Plans for commercial property on Kyle Canyon Road tabled

Thursday, Dec. 21, 2000 | 10:13 a.m.

A proposal to put a commercial property on the road up to Mount Charleston was tabled Wednesday by the Clark County Commission.

The development firm Kyle and Frontage has applied for a zoning change from rural-open land to general commercial on a property on Kyle Canyon Road, about 1,000 feet west of U.S. 95. The company has proposed a gas station, a car wash and shopping center on the site.

Residents living nearby the proposed development and conservationists oppose the move.

The commissioners voted to hold off consideration of the zone change until Jan. 3. At Wednesday's meeting, Commissioner Lance Malone, who represents the area, said he would support the change. At the Jan. 3 meeting, however, Chip Maxfield will represent the area, having defeated Malone at the polls in November's general election. Maxfield is on vacation and couldn't be reached for comment on the issue.

Greg Borgel, a land-use consultant representing the developer, said on Tuesday that the developers are facing resistance from residents who oppose any commercial building in the area.

Borgel pointed out that the property is master-planned for commercial development. He also rejected concerns expressed by residents that the move would open the door to further commercial development near the site.

Borgel said that the federal government owns much of the surrounding land, preventing further commercial development.

The developer is also willing to accept numerous conditions to limit the impact on the surrounding rural area, he said. Among those conditions, proposed by the Clark County Planning Commission, are that access to the site would only be from a U.S. 95 frontage road and the car wash would not be allowed.

Those conditions, however, apparently won't mollify residents, some of whom fear that a convenience store would allow liquor sales. They argue that there already are too many drunken drivers going up and down the mountain.

State Sen. Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, said she doesn't want to see development in that area.

Titus said legislation she will propose for the session beginning in January would bar such development, which leapfrogs existing development. Her legislation would prevent commercial development near conservation areas, such as the project proposed on Kyle Canyon Road.