PAHRUMP (KTNV) — It's the land of the undead — or perhaps land that is undead — as dozens of Pahrump locals are stuck paying taxes on property they can't legally use.
They're dubbing it the "Zombie Lot" crisis.
"This was supposed to be our home, and instead it's turned into our nightmare," said Jack Schluneger, who owns property in Pahrump,
WATCH | :"Zombie Lots" are leaving Pahrump residents in crisis
Schluneger's place is a 5-acre empty plot off Z Street which he purchased from a real estate agent in 2019. He said, the hurdles are non-stop.
"We got over $200,000 invested in this property already," Schluneger told Channel 13 that cost includes drilling a well over 200 feet deep to access the aquifer.
"This is going to be a zombie lot," Schluneger said.
Schluneger said he cannot afford to move forward on the development, and is currently facing red tape and citations from Nye County — including for shipping containers he's using to store his belongings.
"To tell you the truth, it's hurt us a lot financially," Schluneger said.
He's not alone. According to sources Channel 13 spoke with, thousands of these "Zombie Lots" are scattered across the unincorporated community.
Over the weekend, dozens of people who are dealing with the problem took to the streets outside the Golden Nugget in Pahrump to raise awareness.
Here's the crux of the problem: Those who own the plots are unable to build on their land because they aren't connected to water or sewage lines. And according to state law, some of those lots are too small for wells.
That's an expensive infrastructure problem.
And according to Nye County Commissioner Ron Boskovich, it's a problem that's decades old. He said the issue comes down to cost, not zoning.
"Where do you get money to fix a multi-million dollar problem that you didn't create, and the taxpayers didn't create, but another company 50 something years ago did and now, it's providing a problem that no one ever wanted," Boskovich said.
He said the company, Preferred Equities Corporation, has long-since been dissolved.
"I want them here. I want them to develop, but I also can't have other taxpayers pay for that," Boskovich said.
Until a solution is found, the lots remain in limbo, leaving buyers stuck paying taxes on land they once hoped to call home.
Channel 13 will continue to follow this story as it develops.
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