Three bills could alter LV planning

Scott Reeder

Wednesday, March 31, 1999 | 10:20 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- It was Assemblyman Kelly Thomas' day to shine.

On Tuesday, the former North Las Vegas city planner presented three bills that could significantly change urban planning in the Las Vegas Valley.

Thomas, a Clark County Democrat, wants to require developers to create six acres of park space for every 1,000 residents in new subdivisions. Right now, there is about one acre of public park space for every 1,000 residents in Southern Nevada, he said.

National standards vary but most planners say there should be between five and seven acres of open space for every 1,000 residents, Thomas said.

"There is an enormous need for more park space in Clark County," Thomas said. "I was only a city planner for two years before running for the Legislature. I believe being here in the Legislature gives me more opportunity to make positive changes regarding urban planning."

Thomas resigned from the North Las Vegas position and says he will start his own urban planning consulting firm after the Legislature adjourns.

While few attending Tuesday's legislative hearing disagreed about the need for more parks, several took exception to the provision in Assembly Bill 565 that calls for developers to provide the park land.

"It's time that the citizens of Southern Nevada start paying the way too," said Irene Porter, executive director of the Southern Nevada Homebuilders Association. Porter said it is more equitable for parks to be paid for through bond issues rather than by charging developers.

In fact, several of Thomas' bills raised the dander of the powerful development lobby.

"I think he is very enthusiastic and very well intentioned," Porter said. "But I think some of his bills reflect a lack of experience. Some of these issues he is addressing make more sense being addressed on a local level."

The 29-year-old Thomas has earned a reputation for tenacity when it comes to advocating planning legislation.

But some legislative observers have noted that he needs to be more careful when he speaks. For example, during Tuesday's meeting of the Assembly Government Affairs Committee, Thomas told the chairman, Assemblyman Doug Bache, D-Las Vegas, that Bache's home with its carport was a perfect example of "urban sprawl."

The comment created a few chuckles in the audience and left others squirming uncomfortably in their chairs.

"I don't think Kelly meant it as a flip remark. I think he was just trying to show how my home wasn't in what you would consider a traditional-type neighborhood," Bache said later. "I guess his biggest shortcoming as a legislator is his lack of experience. I'm not just talking about legislative experience. I'm also talking about life experience. He is a very young man. But I honestly believe that he will become a rising star within the Legislature."

Thomas, for his part, says his greatest shortcoming is not recognizing his shortcomings.

"I'm listening to other legislators and lobbyists and seeking their advice on what I can do differently," he said,

Thomas' experience as a planner already has proven to be an asset, said Marta Brown, the city of North Las Vegas' lobbyist.

"As a planner, he knows what it is like to deal with developers and work on planning issues. Now that he is in the Legislature, he knows the other side too," she said.

Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani said Thomas has become a resource for other legislators.

"Sure he is a freshmen legislator and he has to learn the ropes like all freshmen. But it is great to have someone with a professional planning background here in the Legislature. He really is doing a lot to address planning issues."

Two examples of bills sponsored by Thomas that deal with offering incentives to developers include one to create more traditional neighborhoods and another to encourage developers to build in areas skipped over as the metro area has grown.

In both bills, he leaves it up to the Nevada Economic Development Commission to develop incentive programs such as low-interest loans or tax breaks.

"We want to encourage developers to build more traditional type neighborhoods," he said. "We are talking the kind of neighborhoods where you will see front porches, parks and stores that are easy to walk to. I don't know that I would call this type of neighborhood 'Mayberry.'

"But as a society, we really need to address some serious issues. Right now, homes are being built so that people are divided economically. I see great benefit in having people of different economic groups living together in a traditional-type neighborhood."

The legislation that would offer incentives for developers to build neighborhoods meeting these criteria is Assembly Bill 566.

Similar incentives will be offered under Assembly Bill 563, which would encourage builders to develop areas that have been skipped over as the community has grown.

During Tuesday's committee meeting, Thomas' 6-year-old son, Logan, fidgeted in the front row, a reminder of an Indian saying used as a theme in his father's campaign: "We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."