Regular Meeting

CITY OF ELKO PLANNING COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES 5:30 PM, TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2026 ELKO CITY HALL, COUNCIL CHAMBERS 1751 COLLEGE AVENUE, ELKO, NV 89801 I. CALL TO ORDER Jeff Dalling, Chairman of the City of Elko Planning Commission, called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Present: Jeff Dalling Stefan Beck Garret Kamps Mercedes Mendive Carlos Nunes Absent: John Lemich Michael Irish City Staff Present: Dale Johnson, Assistant City Manager Cathy Laughlin, City Planner Rachel Randall, Planning Technician III. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE IV. COMMENTS BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC There were no public comments. V. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. March 3, 2026 - Regular Meeting. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION ** A motion was made by Vice Chairman Beck, seconded by Commissioner Mendive to approve the meeting minutes from the March 3, 2026, regular meeting. The motion passed unanimously. (5-0) April 7, 2026 City of Elko Planning Commission Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 4  VI. NEW BUSINESS A. PUBLIC HEARING 1. Review, consideration, and possible action on Zoning Ordinance Amendment 1-24, Ordinance No. 909, an amendment to the City Zoning Ordinance, by repealing and replacing Title 3, Chapter 2, Section 18 (Conditional Use Permits) with Title 3, Chapter 2, Sections 18 and 18A, and matters related thereto. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION At the March 5, 2024 meeting, the Planning Commission took action to initiate an amendment to the City Zoning Ordinance Title 3, Chapter 2, Section 18. CL No planning commissioners needed to sit this item out. Displaying the ordinance found in the agenda packet, Cathy Laughlin, City Planner, explained that during revisions between Staff and Legal Counsel, it became obvious that a 'repeal and replace' was the appropriate avenue for this amendment. Ordinances always have a title followed by WHEREAS statements and then the proposed changes. Bolded and lined-through text represents deletions while bolded and underlined text represents additions. In the case of a 'repeal and replace', the current section of code is bolded and lined through in its entirety. It is followed by the new sections, which are bolded and underlined in their entirety. The need for a revision to this section of code came about due to a tremendous increase in home occupation permits after COVID. With this ordinance, the current section will be split into two - one for conditional use permits other than for home occupations, which the Planning Commission reviews and needs to be aware of, and another section dedicated to home occupations. For the first section, definitions such as "actively engaged" and "discontinue" have been added and will be used to determine conformance to the permit and duration of the permitted use. The process of transferring a permit has been streamlined by shifting responsibility from the Planning Commission, which added some wait time to the process, over to the Planning Department. There will be an application fee, but that has not been established yet. Better language has been added for appeals and revocations. An opportunity for an extension has been added. This will particularly benefit multi-family developments, as permits for this type of development cannot be revoked for two years (as opposed to the current one-year limit), and may be granted a single one-year extension. This was in response to previous permits being revoked due to inactivity during COVID. Changes to the home occupations code include an increase to the number of permits that may be issued to a single property from one to three, as long as they collectively meet home occupation criteria, which limit disturbances such as an increase in traffic or vehicle/trailer storage in the street, both common complaints the City receives from neighbors. For example, one household may have a wife that offers cleaning services and a husband that is a handyman, both performing work away from the home, but still needing an office space and an address to associate with their separate businesses. Language has been added that these types of permits are not transferable. A time frame for approved has been added, as well as more options for submittal and issuance to include electronically. Childcare family homes will be allowed to use outdoor space. Current code does not April 7, 2026 City of Elko Planning Commission Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 4  allow this, and applicants were being denied a State business license because it is a requirement at the State level that outdoor playtime be provided. Further changes include the addition of a subsection for definitions. More ways to advertise the business, including a website, have been added. The number of trailers allowed to be associated with the business has been added. The list of business uses that are not allowed, such as assembly use businesses, like a place of worship, and any business regulated by the Board of Cosmetology, like a hair salon, has been cleaned up. Both of these uses are likely to generate higher traffic and exceed the five customer per day limit. Once a permit has been issued, it is a requirement for the permittee to obtain a City business license. An expiration date of 120 days has been added to this requirement. Subsections for revocation and appeals have been added, as well as notification of such. The proposed changes take into consideration not only other communities’ administration of home occupations but also the circumstances of local permittees over the last couple of years. Chairman Dalling asked why the site plan for properties with existing development had to be prepared by a surveyor. Ms. Laughlin explained that a surveyor is the only one who can tell us the location of existing conditions, which is necessary to know because land entitlements cannot be approved if setback requirements are not being met. Vice-Chairman Stefan Beck was offput by the amount of regulation proposed for the home occupations, stating it was Draconian. He questioned who would monitor compliance and pondered the restrictions imposed on commercial delivery of inventory. Ms. Laughlin stated the City has received complaints about properties with home occupations. She explained that this specific restriction was added because a permittee was having product delivered by semi. It was being parked in the middle of the street, and it did not have a turn-around. The City does not want any business to cause disruptions to a neighborhood and has a right to investigate any complaint. The applicant has to agree to the conditions to obtain a permit. Many permits that have been issued are for mobile businesses and the associated addresses are used for administrative purposes such as billing and receiving mail. Commissioner Mercedes Mendive was surprised by the amount of home occupations there are. Ms. Laughlin replied that 47 permits were issued last year. The City encourages home occupations and these changes to code will allow even more opportunities. There were no other commissioner questions or discussions. There were no public comments. ** A motion was made by Secretary Kamps, seconded by Commissioner Nunes to forward a recommendation to City Council to adopt an ordinance which approves Zoning Ordinance Amendment 1-24 of the Elko City Code specifically repealing Section 3-2-18 (Conditional Use Permits) and replacing it with Sections 3-2-18 and 3-2-18A. The motion passed unanimously. (5-0) April 7, 2026 City of Elko Planning Commission Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 4  VII. REPORTS A. Summary of City Council Actions Ms. Laughlin reported that at the March 10th City Council meeting, a Boundary Line Adjustment was approved between the City of Elko and the Elko County School District. This was the last bit of mapping needed to update the fairgrounds property boundary. One of the previous steps was the dedication of right-of-way for 13th Street. Also approved was a lease with Plaza Forty; and numerous items related to Bergeron Village Patio Homes - a performance agreement and the Final Map for Area 1, and a development agreement for the entire subdivision. A grading permit is being issued by the Building Department for Area 1 this week. At the March 24th City Council meeting, Council approved a possible land exchange for privately owned property adjacent to the airport for City of Elko-owned property elsewhere. The Planning Department is currently in the process of getting quotes for the appraisals. B. Summary of Redevelopment Agency Actions Ms. Laughlin reported that a Redevelopment Agency meeting has been scheduled for April 28th, just before the City Council meeting. The Agency will consider two applications that were submitted for the Storefront Grant Program. They will also consider proposed amendments to the Redevelopment Plan. Chairman Dalling asked when the Redevelopment Agency will run out. Ms. Laughlin explained that the Agency was started in 2008 with a 30-year term, which means it will expire in 2038, unless an extension is approved by the State of Nevada. There is a possibility of two, ten-year extensions. VIII. COMMENTS BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC There were no public comments. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned. Jeff Dalling, Chairman Garret Kamps, Secretary April 7, 2026 City of Elko Planning Commission Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 4