By VERNON ROBISON
Moapa Valley Progress
The Moapa Valley Town Advisory Board (MVTAB) approved a second zoning request from a large national corporation seeking to build a new store in the Moapa Valley community. Beau Woodring, Managing Partner from Southwest General Development LLC, appeared again before the board on Wednesday evening with a request in reference to plans for a new Dollar General store being proposed on a vacant lot facing Moapa Valley Blvd. between Whitmore and Oliver Streets in Overton.
Woodring first appeared before the MVTAB in late February of 2013 with the original request for the new 9,100 sq ft retail building. At that time, the MVTAB had unanimously approved the project.
In last Wednesday’s meeting, Woodring explained why he was returning to the board for additional requests. He said that the developer is under contract to purchase only a portion of the 2.7 acre parcel at the corner of MV Blvd. and Whitmore Street. That portion, less than half of the total property, is the southern-most 1.2 acres which fronts only Moapa Valley Blvd. Thus, a subdivision of the property is needed to create two smaller lots; one for the store, and one that has no plans for development.
The trouble is that County code requires full off-sites to be completed as a condition of a subdivision of this kind, Woodring said. So the developer would be required to build curbs, gutters, sidewalks and streetlights all along Moapa Valley Blvd and also along Whitmore Street, despite the fact that there were no plans for the developer to purchase that second parcel.
“The County is requiring us to build off-sites on land that we are not buying, we don’t own and that we are not developing,” Woodring said. “Such a requirement is not common practice and would basically shut down all development in general as it would be prohibitively expensive for any project, small or large.”
MVTAB chairman Gene Houston explained that it was the subdivision that had automatically triggered the requirement for full roadside improvements along the entire parcel. But he said that he was sympathetic to the position of the developer in this case. He noted that the County staff had recommended denial of the request. However, the County Public Works department had recommended that a drainage study, traffic study and full offsite improvements be required on just the property that was planned for development; with the condition that all these things be required on the other lot when any further development should take place.
“That seems reasonable to me,” Houston said. “I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
MVTAB member Mike Otero agreed.
“I’m in favor of approving this,” Otero said. “It seems unfair to require this on property that they are not developing. I mean, we might as well ask them to do the whole town of Overton while they are at it!”
MVTAB member Allen Johnson made a motion to approve the request with the conditions recommended by the Public Works staff. The motion was approved with a unanimous vote.
In other general business, the MVTAB approved a letter of support for the Southern Nevada Transit Coalition to use in its grant-writing process. Deb Dauenhauer of the Transit Coalition explained that the organization is more commonly known as the Silver Rider. It provides transportation for 13 rural communities in southern Nevada including rides to Mesquite and Las Vegas from Moapa Valley.
MVTAB member Judy Metz recommended that the group do more outreach to the community so that local residents would know that the service is available.
“To tell you the truth, I didn’t know if you were still doing it,” Metz said. “There are a lot of people in the same boat because we never see anything with information about you and how to use your services.”
Metz said that the Coalition ought to advertise on bulletin boards at the senior center, supermarket and with ads in the newspaper. Dauenhauer said that plans were underway to do just that.
The MVTAB also approved a letter of support for two grants being submitted by Partners in Conservation (PIC) to fund dumpster service and cleanup and to replace restroom facilities at Logandale Trails. In addition, the board approved, in substance, a resolution to support a community cleanup project at Logandale Trails which is being planned by PIC for National Public Lands Day on September 27 this year.
During the public comment period, Overton resident Joe Davis voiced a concern about the recent Valley of Fire Stage Race. During that weekend, the race took the participants on a circuit race around the Mack Lyon Middle School in Overton. The roads involved with the race were closed down. Davis said that there had been no public notice given about those road closures.
“My mom lives right down there and she had no idea that the area was going to be closed down,” Davis said. “She had people scheduled to come for repair work at her house. And it was difficult to get medication to her that day because no one could deliver it to the house without walking several blocks to get to her.”
Metz said that it was only the second year of the event in the community and the event planners were still working out some of the logistical kinks.
“We appreciate hearing of the concerns and problems so that those things can be taken into consideration next year and they can be fixed,” Metz said.
