City rethinks auto dealer ordinance

Diana Sahagun

Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2001 | 11:02 a.m.

Concerns by one of the original planners of Town Center and other land owners have prompted the city of Las Vegas to draft a compromise to an ordinance that would create a cluster of new car dealerships similar to the Valley Auto Mall in Henderson.

The amended ordinance -- which will be considered by the City Council Wednesday -- would still require new dealerships to locate inside the Town Center area north of Cheyenne Avenue, in a general service commercial zone. But under the amended ordinance they would not be required to build on a minimum 50-acre parcel, as earlier proposed.

The council next month is scheduled to adopt the general service commercial zone near Centennial Parkway and U.S. 95.

Last month during a committee meeting, residents complained that the 50-acre requirement unfairly benefited Joseph Scala, owner of a 50-acre parcel. Scala, who operates a Courtesy Automobile dealership, has become the center of legal action lodged against Councilmen Michael Mack and Larry Brown.

Mack originally sponsored the ordinance in June after leading a motion to deny a car dealership proposed by John Staluppi Jr. outside the Town Center limits on Rancho Drive. But after disclosing that he had an outstanding $60,000 loan from Scala, a rival car dealer, Mack withdrew the ordinance.

Brown re-sponsored the ordinance but is facing a lawsuit over his decision to deny the Staluppi dealership. Brown said Monday he will vote on the new ordinance.

Mack will likely abstain because he faces a lawsuit and two ethics complaints alleging he voted to deny the Staluppi dealership because of leverage by Scala. Mack has abstained from items relating to the dealership and other items relating to Town Center in the past several months.

Jim Veltman, who helped draft the original concept for Town Center, opposed the 50-acre requirement because he said it would have directly benefited Scala while hurting nearby land owners with smaller parcels.

Veltman threatened to sue the city had it adopted the 50-acre requirement, but said the amended ordinance accomplishes the city's goals for the area.