Over protests, NLV strip mall approved

Sharon C. Chayra

Friday, Feb. 20, 1998 | 10:31 a.m.

Camino Al Norte, the northern continuation of Martin Luther King Boulevard from Craig Road, is a treacherous street.

At least that's what several North Las Vegas residents asserted during Wednesday night's City Council meeting citing instances of fender benders and one fatality along the stretch of roadway.

Therefore it makes no sense to encourage more traffic by building a shopping center at the corner of Camino Al Norte and Lone Mountain Road, according to residents.

Despite residents' protests, the Council voted 3-to-2 in favor of rezoning the northwest corner of the two streets from residential to commercial.

"The traffic is horrendous and that area should remain residential," implored resident Leonard Heaton.

Heaton lives on Goldeneye Way in one of approximately 20 homes that would abut the proposed shopping center. Tiberti-Blood Inc. is planning to develop the area into a strip mall.

Heaton is concerned that a shopping center would dramatically increase vehicle flow and traffic problems.

While councilmembers acknowledged that Camino Al Norte is poorly designed and destined for renovation, they said they could think of nothing more suitable than rezoning the irregular patch of land into commercial property.

Tiberti-Blood first requested a zone change in December and at the time was instructed to obtain resident input.

"We found that residents wanted a higher back wall and they wanted us to reduce the elevation of the (shopping) center in relation to the homes," Ron Tiberti of Tiberti-Blood said.

Additional suggestions included providing adequate light and keeping business hours between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

An initial motion to deny the rezoning request made by Councilwoman Stephanie Smith and seconded by Mayor Pro Tempore William Robinson failed.

The second vote narrowly passed and only after Tiberti-Blood agreed to abide by the Planning Department's conditions which included having a supermarket as an anchor tenant and making the second phase into professional office space.