Titus’ bill to manage growth supported

Thursday, Feb. 25, 1999 | 11:30 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Sen. Dina Titus' bill to help manage the growth in the exploding Las Vegas area gained the endorsement of local governments in Clark County on Wednesday.

Titus, D-Las Vegas, called Senate Bill 191 a "Smart Growth Bill," and said it "would not threaten the economy of Southern Nevada." She told the Senate Government Affairs Committee the bill leaves control in the hands of local governments and does not create a new bureaucracy.

The hearing was a prelude to a presentation today of the Southern Nevada Strategic Planning Authority on how to preserve the quality of life while allowing the economy to grow.

Under the Titus bill, developers of large projects would have to submit a study showing its impact on traffic, schools, water, sewage effluent and the distance from fire, police and emergency services.

The local government must then determine if there was adequate capacity to support the project.

In the past, Titus said the "tail has been wagging the dog," because the projects were approved and then the infrastructure needs were considered. "We're getting things in the right order," she told the committee.

Representatives of the Sierra Club, the Clark County School District, Clark County, North Las Vegas and Henderson endorsed the Titus bill but suggested some minor amendments, which she agreed to make.

Bristol Ellington, assistant director of Community Development for Henderson, said the city was already doing the things required in the bill but had stricter standards.

Steve Holloway, executive vice president of the Associated General Contractors in Las Vegas, said he was prepared to oppose the bill but will now support it with the amendments agreed to by Titus.

Holloway and others were concerned by a section in the bill allowing any person to ask the state Attorney General to file suit if he or she feels the local government has violated the requirements. There was testimony that a rival developer could bring suit, throwing planning efforts by local governments into jeopardy.

Titus agreed to tighten that section up to allow only certain parties to bring suit. She also agreed to enlarge the definition of "projects with significant impact" that would be required to submit the information.

The bill identified those projects as a planned unit development of 300 units or more; a hotel with 300 rooms or more or a commercial or industrial facility having more than 350 employees or generating more than 3,000 average daily vehicle trips.

Concern was expressed about the size of the commercial or industrial plant. Titus agreed to look at expanding the employment numbers to allow the businesses with 350 employees to escape submitting the impact statement.

Asked if she was going to present her bill to the Southern Nevada Strategic Planning Authority today, Titus said she has been discouraged from appearing before that group. She said the authority has narrowed its recommendations from four to two.

Titus believes the state must play a major role in controlling the growth in Southern Nevada. She disagrees with Sen. Jon Porter, R-Boulder City, who favors having "inter local agreements without the state," being involved. Porter has led the strategic planning effort.

He said in the last 16 months, governments in Southern Nevada have moved away from local bickering towards collaboration.

Titus said she has at least two other bills on growth to be introduced later. One is an "in-fill" bill for the creation of "high growth zones and give them priority for state and federal funding."

She said the bill would leave it to local government to decide which areas will be high growth. The funds might include highway money. And she said she is preparing an air pollution bill for Southern Nevada.

The committee will take vote later on SB191 after Titus makes the suggested changes.