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Residents press Nye County commissioners to address 'zombie' lots, homelessness and stalled park projects
Summary
During the public-comment period, multiple residents asked commissioners to fix zoning that restricts thousands of lots without utilities, called for better homelessness solutions, and criticized long-delayed park and fairground improvements in Pahrump.
At the start of the Dec. 2 meeting, dozens of residents used the three-minute public-comment period to press the Nye County Board on recurring local issues: zoning that leaves many lots unusable, homelessness and displacement, code enforcement for dumped vehicles and derelict RVs, and stalled park and fairground projects.
Speakers described so-called "zombie" or "VR" lots — parcels created decades ago but restricted by zoning and lacking utilities — and urged the county to study alternative systems, zoning changes, or other policy fixes that could make thousands of parcels usable. "Refusing to get this on the agenda and study options that could unblock more than 7,000 parcels is ridiculous," one commenter said.
Several residents urged the board to extend a moratorium related to metal-waste or similar projects (commenters used terms such as "meta waste" or "metaways") until the county can produce clearer rules; others asked for more robust code enforcement, particularly to remove dumped vehicles along Highway 160.
Public commenters also criticized lack of progress on fairground park development following years of grant funding. One speaker said $2.2 million in grants had been awarded since 2016 with little visible result. Others raised concerns about homelessness and urged collaboration across departments and with regional partners to find humane, sustainable responses.
Commissioners and staff repeatedly said the board cannot directly deliberate during public comment but that they have formed or supported task forces (including a water-board group) to study solutions. Commissioner Koenig and public-works staff described targeted enforcement and upcoming site visits; the board encouraged residents to submit formal agenda items and petitions — including a petition drive to place a question about reestablishing a Pahrump town board on the 2026 ballot.
No formal action was taken during public comment; commissioners identified several follow-ups and encouraged residents to file agenda requests for specific policy changes.
