Balanced growth

Adrienne Packer

Thursday, Jan. 27, 2000 | 10:59 a.m.

With each slide that flashed on the screen before Clark County commissioners on Wednesday, a cozy Oregon neighborhood featuring tree-lined streets and homes of various shapes, sizes and colors evolved.

Developer Richard Holt presented his Fairview, Ore., creation to commissioners as an example of what he views as "smart growth."

It's a neighborhood where people walk more often than they drive and where single mothers live next-door to wealthy families. It's a community where apartments are located a half-block from $300,000 homes.

"It's risk-taking," Holt admitted. "We wanted a kid with a single mom to play with and go to school with kids who are the children of bankers."

Holt was one of five speakers who addressed the commission during the county's "Smart Growth Symposium 2000," a discussion on how to balance the Las Vegas Valley's growth, economics, environment and quality of life.

And after Holt's presentation, the question that undoubtedly floated through viewers' mind is: Will the valley ever see a neighborhood with as much character?

Simply because stucco is the primary building material in Clark County, doesn't mean it can't happen, Holt said. He points to the Mediterranean where white stucco is dominant and to the northeast United States where most homes are made of wood and painted white.

What separates the structures in those two regions is that they were built over time.

"They were built by 1,000 builders, not 10 builders building 1,000 units," Holt said.

The Oregon developer said he has been impressed with the county's infrastructure and ability to spread growth evenly across the valley floor. The flaw, he said, is with many of the county's planned communities that lack diversity in the design of homes.

"They all look alike; it's easy to walk up and put your key in the wrong house," Holt said. "It doesn't inspire people and that's probably why some people are not proud to call the community home."

The concept of Holt's Fairview project is not completely new to the Clark County Commission. The board has tried to encourage mixed uses in neighborhoods -- affordable housing near middle-class homes, businesses near residences or schools in the middle of neighborhoods.

The proposals, however, have hardly gone over well with homeowners already established in neighborhoods.

"The perception of the neighbors is anything else you put there that isn't like what they have will destroy their quality of life," Commissioner Mary Kincaid said.

Commissioner Dario Herrera added that some of the board's most controversial meetings have been centered around proposals to build affordable housing in middle-class neighborhoods.

Holt said his development has homes worth $130,000 right next door to houses valued at $250,000. He said the key was to ensure that the lesser expensive home was of high quality.

The key to making his development successful was seeking residents' feedback on his ideas and explaining everything he planned.

"It takes a little bit of chewing on your pencil eraser, but you've got to get past that," Holt said. "It takes courage to get people to change, and it takes leadership."

Mike Ford, director of The Conservation Fund, said what makes the Las Vegas Valley and Nevada so unique is the land ownership. That also is what makes planning the county's growth challenging.

"The county consists of small islands surrounded by public land," Ford said. "It's difficult to get people excited about a concept when 87 percent of the state's land is publicly owned."

Ford emphasized to commissioners that trees are important to the quality of life by absorbing noise, providing habitats and improving air quality.

"Green enhances growth, and I'm not talking about the green on felt," he said, referring to gaming tables.

Mark Doppe, owner of a Las Vegas general contracting company, agreed with Ford and said the definition of smart growth will be clouded until the county clearly states its priorities.

"We see tree-lined streets, and people want to live there," Doppe said. "The fact of the matter is people can't afford it, so what do we do? Are we going to emphasize tree-lined streets or are we going to emphasize affordable housing? We need to find a balance."

Other speakers who addressed the board were UNLV economics professor Keith Schwer and Guy Hobbs, the county's former director of finance.