‘Smart-growth’ meetings set throughout valley

Wednesday, Sept. 1, 1999 | 10:58 a.m.

Environmental organizations are looking for help deciding what "smart growth" means for Las Vegas.

Sierra Club and Citizen Alert will hold the town hall-style meetings beginning Sept. 14 in Henderson.

"It's 'smart growth,' so it carries a variety of topics," said Deanna White, a Sierra Club organizer. Topics include air and water quality, transportation issues, open spaces and a general overview of the challenges the region faces from its rapid growth.

White has identified urban sprawl, and the effect of the population and building boom, as the Sierra Club's number-one issue for Southern Nevada.

"There's a pretty good understanding, generally, that the kind of growth we've had creates problems," White said.

Participants at the series of five meetings, to be held throughout the Las Vegas Valley, will include state Sen. Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, and representatives from the Clark County Department of Comprehensive Planning, Desert Research Institute, UNLV and environmental organizations, White said.

The meetings are scheduled for Sept. 14 at the Henderson Convention Center, 200 Water St.; Sept. 23 at the Summerlin Library, 1771 Inner Circle Drive, Las Vegas; Sept. 27 at the Spring Valley Library, 4280 S. Jones Ave., Las Vegas; Oct. 5 at the North Las Vegas Library, 2300 Civic Center Dr.; and Oct. 13 at the Flamingo Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Ave., Las Vegas. All the meetings are at 7 p.m.