Zoning change for auto center raises concerns

Jace Radke

Thursday, Dec. 10, 1998 | 11:14 a.m.

The North Las Vegas Planning Commission gave developers of a proposed auto service mall break on a zoning variance, but it may have set a precedent planners will later regret.

The auto service mall, which is made up of repair shops and other auto-related businesses, is proposed for the corner of Commerce Street and Carey Avenue.

The applicants, G&B Investment Co., asked the commission Wednesday night to allow a 35-foot area along the back of the buildings as a buffer to a residential area as opposed to the city's requirement of 75 feet.

"By cutting the area to a width of 35 feet, we can ensure that there will not be any extra noise back there," George Brizendine, of Brizendine Engineering said. "By going with this design, the buildings along the back of the property act as a sound buffer for the other buildings."

The council accepted Brizendine's proposal by a 6-1 vote despite warnings from city staff that the variance could be viewed as a precedent that other developers could use to attempt to get their set-backs from residential areas reduced.

"This is the way that the project was sold to the community," commissioner Robert Eliason said. The designers "came up with a better sound barrier then we did that was better for residents."

Eliason said he didn't think the commission would be hemmed in later by this decision now.

"We take these on a case-by-case basis, and there are a lot of unique irregularities in this application," Eliason said. "There are a lot of things to base this decision on."

One of those irregularities is that the soil at the Carey and Commerce site is known to have large deposits of clay, and it sits on an escarpment, which makes building there a more complex, Brizendine said.

As part of the agreement to cut 40 feet from the setback, G&B agreed to build an eight-foot block wall with trees and landscaping behind the property, and not allow any back access to the buildings that are against the set-back.

"We've been working on this project for a long time, and we are working with the residents, because we want to be good neighbors," Brizendine said.

There was one resident who protested the service mall saying that she would like to see a different type of development there.

Tom Langford was the only commissioner to vote against the measure, noting that if the ownership at the mall changed, the new owners may decide to use the 35-foot setback for a back entrance,causing more noise for residents.