Henderson council amends growth plan on northeast side

Valerie Miller

Wednesday, Aug. 4, 1999 | 11:36 a.m.

A year after the study began, the Henderson City Council approved plans for future growth on the northeast side, but with some changes.

Among the changes was moving the proposed realignment of Sunset Road further to the south, further away from existing homes.

The Lake Mead corridor study was done over a 9-month period by the Henderson Citizens Advisory Committee -- a volunteer panel -- at the request of the City Council. The study was completed in May and sent on to the Planning Commission before it was forwarded to the City Council.

The Lake Mead corridor plan includes about 1,470 acres located along East Lake Mead Drive between Ivy Street and the eastern Henderson city limits in the Calico Ridge, Foothills and Valley View areas.

The study also makes recommendations for future commercial development in Calico Ridge, which is a community of custom homes between Olsen Street and Lake Mead Drive.

Residents of Calico Ridge had been vocal over the last year at public meetings, saying industrial and commercial development close to their homes would increase traffic congestion and noise while decreasing property values and destroying their way of life.

Calico Ridge residents voiced those concerns again on Tuesday while asking the City Council for larger buffer zones and limitations on building heights on commercial development.

"When I bought this home I checked the zoning and it was residential," Calico Ridge resident J.T. O'Neil said. "So I thought that in the worse case scenario I would have a neighbor and a friend, not a business."

O'Neil went on to tell the City Council that one major concern was the types of businesses that would be allowed under the commercial office designation.

"I'm very confused about the land uses," he said. "There could be take-out businesses like pizza delivery, food and beverage sales, or even gaming. This is not appropriate for a rural residential area."

Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson sympathized with the worries of residents.

"We are performing a balancing act here," he said. "Our principal goal is to protect the residents, because we don't want to create a situation where it is unlivable out there."

While Gibson suggested a compromise in the height of commercial buildings of 35 feet as opposed to the 50 feet allowed normally allowed, the majority of the Council was against limiting height. The residents, however, will get the 75 feet of buffering that they asked for.

"There will be people who aren't happy with this, but this is the best recommendation we could come up with now," Councilman Andy Hafen said. "I think that in time we will have an even more desirable neighborhood out there than we do now."

The Lake Mead Corridor Plan also allows for the rezoning of a 600-foot frontage of land along the south side of Lake Mead Drive to allow for up to 400 feet of commercial development.