Planning Commission to hear from residents on annexation issue

Valerie Miller

Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2000 | 11:03 a.m.

Residents of Henderson and the Enterprise area can tell city officials what they think about Henderson's plan to annex 6,200 acres of unincorporated Clark County land.

The public hearing before the Planning Commission is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday at Henderson's City Hall, 240 Water St. Planners will consider land and transportation uses for the area, which is generally located south of Lake Mead Drive and west of the current Henderson city limits.

The proposed comprehensive plan amendment will also map out a transportation plan for the area bounded by Cactus Road on the north, the Sloan interchange of Interstate 15 on the south, Maryland Parkway on the east and Decatur Boulevard on the west.

Plans also call for the renaming of several streets, including a portion of Maryland Parkway, which is also proposed for realignment at Lake Mead Drive and extension south of Lake Mead Drive.

Henderson has studied annexing parts of the Enterprise Township since late 1998. In January 1999 the city entered into an interlocal agreement with Clark County that opened the door to annexation.

The agreement covered about 2 square miles northwest of Eastern Avenue and Lake Mead Drive as well as about 11 square miles south of Lake Mead Drive between Las Vegas Boulevard and the Henderson city limits.

Clark County officials agreed not to object to Henderson's annexation plan as long as the city works with the county on transportation and other shared issues. After Enterprise residents protested the city's plans for annexation, Henderson dropped plans to annex the most populated parts of the township.

The residents said that they feared joining Henderson would destroy their rural lifestyle. The remaining land earmarked for annexation includes close to 45 homes and two mobile home parks. Planners have said previously that as many as 60,000 people could live in the area once it is fully developed.

City planners held months of meetings with residents in an effort to get community input into the plan and ease concerns of Enterprise residents, many of whom were worried about the effect of the rapid growth in Henderson.

Once the Henderson Planning Commission makes its recommendation on the plan for Enterprise, it will go before the City Council on March 7.