Site search
sponsored by
Home
News
ENLARGE
Josh Johnson/LVN photo From left, Kemp Shiffer and David Houston, backers of a proposed brothel near Leeteville Junction, listen to county resident and business owner Leslie Beach, far right, who appealed a special use permit for the brothel on Thursday.
A special use permit for a proposed brothel near Leeteville Junction was denied Thursday by a split Churchill County Commission following a citizen appeal.
County Commissioners Gwen Washburn and Norm Frey voted to deny the permit, while Lynn Pearce cast an opposing vote.
Commission Chair Gwen Washburn said she felt business would be stymied in the area and property values affected if a brothel were built. She also cited noise concerns due to truck traffic and idling.
"To me, this may be the right business, but it's the wrong location," she said.
Commissioner Norm Frey, who has publicly stated his opposition to legal prostitution in the county, shared similar concerns.
Pearce said he would prefer another location for a brothel, but found no significant evidence to overturn issuance of a special use permit.
"Many of you have asked us to circumvent what the voters approved. I don't believe that's our job," he said before the vote. "It's always going to be next door to somebody."
The backers of Nevada's Petticoat Junction propose a brothel at the end of Beasley Drive, just west of Leeteville junction, about 10 miles west of Fallon. The applicants are David Houston, Kemp Shiffer and John Kirsch, all of Reno.
County Commissioners Gwen Washburn and Norm Frey voted to deny the permit, while Lynn Pearce cast an opposing vote.
Commission Chair Gwen Washburn said she felt business would be stymied in the area and property values affected if a brothel were built. She also cited noise concerns due to truck traffic and idling.
"To me, this may be the right business, but it's the wrong location," she said.
Commissioner Norm Frey, who has publicly stated his opposition to legal prostitution in the county, shared similar concerns.
Pearce said he would prefer another location for a brothel, but found no significant evidence to overturn issuance of a special use permit.
"Many of you have asked us to circumvent what the voters approved. I don't believe that's our job," he said before the vote. "It's always going to be next door to somebody."
The backers of Nevada's Petticoat Junction propose a brothel at the end of Beasley Drive, just west of Leeteville junction, about 10 miles west of Fallon. The applicants are David Houston, Kemp Shiffer and John Kirsch, all of Reno.
The brothel is planned to cover 20,000 square feet with 20 bedrooms, an outdoor pool and 25 to 30 prostitutes.
Houston and Shiffer, who were present Thursday, said their proposal met all county requirements. They also presented their own study of property values in Mound House, where four brothels currently operate, saying that assessed property values there increased 80 percent in the last 15 years.
"We are presenting a project approached from a sound business standpoint," Houston said.
Houston hinted at possible legal action following the vote.
An issue of contention was the site's proximity to a bus stop. The county's brothel ordinance prohibits placing a brothel within 2,000 feet of a bus stop on Marshall Drive. The parcel in question was within that distance, though the brothel's backers and county planning officials said the distance requirement could be met if the parcel was split or the brothel placed on the northern edge of the property.
The commission's vote overturns a decision by the planning commission in February, where a special use permit was approved by a vote of 6-1 with Myles Vangorder the only commissioner opposed.
County resident and business owner Leslie Beach filed an appeal to the decision in February, which also included signatures of four Marshall Drive residents.
In her appeal, she cited concerns with compatibility of surrounding properties, hindrance of future business development in the area and noise and fumes from trucks.
The brothel's proposed location would be an eyesore along corridors leading to Fallon, she said.
Houston and Shiffer, who were present Thursday, said their proposal met all county requirements. They also presented their own study of property values in Mound House, where four brothels currently operate, saying that assessed property values there increased 80 percent in the last 15 years.
"We are presenting a project approached from a sound business standpoint," Houston said.
Houston hinted at possible legal action following the vote.
An issue of contention was the site's proximity to a bus stop. The county's brothel ordinance prohibits placing a brothel within 2,000 feet of a bus stop on Marshall Drive. The parcel in question was within that distance, though the brothel's backers and county planning officials said the distance requirement could be met if the parcel was split or the brothel placed on the northern edge of the property.
