County proposes guidelines for Russell Road businesses

Thursday, Sept. 20, 2001 | 11:18 a.m.

Residents along East Russell Road, many of whom have vehemently opposed some commercial projects near their neighborhoods, may soon have a Clark County rule mitigating the impact of those projects.

The county commissioners Wednesday introduced a rule that would require new commercial projects to have architecture and designs compatible with surrounding residential areas.

The business and office buildings would have to be only one story "with exterior residential facades." The rule would also apply to existing homes, some of which have been retrofitted for use as businesses and offices.

"The character of Russell Road has changed over the last few years," said Commission Chairman Dario Herrera, who represents the Russell Road area to the east of Las Vegas Boulevard. "However, there are still property owners who should be protected."

Some of the Las Vegas Valley's oldest established neighborhoods are along the road, he said.

Barbara Ginoulias, Comprehensive Planning assistant director, said the new rule would give residents and developers a guide for new projects along the road, and residents "a greater sense of protection."

M.J. Harvey, Paradise Town Advisory Board chairwoman, said her group supports the move.

"We've been working on it a long time," she said. The new rule would buffer existing residential areas with a stronger buffer to intensive commercial uses, she said.

"It's important to define an area and to define what the appropriate ingredients for development are," Harvey said. "It's very important to have something in writing to protect residential neighborhoods."

Commissioner Chip Maxfield, who represents the northwest part of the valley, suggested that other roads and districts should get similar protection. He asked planning staff to prepare an ordinance to make that possible.

Herrera agreed, saying there are other areas throughout the valley that could use well defined design standards to ease the impact of development on existing neighborhoods.

The county's planning department already is working on a similar design "overlay" effort, this for a 4-mile stretch along Blue Diamond Road. That proposal could come before the commissioners next month.

A public hearing on the Russell Road ordinance has been scheduled Oct. 3.