County zoning briefs for Dec. 19, 2002

Thursday, Dec. 19, 2002 | 9:51 a.m.

Homes near tracks approved

A proposed residential development that had divided neighbors and the Clark County Commission received approval Wednesday.

The commission voted 4-1 to allow the development on the north side of Maulding Avenue, near Decatur Boulevards and railroad tracks in southwest Las Vegas. Some residents had argued to preserve the master-plan designation for the area, which called for commercial uses on the 11-acre plot.

County planning staff and the Enterprise Town Advisory Board also had urged the commission to reject the zone change needed for the project. The commission has debated the issue since last May.

Commissioner Bruce Woodbury, who represents the area, voted against the zoning change. He agreed that it was a bad idea to put new homes next to railroad tracks that are used by trains 35 to 40 times a day.

Woodbury compared the approval to recent commission decisions that have allowed residential development near the airport, in some cases directly under flight paths.

"This trend is very, very dangerous," he said.

Coyote Springs clears hurdle

A controversial project to build about 50,000 homes on 13,000 acres on the Clark-Lincoln county line got a boost from the Clark County Commission on Wednesday.

The commission unanimously approved zoning changes and a development agreement for the project, which some environmentalists have opposed. Environmental groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity and the Nevada Outdoor Recreation Association, are challenging a decade-old federal land exchange that made the development possible.

No one spoke against the zoning measures Wednesday, however.

Full development of the project would take more than 40 years.

The developer, Coyote Springs Investments, is co-owned by influential Nevada lobbyist Harvey Whittemore.

Senior apartments win approval

Over the objections of nearby residents, the Clark County Commission on Wednesday approved zoning for a 96-unit apartment complex for seniors near Reno Avenue and Harrison Drive.

The county planning commission and the Paradise Town Board, both advisory panels, had recommended denial of the zone change needed for the project. The county also had received dozens of letters and heard from many neighbors who opposed the project.

Neighbors said the complex's 35-foot height was too high for the residential area.

"It is taller and the line of sight is higher than anything else in the area," said attorney Heath Bailey, representing the opposition to the project.

But land-use attorney Chris Kaempfer, representing developer Nevada HAND Inc., said the project's density, the number of people and size of building involved, was less than that of an apartment complex for families, which could have gone into the 7-acre plot.

The commission had already approved the project Nov. 20, but Commissioner Mary Kincaid-Chauncey called the issue for reconsideration at the request of the residents and Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates, who missed the earlier meeting. She said bringing the issue back did not mean she opposed the project, and Kincaid-Chauncey again voted for the seniors apartments.

The vote to approve the complex was 5-2, with Commissioners Bruce Woodbury and Gates voting against it.

Master-planned community OK'd

Plans to develop nearly 2,500 acres in the southwest Las Vegas Valley as a master-planned community were approved Wednesday.

The County Commission unanimously approved zoning changes and a development agreement for the Mountain's Edge community planned by Las Vegas' Focus Property Group. No one spoke against approvals for the project, which would be southwest of Blue Diamond Road and Interstate 15.

Last month the developer bought 992.5 acres in the area for $159 million from the federal Bureau of Land Management. Focus plans to integrate the purchase into land it already owns or has the rights to.