Plans for motel between Pahrump, LV axed

Thursday, Aug. 18, 2005 | 10 a.m.

The Clark County Commission on Wednesday killed an unpopular plan for a 21-unit motel in the rural enclave of Mountain Springs, about halfway between Las Vegas and Pahrump.

The plan required the land adjacent to the Mountain Springs Lodge and Saloon located just off State Route 160 be changed from its existing rural to general commercial designation.

The proposed change proved unpopular with residents, more than a dozen of whom turned out to the commission meeting Wednesday. Earlier neighborhood meetings had brought "almost 100 percent opposition" to the plan, Commissioner Lynette Boggs McDonald said.

Augie Bustos, a real estate agent who owns the saloon wanted to build the motel next to it, did not appear before the board but asked through a letter filed with commissioners on Wednesday to withdraw the application.

The commission, which met that morning as the county zoning board, voted to withdraw the application with prejudice.

Bustos, in his letter, asked the commission to withdraw it without prejudice, meaning it could conceivably come before the board again. The commission voted to kill the plan, saying he failed to consult with neighbors.

Boggs McDonald, who represents the Mountain Springs area, said the application was a poorly executed plan that failed to account for residents' concerns. She cautioned Bustos to give "very serious consideration" to such complaints before applying in the future.