Five new eateries planned for city

Mathis Winkler

Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2001 | 9:49 a.m.

A developer plans to bring five new eateries with room for almost 900 patrons to restaurant-starved North Las Vegas, but city officials might require the buildings to look more alike before approving them.

That's because the city's design standards require "restraint in the number of different materials and colors selected" and call for a "simplicity of patterns."

Planning commissioners are scheduled to discuss the Rancho del Norte Plaza project at their meeting on Wednesday.

The developer of the complex on Camino Al Norte just south of Rancho Del Norte Drive has asked the city for permits to allow the sale of alcohol at the five restaurants as well as the cafe at a proposed sports complex on the 12.3-acre site.

Architectural drawings for the restaurants show that each building is designed in a different style.

A brick veneer facade is proposed for O'Reilly's Restaurant and Pub and Don Moskeeto's Restaurant and Lounge while the building for Woody's Steakhouse and Surf Shop would be covered with weathered clapboard. Bandido's Mexican Restaurant has plans for a Spanish tile roof and stucco walls and Fresca Grille wants sheet metal awnings for its patio doors.

The facades "should be revised to demonstrate a more consistent architectural theme using similar building materials" in line with design standards, reads a staff report on the projects.

City officials, who are asking commissioners to hold off on a decision until the developers have changed their design plans, could not be reached for comment Monday.

But Commissioner Harry Shull was clearly excited about the new restaurants and said he'd do anything to get them up and running as soon as possible.

"Thank God, we need them bad," he said, adding that he had to drive to Las Vegas for a pasta dinner he was craving Sunday night.

During the week, "my restaurant choices are limited to IHOP and Applebee's" Shull said. "And you can't get into either place at lunch time."

He added that he didn't mind the different designs proposed for the restaurants.

"You wind up with a vanilla deal if you make everything the same," Shull said. He added that he'd likely support a design standard waiver for the complex if the developers request it.

Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick said Monday she had not reviewed the staff reports on the project, but agreed with Shull that the city needed more restaurants. The city's five other planning commissioners could not be reached for comment.

Jim Childs, a consultant for the project, said Friday he didn't know how the issue would get resolved.

"Restaurants like to be unique," he said. "Our intent is to go ahead. We want to get these things built."

Childs added the developer wanted to start construction as soon as the city approved the project.