The commission's vote overturns a decision by the planning commission in February, where a special use permit was approved by a vote of 6-1 with Myles Vangorder the only commissioner opposed.
County resident and business owner Leslie Beach filed an appeal to the decision in February, which also included signatures of four Marshall Drive residents.
In her appeal, she cited concerns with compatibility of surrounding properties, hindrance of future business development in the area and noise and fumes from trucks.
The brothel's proposed location would be an eyesore along corridors leading to Fallon, she said.
"If this business goes in, nothing else will follow," Beach said during the hearing. "It will be a blight on the Reno Highway."
Several residents spoke during a public hearing on the issue, most in opposition to the brothel.
County resident and developer Mick Casey said potential clients of his have been scared off by rumors of nearby brothels moving in.
"I don't think this is the right location," he said. "It should be in another location, out of the way."
Mark Hyde, another resident and developer, said growth near Leeteville would be stymied if a brothel was built.
"I look at this location as being a prime gateway to Fallon," Hyde said. "Let's save this for where we want our children employed."
Houston said the brothel's applicants may file for a judicial review of the decision.
"The sad news is we made all of the requirements, complied with the code, but there's the moral outrage and the commissioners are swayed by it," he said.
Several residents spoke during a public hearing on the issue, most in opposition to the brothel.
County resident and developer Mick Casey said potential clients of his have been scared off by rumors of nearby brothels moving in.
"I don't think this is the right location," he said. "It should be in another location, out of the way."
Mark Hyde, another resident and developer, said growth near Leeteville would be stymied if a brothel was built.
"I look at this location as being a prime gateway to Fallon," Hyde said. "Let's save this for where we want our children employed."
Houston said the brothel's applicants may file for a judicial review of the decision.
"The sad news is we made all of the requirements, complied with the code, but there's the moral outrage and the commissioners are swayed by it," he said.
Beach said the board's decision did not surprise her.
"Our county commissioners have proven in the past that they will listen to the people," she said.
When the brothel ordinance was upheld in 2004, voters may not have realized that brothels would later be allowed in several zoning classifications, not just east of town like Salt Wells and the Lazy B, Beach said.
"People in this county need to wake up," she said.
Churchill County allows two active brothel licenses. The county passed a brothel ordinance last year after multiple drafts and revisions, imposing standards which county and brothel industry officials have described as strict.
No brothel has operated in the county since April 2004, when Salt Wells Villa east of Fallon was shuttered due to the owner's bankruptcy and a lack of potable water.
Prostitution has been legal in Churchill County since 1974. A ballot question to repeal the brothel ordinance failed in 2004 by a 2-to-1 margin.
The board received several letters in opposition to the brothel from residents and businesses such as Matthews Homes and LL Realty. Some letters objected to the brothel on moral grounds, while others cited compatibility with nearby properties.
Josh Johnson can be contacted at jjohnson@lahontanvalleynews.com
"Our county commissioners have proven in the past that they will listen to the people," she said.
When the brothel ordinance was upheld in 2004, voters may not have realized that brothels would later be allowed in several zoning classifications, not just east of town like Salt Wells and the Lazy B, Beach said.
"People in this county need to wake up," she said.
Churchill County allows two active brothel licenses. The county passed a brothel ordinance last year after multiple drafts and revisions, imposing standards which county and brothel industry officials have described as strict.
No brothel has operated in the county since April 2004, when Salt Wells Villa east of Fallon was shuttered due to the owner's bankruptcy and a lack of potable water.
Prostitution has been legal in Churchill County since 1974. A ballot question to repeal the brothel ordinance failed in 2004 by a 2-to-1 margin.
The board received several letters in opposition to the brothel from residents and businesses such as Matthews Homes and LL Realty. Some letters objected to the brothel on moral grounds, while others cited compatibility with nearby properties.
Josh Johnson can be contacted at jjohnson@lahontanvalleynews.com
