Planning Commission approves zoning change for proposed hot‑springs commercial resort with traffic-study conditions

The Elko County Planning Commission voted to approve application COZ25-012, a zoning change requested by Ronald Allen Goldie to allow a commercial hot‑springs recreational facility, subject to staff-recommended engineering, environmental, and traffic-study conditions.

Corey, planning staff, told commissioners the request would change the parcel from Agricultural Residential to Highway Services/Tourist Commercial (C-2) and recommended conditions including compliance with Nevada Revised Statutes and Elko County development criteria, engineered improvement plans for ingress and egress to Bullion Road, handicap-accessible parking, and a traffic study to assess impacts to Bullion Road and adjacent city streets. "Prior to development, a traffic study must be conducted to assess the impacts to Bullion Road, the surrounding area, and local streets located within the city of Elko," Corey said in the staff report.

Attorney Zach Gerber, representing R and R Hot Springs Resort LLC, and surveyor Bob Thibault emphasized the proposal's historical context and argued the project would generate substantially fewer daily vehicle trips than a medium-density residential development. Gerber said the first phase will consist of pools and amenities without a hotel and estimated that a successful resort might generate on the order of "a couple hundred average daily trips" compared with the 500–1,000 trips projected for 50–100 residential units on the same acreage. "We request for you all to move to approve the requested zone change as presented and subject to county staff recommendations," Gerber said.

Commissioners pressed the applicant on traffic and safety at the nearby corner on Bullion Road; one commissioner with law-enforcement experience described the corner as a site of frequent accidents and urged the developer to consider a left-turn lane if warranted by the traffic study. Staff and presenters clarified that the city's district heating system is supplied from a separate well and that the property owner holds distinct hot-water rights for the on-site well. The commission approved the zone change with the stated conditions by voice vote.

The approval requires the applicant to complete engineering plans, environmental and water‑resource reviews, and a traffic study that will inform any required road improvements. No construction timeline was mandated, though the applicant said they expect to begin planning immediately and hoped to begin construction within the next couple of years if studies and approvals proceed on schedule.