Planning commission backs rezoning of 82 Brink Avenue to light industrial to allow 32 apartments

The Clark County Planning Commission voted at its meeting to forward a recommendation to the governing body to rezone 0.83 acres of a 2.29-acre parcel at 82 Brink Avenue from R-1D single-family to I-1 light industrial.

The change would make the small portion of the property’s zoning match the majority of the parcel and allow the applicant’s preliminary development plan calling for four eight-unit buildings, a total of 32 residential units. Planning staff and the applicant said multifamily housing is a permitted use in the proposed light industrial district where commercial uses allowed in the county’s B-4 zone are also permitted in I-1.

Staff member Rob Jeffreys told the commission the parcel is shown as light industrial on the county’s future land-use map and that the comprehensive plan and the future land-use designation support the rezoning. “One of the legislative ways that you can decide that a rezoning is appropriate is that the proposed plan is in agreement with the comprehensive plan,” Jeffreys said.

An applicant representative described the developers as local builders and said they intend to build and operate the smaller apartment buildings themselves. A neighbor, Joseph Smith of 335 Hamilton Street, said he is concerned about increased runoff and existing drainage problems near the property, telling the commission, “water is just gonna come right on my property.” Another resident, Katie Dittrich, said Brink Avenue and nearby streets are already narrow and congested and raised concerns about additional traffic near an elementary school.

Planning staff and the applicant cited a proposed detention basin and said state and local stormwater rules and a required stormwater study — to be reviewed and approved by the city engineer before final development approval — are intended to prevent increased runoff onto neighboring properties. The applicant also said technical reviewers including fire and EMS had reviewed the proposal and did not raise access objections.

A motion to forward a recommendation of approval to the governing body passed on a voice vote.

The recommendation will go to the governing body for final action; the commission’s action was a advisory recommendation and did not itself approve the development plan or permits. If the governing body approves the rezoning, the developer must still secure final development- and engineering-level approvals, including the required stormwater study and related permits, before construction can begin.