Churchill County staff propose three-tier industrial zoning, new design-review process

At a joint Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners meeting, Churchill County planning staff presented a proposal to split the county's single industrial zoning district into three tiers and to create a clearer design-review process for industrial development.

Planning Department staff member Randy said the county currently has "a single industrial zone that encapsulates vastly differing locations of use" and that the proposal aims to provide "clarity in our industrial uses, and ensuring compliance with public welfare." Randy said the county now requires individual special-use-permit review for most industrial activities because the single industrial category covers downtown businesses, airport-adjacent parcels and large, remote test and manufacturing sites.

The proposal would establish three industrial zones: light industrial (I-1), medium industrial (I-2) and heavy industrial (I-3). According to staff, I-1 would allow indoor warehousing and light manufacturing near town with heavier uses allowed only by special-use permit; I-2 would allow most industrial uses but exclude the heaviest, hazardous operations; and I-3 would be for remote sites and would permit most industrial activities, with explosives and certain chemical manufacturing still subject to special-use review.

Randy said the planning department also wants to expand the land-use table from its current, broad categories to a longer list (staff cited an initial example list of about 25 specific uses) and to add clear definitions tied to the table. "Once this table is updated, we'd like to add clear definitions for all the uses listed in the zoning table," Randy said. Staff proposes a pre-application meeting and a fixed checklist of required documents so applicants know whether a use is allowed and which studies or reports (drainage, environmental, glare, etc.) will be required during design review.

Staff told commissioners the county currently has 67 industrial parcels totaling 8,995 acres. The presentation identified existing industrial users and sites including Redwood Materials, Safety-Kleen, New Millennium, Kennametal, the Fallon municipal airport, Fallon landfill and a battery-testing site on the 40 Mile Desert. Staff showed draft maps placing lighter industrial designations closer to Fallon and heavier industrial designations farther from town and near Hazen, with an option to create a "friction zone" (a half-mile buffer) along major highways where some heavier uses would be prohibited.

Commissioners and planning commissioners discussed how the change would affect applicants and the public. Several commissioners said the proposal would give developers more certainty about which parcels can host specific uses, reduce the perception that approvals are decided on a project-by-project basis, and focus public comment on mitigation and design rather than on whether a use belongs in the county at all. Commissioner Matt said zoning clarity lets investors know what is welcome in Churchill County; Commissioner Mark urged careful placement of I-3 uses to account for prevailing winds and proximity to U.S. Highway 50.

Commissioner Jim and others emphasized that the proposal is preliminary and will require multiple public hearings. Staff said public notice would continue for administrative zoning reviews and design reviews (letters to adjacent owners and public posting); the department currently notifies either owners within 300 feet or 30 adjacent parcel owners and intends to retain robust public notification. Randy said some existing catch-all code language that effectively forces special-use permits for any potentially hazardous or water-intensive industrial activity could be moved into the design-review checklist so that relevant technical information is collected up front whether a use proceeds by administrative review or by special-use permit.

No final zoning ordinance or map was adopted at the meeting. The chair and commissioners expressed general support for pursuing the concept and directed staff to prepare draft code and parcel maps for formal public review. The planning staff recommended additional technical review and stakeholder outreach as the drafting proceeds; they suggested bringing expert analysis (for example, on lithium handling) to future hearings.

Votes at a glance: The meeting approved the agenda by motion and unanimous voice vote; commissioners reached a consensus to direct staff to pursue the three-tier industrial zoning concept and to prepare drafts for public hearings but did not take a recorded roll-call vote on that policy direction.

The Planning Department plans to return to the Planning Commission and the Board with a formal draft land-use table, parcel maps and defined use descriptions for a public-comment period that staff estimated could be a multi-month to multi-stage process.