Editorial: Neighbors, yes; roller coaster, no

Thursday, Feb. 28, 2002 | 8:55 a.m.

The 1930s, '40s and '50s were grand for the neighborhoods extending east of Las Vegas Boulevard to Maryland Parkway, between Sahara Avenue and Charleston Boulevard. They were havens for downtown hotel executives who sought quiet but classy lifestyles within a short drive of where they worked. They built custom homes, designed beautiful flower beds and planted trees that attracted the final touch for glorious days -- songbirds.

As the decades passed so too did the neighborhoods, until middle-class professionals and retirees, beginning about 1990, recognized their potential. They found the old homes and mature vegetation a welcome respite from the monotony of sprawling master-planned communities overtaking the Las Vegas Valley. The new residents persevered against the crime and blight that had grown from years of neglect and quietly worked together to bring back the glory days.

Quietly, that is, until May 1999, when they faced the prospect of a new development -- a 280-foot-tall Titanic-themed hotel hulking over their daffodils and apricot trees. As dozens of residents descended upon City Hall and fought successfully against the 700,000-square-foot, $300 million "boat" with attendant Iceberg Commercial Area, council members learned about the transformation of these neighborhoods and about the resolve of the people responsible for it. They were presented with a petition signed by 190 residents and received invitations to tour the neighborhoods.

The timing was right, as a City Council-appointed Neighborhood Preservation Ordinance Committee in the mid-1990s had raised awareness of the value that old neighborhoods can add to a city. Since 1999 the four associations that have sprung up in this area have gained political power by working cooperatively with City Hall and achieving residential charm. The Las Vegas City Council, to its credit, has developed a planning process that encourages residents to work together and come forward with thoughtful ideas about what they want for their neighborhoods. This is far and away better than simply waiting for developments to be proposed and then listening to protests.

It's clear from listening to the residents that they want a connected, liveable neighborhood, one that's clean and quiet and where preservation prevails. Now a new threat looms -- a proposed thrill ride that would zoom down the exterior of the nearby Stratosphere hotel and hurl riders over Las Vegas Boulevard, close to homes. Because the neighborhoods objected, the proposal was toned down. But it was re-proposed this week, without the benefit of a promised neighborhood meeting. We trust that the neighborhood character that has evolved over the past few years will continue to be viewed by the City Council as a higher value than an inharmonious project, whether it be a Titanic hotel overshadowing daffodils or a roller coaster drowning out the songbirds.