Business-oriented hotel-casino planned in Henderson

Valerie Miller

Friday, Oct. 16, 1998 | 11:56 a.m.

The Henderson Planning Commission Thursday gave its OK to a scaled-down version of a business-oriented hotel-casino project near the Sunset Road commercial corridor.

The 72-acre Vineyards development in the Gibson Springs area would combine two commercial office buildings with two hotels and casinos and cater to business travelers.

The Planning Commission complemented the developer, the Dunn Companies, on its efforts to work with nearby residents and on the overall design of the project, which will be similar in appearance to Fashion Island in New York.

But during a 2 1/2-hour debate, commissioners contended the 60,000 square feet of casino space was excessive.

The commission maintained that the size of the two planned casino areas, 10,000 square feet and 50,000 square feet, respectively, would be too intense a use for the area, which borders the single-family subdivision of Emerald Valley. The commission also found the 60,000 square feet of total casino space to excessive for the number of guests expected to stay in the 700 rooms of the two planned hotels.

"What you are doing with this project is first-class," Commission Chairman Danny Sanders told developers during the meeting, referring to the project design, which also will include retail shops, restaurants and an amphitheater. "I wish that I wasn't distracted by the size of the casinos -- with 60,000 square-feet you could fit a football field in there."

Approving a project with such a large casino might also be inconsistent with rulings on other recent hotel-casino projects proposed for the same area and denied by the Planning Commission, said Commissioner George Bochanis.

"One thing we try to do on this commission is to be fair and consistent," he said. "In the last five months we denied Sunset Station's (stand-alone) 7,400 square-foot casino and Sunset Beach's 16,000 square-foot casino, not far from this one, and we are talking about 60,000 square feet of casino space here."

Dunn Companies representatives tried to counter by saying that the unusual design and clientele -- business travelers -- set it apart from other resorts, but eventually compromised with the commission by cutting the casino space to 30,000 square feet. It also reduced its hotel tower size down from 100 feet to 80 feet.

The modified Vineyards project, which will be at 363 North Gibson Road, south of Warm Springs Road, will be developed in phases and now is planned for casino areas of 10,000 square feet and 20,000 square feet respectively, an 80-foot hotel tower, a 65-foot office tower and two four-level parking garages.

While some Emerald Valley residents turned out to protest the project, citing mostly noise, traffic and aesthetic concerns, most seemed pleased with the alternate plan, which also eliminated exits and entrances to the resort on the residential Kelso Dunes Street.

The Vineyards project will be considered by the City Council Nov. 3.