directly west of the Union Pacific Railroad property.
"I think it's a good idea," Clow, planning director, said.
Other towns have encouraged residential development in commercial areas and that has increased the value of these areas, he told the commission.
"This area is surrounded by residential zoning," Tim Wells, city council representative on the commission, said.
This is the first step in the planning commission taking a look at how the usage of various areas of the town have developed in comparison to what was envisioned in Nevada's comprehensive plan, which was adopted in June 1984 and updated in November 2002.
Ron Clow, community development director, told the planning commission Tuesday that when the city council discussed this issue at their June 19 meeting they requested that the planning commission take a second look at rezoning that property as well as the rest of the area. The council also asked that the commission look at the other areas in town with industrial and commercial zoning.
"We need to determine what areas actually need industrial zoning," Clow said.
The council is looking for direction from the planning commission, he said.
The process will take a couple of months to complete and will involve the city preparing detailed maps for the planning commissioners showing what areas of Nevada are zoned for industrial, commercial and residential usage.
"The city will then notify all property owners who could be affected by any rezoning action," Clow said.
During a public hearing property owners and anyone else will be able to voice their opinion of any rezoning action before the planning commission votes to send a recommendation to the city council.
"Any change in zoning will not effect any existing business," Wells said.
Changing the zoning in this area will create a swath of commercial development and eliminating industrial usage from that area, Clow said.
"I'd like to see this to encourage residential and commercial development in the center of town and industrial development on the edge of town," Amy Henry, commission member, said.
Clow told the commission that there is property available for industrial development in the Nevada Industrial Park and in the Smelter Hill part of town.
Smelter Hill is located in the extreme southeast part of Nevada and was the location of several lead and zinc smelters in the early 1900s.
Jeff Tweten said that he would like to see the commission do more planning instead of just reacting to requests for zoning.
Clow told the commission that previous city councils were not interested in changing zoning unless there was a specific use for that property. That has changed now.