Backers defend plan; opponents will appeal

Monday, Feb. 21, 2000 | 9:05 a.m.

Backers of a proposed neighborhood casino say the project is well within the limits of a 1997 law designed to block proliferation of casinos in residential areas. But residents of a southwest Las Vegas area aren't buying the argument, and plan to appeal their case to a state panel on Friday.

Boyd Gaming Corp. President Don Snyder says the proposed casino is 1,000 feet from the nearest apartment complex and 1,800 feet from the nearest neighborhood of homes. That's far in excess of the 500 feet called for by state law.

Opponents of the project say it doesn't matter whether it's 500 feet or 2,500 feet, the issue is one of integrity, not geography.

Boyd Gaming plans to develop the 22-acre, 300-room hotel-casino site with Triple Five Nevada Development Corp.

"When we looked at this site we looked at the issues," Snyder said. "I don't know of a (project) in this valley that's more responsive to those issues."

The Boyd-Triple Five project has been the target of intense opposition from residents of the area since the Clark County Commission voted 3-1 to approve a zoning change that would allow construction of the project.

Residents of the area thought the 1997 state law - designed to halt the proliferation of casinos in residential areas - would protect them.

"We thought we were safe," said Cheralin Zaugg, mother of five girls and a leader of the anti-casino effort.

The opponents are expected to present their case Friday when the review panel of the state Gaming Policy Committee meets in Las Vegas to consider an appeal of the commission's decision.

Developers contend the casino is just a small part of an overall development that will include movie theaters, retail shops, offices and a bowling alley.

Zaugg and protest co-leader Gaylene Teshima, a mother of four, fear the casino will draw drunken drivers, vagrants and others who will frequent the neighborhood as children walk to nearby schools or shop at the retail center.

But proponents of the project say the residents of the area just don't understand.

"It's a misunderstanding that's snowballed into opponents refusing to listen to anything," said Triple Five attorney Mark Fiorentino.