Editorial: Ray of light at the end of the tunnel

Friday, Jan. 22, 1999 | 11:06 a.m.

Most people in the nation marvel at Southern Nevada's prosperity and wish they could duplicate it in their hometowns. But the "grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" refrain certainly is true here. Valley residents worry that the deterioration of their quality of life has happened concurrently with our population explosion that has made this region the nation's fastest growing in the 1990s.

The sizzling growth, coupled with poor government planning, has resulted in bad zoning, clogged roadways, inadequate parks and a lack of schools. It got so bad in 1997 that some state legislators in Carson City threatened to impose growth controls here.

As a compromise, the Legislature established the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Authority, which has now evolved into the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition, to offer nonbinding advice to local governments on growth and planning issues.

Cynical observers might think this is just one more advisory group and that local officials aren't serious about getting their act together. But two events this week suggest a brighter future.

First, Clark County and the city of Henderson reached an agreement on how to proceed with the city's annexation of the Enterprise Township area, a pact that also will result in joint land-use and transportation planning. Hopefully this will prevent incompatible land uses, such as the city building a large commercial area near the city-county border when the land bordering it in the county is residential, an aggravation for homeowners. It sounds like common sense, but the reality is this kind of communication hasn't been commonplace in Southern Nevada.

Second, the city of Las Vegas is moving forward with its strategic plan, a blueprint to handle growth. By linking the strategic plan to the budget, a realistic assessment of managing growth emerges. A resident who lives in the Northwest, which has suffered through some of the worst side effects of growth, is encouraged. "The people are going to continue to come, so it's important we have a plan to address the needs of a bigger community," Annette Hookey said.

These aren't necessarily dramatic steps, but they are the ones that have to be taken now if local governments are to regain the trust of the public and show they care about "smart growth" strategies to improve the valley's quality of life.