Planning panel approves zoning for Town Center

Jace Radke

Friday, Aug. 14, 1998 | 11:04 a.m.

The proposed zoning plan for Town Center, a project designed to concentrate commercial development in one area of northwest Las Vegas, was approved by a unanimous vote of the city Planning Commission last night.

Approximately 250 people turned out for the 7 p.m. meeting at City Hall that lasted well past 11 p.m. The 6-0 approval -- Commissioner Marilyn Moran was absent -- now moves the proposal to the City Council, which will make a ruling on the project during its Sept. 12 meeting.

The commissioners approved a plan that brings the Town Center to approximately 2,800 acres in size, roughly 700 acres bigger than the original plan.

What has been a heated issue in the past remained mostly calm during 40 minutes of public debate in the City Council chambers. A majority of residents that spoke at the meeting expressed approval of the Town Center proposal, as long as it is successful in containing commercial growth.

"We're basically in favor of the Town Center concept if it keeps the commercial development off our main streets," said Alcorn Springs homeowner George Leaf. "It looks like a good solid, long-term plan."

The development along U.S. 95 between Grand Teton Drive and Tenaya Way was first proposed in 1996. The goal is to contain commercial development and high-density housing along a corridor that would include parts of the future beltway and Centennial Parkway.

"Town Center makes sense," said Steve Klotz, who lives off Lone Mountain Road. "It is clearly the best plan to preserve our current low-density neighborhoods and keep gridlock from the incoming commercial developments at a minimum."

While most residents who spoke at the meeting were for moving ahead with the Town Center, at least one group was not pleased with the outcome.

"By going with the plan they chose, the Timber Lake Development will be surrounded by two freeways and a high-traffic street," Ginny Niemiec said. "We have kids and a bus stop on that street."

The Timber Lake housing development is located on Deer Springs Way and Durango Drive. If the proposed Town Center plan is completed, Timber Lakes residents will be locked in a high-traffic area, with U.S. 95 on one side, the beltway on another and Durango providing a surface-street route into Town Center on a third side.

The traffic on Durango could have been alleviated had the commissioners chose to build a longer S-curved street as a surface entrance into Town Center. Instead, Commissioner Mark Soloman made a motion to accept Las Vegas City Councilman Larry Brown's plan of a super-T intersection on Durango, which will cause heavier traffic by the Timber Lake Development.

Many of the Timber Lakes residents bought their homes, some with horse ranches, in an effort to stay away from traffic and congestion.

"By going with the super-T over the S-curve they have made Durango a major thoroughfare," said Randy Berry, a Timber Lakes resident. "They need to close Durango down at some point or we will have to deal with large amounts of traffic."

The super-T configuration does come with a cheaper price tag because it will not require the amount of road that the winding S-curve would.

Another concern of residents was the buffering of residential areas from commercial zones with one-story office buildings.

"People need to be reminded that we have to buffer commercial areas and freeways with something and it's not going to be other houses," Commissioner Leni Skaar said. "If you don't want to live by those things don't think that other people are going to pay to build houses even closer to the freeways.

"A single story office building will most likely not be open on weekends or nights and is not that bad of an alternative."