By Vernon Robison

Moapa Valley Progress

The Moapa Valley Town Advisory Board (MVTAB) approved a request by Logandale resident Stan Hardy for a Use Permit to increase the size of an accessory apartment on his property located south of Waite Avenue on the west side of Moapa Valley Blvd. The request was brought to the MVTAB at a meeting held Wednesday, March 9.

Hardy explained that he planned to build an accessory residence on his three acre parcel to be used by family members. The building was proposed to be 1,836 sq. ft in size. Because the current standard for such an accessory apartment would have been limited to 1500 sq. ft., Hardy was required to seek a Special Use Permit for the project.

Additionally, in the process of seeking the Permit, another compliance issue on the property had come to the fore, Hardy explained. Existing on the property are three agricultural shade structures used for keeping livestock. The structures were built years ago, Hardy said. Since that time, the property has been divided up among family members. The divisions have resulted in the existing agricultural buildings extending across the new property lines. This is out of compliance with County code.

Hardy was requesting a Waiver of Development Standards to allow these structures to remain in place and the building project to proceed. He explained that all the properties in question were owned by family members and that the shade structures were used in common as agricultural buildings by the family.

County staff had recommended that the request for a waiver be denied.

MVTAB member Gene Houston felt that granting the Waiver should not be a problem. “I suppose that a deed restriction could be imposed where if the lots ever sold, the buildings would have to be removed and I’m okay with that,” Houston said. “But a deed restriction really would have no impact at all. If they sell outside of the family, they would have to settle it at that time anyway before the sale could close. I just don’t see this as an issue.”

Houston made a motion to approve the Use Permit and the Waiver. The motion was approved with a unanimous vote.

In other business, the board discussed criteria and protocol for community members wishing to request roads to be added to the prioritized list of streets to be paved in the community.

It was decided that the board would hear road paving requests from local residents once each year in the June/July timeframe.

The board also indicated that, in order to add roads to the list, proposed roads must meet certain criteria. First, all rights of way for the road must have been obtained by the county. Second, the number of homes served by the proposed paving project must be considered. And third, the type and condition of the existing roadway must be taken into account.

Janice Ridondo, Community Liaison for Commissioner Tom Collins’ office, said that she had recently met with County Public Works officials and reviewed the County’s paving priorities for the community. She named off three projects listed by Public Works as high priority items which were the following: Waite Ave. in Logandale from Mills to Moapa Valley Blvd.; Rice Street in Logandale from Cappalappa to Brothers; and Lewis Ave. in Overton.

MVTAB members expressed surprise at these stated priorities because, with the exception of Lewis, these roads had not been featured at all on the current paving list recommended by the community through the Town Board.

Board members asked that the County’s priority list be coordinated and reconciled with what is being requested by the community. Ridondo said that she would bring the matter back to the board for further discussion.