Residents to get say in how city will look

Valerie Miller

Wednesday, Nov. 3, 1999 | 9:23 a.m.

Henderson residents will now have a say in how the place they call home should look.

This week, the city of Henderson will be conducting a type of visual survey among residents known as TownScans. This is a type of survey where residents will view different pictures of buildings, cities, streetscapes and landscaping to decide on how they would like their community to look in the future.

The TownScans will take place on two days. On Thursday, two TownScans lasting about 45 minutes each will be conducted at 6 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. at Gordon McCaw Elementary School, 75 Lynn Lane, behind City Hall.

Two more TownScans will take place on Saturday, at 9 a.m. and 10:15 a.m., at the Desert Willow Recreational Center's Zion Room, 2020 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway.

On each day separate surveys will be done for the Downtown Redevelopment area of Henderson and for the Citywide TownScan, which includes all areas of the city not included in the redevelopment area.

The city is expecting a big turnout both days for the TownScan, according to Stephanie Garcia, a Henderson planner.

"We are hoping to have between 150 to 200 people come out each day. The more people that come out, the better," she said. "Children are welcome to take part, too, and give their opinions with special sheets designed especially for kids."

City officials decided that it was important for the residents to help decide what their city should look like, Garcia explained.

"We realize that Henderson residents are the ones who live, work and play in the city," she said. "They are the ones who will be using these facilities, so we really want to hear what they want."

During the TownScan, residents will be shown close to 150 pictures of buildings around Henderson, as well as downtown areas of other regional cities, Garcia said. Residents will then rate the pictures from "strongly like" to "strongly dislike."

Once the results of the survey are in, computer simulations of possible new buildings and revitalizations of old buildings will be done to help make the final decisions. The results of the TownScans are expected to be back by early December, Garcia said.

The TownScan was developed by Urban Design Studio, an Irvine, Calif., a research and consulting firm contracted by the city to aid in completing design standards for nonresidential development in the city and better define its existing development code.

The City Council in October approved the contract with Urban Design Studios for $147,950 in order to conduct the TownScans and complete the standards for nonresidential development.

The City Council has also approved the membership of two steering committees composed of residents, members of the development community, architects, planning commissioners, redevelopment agency commissioners and business owners.

By completing the design guidelines for nonresidential development, the city can be guaranteed the best quality development in the future, Garcia said.

"This will help provide some assurance of quality development and stop developers from negotiating on a case by case basis," she explained. "A lot of times developers will design less attractive buildings to save money, but this will set some standards across the board. It is taking the development code to a higher level."