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Commissioners approve Spring Creek master-plan amendment, urge planning commission to require road-maintenance arrangements
Summary
The Elko County Commission approved a master-plan amendment to rezone parcels in the Spring Creek–Lamoille area to agricultural-residential while asking the planning commission to expect future rezones to include homeowners-association or similar provisions to cover Spring Creek road maintenance.
The Elko County Commission on Oct. 15 approved a master-plan amendment application by Merdick LLC that will change several Spring Creek–Lamoille parcels to agricultural-residential zoning, a step county staff said will reduce potential residential density.
Corey Rice, the county planner, told commissioners the change reduces potential density in the area and that staff and the Elko County Planning Commission recommended approval. “They’re asking for AR zoning because the configuration of their 10‑acre parcels may not meet the minimum lot width requirements,” Rice said, noting the change follows prior rezonings that reduced 40‑acre parcels to 10‑acre parcels.
During discussion commissioners raised concerns about future access and how residents outside Spring Creek should contribute to road maintenance. Bob Thibault, the project surveyor for the applicant, told the board he worries the county is asking some homeowners to “pay to use public streets on top of the fuel tax that they already pay to support and fund our public streets,” and questioned attaching maintenance conditions to zone changes.
In response commissioners and staff said Spring Creek roads were accepted for public use but were not historically county‑maintained; they framed the board motion as an expectation to communicate to the planning commission that, when rezones return for approval, applicants should address proportional maintenance (for example, through an HOA or recorded agreement) rather than an immediately binding county condition. A commissioner moved to approve the master‑plan amendment and to instruct staff to convey the board’s expectation to the planning commission; the motion carried unanimously.
The board’s action approves the master‑plan amendment; any subsequent change of zoning will be considered by the planning commission, where staff said conditions regarding road maintenance are appropriate and expected to be included in the planning‑commission recommendation.
