Residents say development threatens rural lifestyle

Diana Sahagun

Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2002 | 11:06 a.m.

Ten years ago when plans for the Mountain Spa Resort were first being considered in northwest Las Vegas, Sharon Linsenbardt found some comfort from a nearby sign offering homes starting at $500,000.

Her future neighbors would be wealthy, she thought, and there were talks of a Ritz-Carlton resort and other upscale amenities that would complement her rural lifestyle near Floyd Lamb State Park.

Now that has all changed. Linsenbardt and other residents face the possibility of living next to 1,200-square-foot townhouses with no resort or commercial buildings.

Linsenbardt said the proposed project, the recently renamed Silverstone Ranch, could add up to 1,800 homes and will erode the area's rural quality of life.

"They have broken my spirit," she said. "They have devaluated my ranch-style life because they are putting in small homes that will eliminate the character of these neighborhoods."

After more than a decade of delays, plans for the 630-acre Silverstone Ranch development -- bound by Rainbow Boulevard, Grand Teton Road, Iron Mountain Road and Buffalo Drive -- are moving forward with a new owner, Pulte Homes.

Pulte's original proposed development plan for 1,873 lots was shot down by neighbors in July, who during a four-hour public debate took issue with the density, buffering, and whether the project would protect their rural community.

A revised plan for the same number of lots adds more open space and adds more space to buffer the project. The new plan appears to have eased the minds of some residents who were once opposed to the project.

But when Pulte officials appear before the Las Vegas Planning Commission on Thursday seeking approval of a final development plan, Linsenbardt says she will not be one of those speaking out in favor.

"A $500,000 estate, custom home lot in and around a Ritz-Carlton hotel spa is night and day from a 47-by-85 foot lot," said Linsenbardt, who has lived near Tenaya Way and Grand Teton Road since 1978. "It's horrid and it has no place out here."

In June, the project switched hands from Aladdin developer Jack Sommer to Pulte Homes, which purchased 325 acres for $75 million. Included in the project is a golf course under the management of Florida-based Meadowbrook Golf Group Inc.

Sommer's original development plan approved by the council in 1991 was for a resort community that would include a 40-acre casino development. Home prices would range from $500,000 to $1.5 million. In 1998, the council approved plans for a proposed Ritz-Carlton at the site, although the deal fell through.

Pulte's new plan calls for one- and two-story townhouses ranging from 1,200 square feet to 1,924 square feet, according to city reports.

The remaining mix of residential homes would range from 1,200 square feet to more than 4,000 square feet, according to city reports. The homes would range in price from $200,000 to more than $500,000.

Pulte would replace plans for the 40-acre casino development with up to 160 home sites.

Although the density has stayed the same, allowing for 2.95 units per acre, Linsenbardt's home would no longer be buffered by estates.

Her 1.5-acre ranch home property -- which originally would have been buffered by $500,000 homes -- is now proposed to be abutted by lots that are 42 feet wide by 85 feet deep, she said.

"They are entry level homes that within two to five years will be rental units," she said.

Chris Kaempfer, an attorney representing Pulte, said the company has worked diligently with the neighbors, opting to get rid of the commercial aspect so there would be less impact on the surrounding area.

"From our angle, we thought we would be better received because we're getting rid of a casino resort and all the commercial, and building nothing but a high-end golf course community," he said. "There were some issues (the residents) had about the development and compatibility and so we've tried to work through those issues as much as we can. I think that we have come quite a long way."

Kaempfer said it was understandable that residents felt misled because their original expectations of large lots and a hotel were changed.

Pulte's new plan attempts to create greater buffers and provide more open space, which has calmed residents abutting the development on Coke Avenue.

Louise Ruskamp, who heads the neighborhood association in the area, said Pulte has proposed an adequate buffer for her neighborhood. But she acknowledges that not everyone is happy with the result.

"A lot of people are upset that (Pulte) has come in and basically put tract homes in there," Ruskamp said. "The idea was they were supposed to have big estates and those have kind of gone away.

"But I think for a lot of the people (Pulte) has alleviated some of their concerns."