ELKO — The Elko County Planning Commission got down to the details this week in the first of what will likely be a series of meetings to discuss future uses of the industrial park at the Northeastern Nevada Regional Railport.
Elko County's Planning, Zoning and Building Director Randy Brown presented the commission with three tentative zones in the industrial park. Zone 1, located close to Interstate 80, was designated for transportation-based uses. Zones 2 and 3 were designated for manufacturing, storage and distribution uses.
Brown said he doesn't want to restrict the railport site so it is not lucrative to build there, but master planning and safeguards will need to be in place.
As part of the planning process, the commission will look at issues like hours of operation. Brown said he hopes to avoid manufacturing businesses that run all night. Some other issues the planning commission will consider as part of this process include access to the transload facility and the current water rights available at the site.
"We're talking about uses in our backyard that are coming in," Brown said.
A sampling of the access issues to be addressed include designating areas in the industrial park that are suitable to the available access and ensuring that Osino's highway interchange and roads are adequate for the heavy transport that is expected once the project is running. Brown said there is a possibility the Osino interchange will need to be upgraded to accommodate larger trucks.
The future uses at the railport will be closely tied to the available water rights. The site includes about 220 acre feet of ground water and 660 acre feet of surface water rights. That level of water precludes certain companies — like plastics — from setting up manufacturing operations at the site. Elko County currently is working to secure additional water rights, Brown said.
Organizers of the railport project also tentatively plan to include a fire station at the site, which would require a consistent water supply.
Brown asked commissioners to prepare lists for the next meeting of items they do and do not want to see. He said public comments will also be important.
The next meeting will be at 5:15 p.m. on Oct. 19 in room 105 of the Elko County Courthouse, 571 Idaho St.