Henderson ponders zoning for pawnshops

Jeffrey Libby

Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2001 | 9:28 a.m.

Public hearing on pawnshops.

Henderson Planning Commission.

Thursday, 7 p.m.

Council Chambers, 240 Water St.

A new zoning proposal could allow pawnshops in Henderson to open in affluent neighborhoods off Horizon Ridge Parkway and Lake Las Vegas, but not old downtown.

The Planning Commission on Thursday will consider a staff recommendation for two additional commercial districts for pawnshops. The zone changes were requested by Camco Inc., parent company of SuperPawn.

Pawnshops are currently allowed only in areas zoned for industrial uses.

Planning Commission Chairman Dale Lay said old downtown, which is planned for upscale redevelopment, will not be a site for pawnshops.

"We're looking for the highest and best use of the downtown area," he said. "Pawnshops, bail bondsmen, tattoo parlors, second-hand shops and places for body piercings wouldn't serve that purpose."

The city's redevelopment agency is putting aside a portion of property taxes over 25 years to revitalize the old downtown, in large part by using the money to attract new construction of retail and office space. Sherri Hughes, vice president of real estate and government affairs for SuperPawn, which operates pawnshops throughout the Las Vegas Valley, said her company has no plans to open a new Henderson store any time soon.

But during a regular review of city code, Hughes said, she discovered that city planners in 1998 "inadvertently" limited zones acceptable for pawnshops. She said she wants that changed to accurately reflect zoning before citywide revisions made in October 1998.

About 10 pawnshops operate in Henderson. Most of them are located on Boulder Highway, but at least three shops operate in Green Valley. Both areas contain community commercial and highway commercial zoning. Under the proposed changes, those areas would be suitable for pawnshops.

But those zonings can also be found at an 18-acre parcel on the south shore of Lake Las Vegas and in areas adjacent to upscale neighborhoods along Horizon Ridge Parkway.

Ann Adam, a member of the Sunridge at MacDonald Ranch Community Association and a frequent critic of City Hall, said she wouldn't mind pawnshops in her Horizon Ridge Parkway neighborhood.

"If they abide by the rules, by the criteria, if they do that, I don't see any problem," Adam said. "They're kind of fun. They're sort of like going into a second-hand store."

But Adam said she expected that other residents might not agree.