Pig farmer going to court

Farmer Bob Combs will be appearing in District Court Thursday to contest a misdemeanor charge that he violated a county zoning ordinance 30 years ago.

The Combs family owns about 150 acres in a county island north of Ann Road surrounded by the city of North Las Vegas. On the land east of North Fifth Street, the family operates R.C. Farms, a hog farm with 6,000 head.

The county contends the land is zoned for residential estates, while Combs is raising hogs and pigs on it.

Attorney Dirk Ravenholt, who represents Combs, said the current zoning classification was adopted in the mid-1970s. He says Combs bought the land five years before the zoning change, thus coming under the protection of a "grandfather" clause permitting uses that were in existence at the time of the change.

County officials disagree, saying the grandfather clause does not apply to Combs' land. Officials say although he had purchased the property, Combs did not have livestock on the land when the ordinance was passed.

Combs said he has witnesses who will testify that the land had been used for livestock since before the zoning change.

The hearing is just the latest in a series of controversies involving R.C. Farms, nearby residents and local governments.

The city of North Las Vegas has attempted to annex Combs' land several times, along with an additional 370 acres surrounding the farm. Combs said he has been approached by numerous developers, asking him to sell the property.

Combs has said he remains open to the possibility of annexation, but only if the city can find a suitable location for him to continue his business.

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