Sun City Summerlin gets interchange delay

Adrienne Packer

Thursday, Oct. 21, 1999 | 11:48 a.m.

Sun City Summerlin residents trying desperately to protect their retirement community from the hustle and bustle of a big city received good news Wednesday from their chief negotiator, Clark County Commissioner Lance Malone.

During a town hall meeting Wednesday evening Malone told a crowd of about 500 that the Howard Hughes Corp. agreed not to build a Lake Mead interchange on the Las Vegas Beltway for at least five years.

Homeowners in the northwest community feared that if an interchange were constructed, it would be difficult to get out of their neighborhoods and the crime rate would increase.

"They told us they won't do anything with the interchange," Malone said. "Nothing."

Although most residents admitted they would rather see the interchange defeated rather than delayed, they applauded not only Malone's efforts, but also their own.

Once Barbara Turbin learned of plans for the beltway interchange, she organized a group called "Scrub It." The group of residents walked door to door with a petition opposing the interchange, which now has 6,300 signatures.

"See what a grass-roots movement can do?" Turbin said. "I'm a bulldog. There has to be a way to protect the whole neighborhood."

While Turbin's efforts were appreciated by residents of neighborhoods close to her, those who live near Cheyenne Avenue north of Lake Mead weren't as thrilled.

Those homeowners complained that with interchanges only at Summerlin Parkway and Cheyenne, their street will absorb more traffic. The beltway is expected to reach Cheyenne by the end of next year.

Malone apologized to residents off Cheyenne and admitted he knew when he began negotiating with the Howard Hughes Corp. that he could not please everyone. He also apologized to Sun City homeowners for not being completely successful.

"For those of you who are disappointed we couldn't just scrub it, I apologize," he said. "But at least we put it off five years."