‘S-curve’ may put squeeze on rural residents

Diana Sahagun

Tuesday, July 30, 2002 | 11 a.m.

In the 1980s, when the northwest part of Las Vegas was nothing but a sea of dirt and brush, Michelle Ware scooped up 2 1/2 acres for her future retirement.

She and her husband had to hike, for lack of roads, to see the property that would eventually become their nearly $500,000 ranch-style custom home.

But Ware, along with her neighbor -- the only two homeowners in the vicinity of El Capitan Way and West Regena Avenue -- are among a handful of residents who might be squeezed out to make way for an expansion of Town Center, complete with car dealerships and big box stores.

Las Vegas planners are proposing to rezone nearly 46 acres in the area from residential to commercial. The land is bordered by an S-shaped road that would link Durango Drive with El Capitan Way, between Tropical Parkway and the future beltway.

If the rezoning request is approved by the City Council at its Aug. 21 meeting, the area would become the southern edge of Town Center, a commercial district near U.S. 95 and Centennial Parkway encompassing about 2,000 acres.

City officials say the land on the so-called "S-curve" has been identified as the site for an expanded Town Center since a plan for the northwest was adopted by the City Council in 1998.

Ware and her husband, Mike Monahan, say they didn't find out until they were several months into construction of their home in 1995 that their surroundings might one day include hotels, car dealerships and industrial parks.

In January, Ware realized the rezoning was inevitable when the City Council approved a Jim Marsh car dealership and a used truck dealership on land that was zoned residential, right near their homes.

"We were pretty devastated," Ware said. "This isn't what we planned. We wanted a custom home -- a half-acre, quiet neighborhood with families around us. Not a car dealership."

There are other homeowners within the S-curve, some on county islands.

The city is negotiating with some residents to acquire their property in order to make room for the road, said Chris Knight, deputy director of planning for the city. The road is being designed, with construction planned for next year.

Still others, like Ware, would find themselves in the middle of commercial development.

The two car dealership applications prompted the council in February to issue a six-month moratorium on all new development in the area so city planners could identify what types of projects should be allowed within the S-curve, Knight said.

The proposed land use plan, which was approved by the Planning Commission July 25, attempts to buffer existing residents and future homes outside the S-curve by mixing the types of permitted commercial projects.

"This area for two to three years has been unstable," Knight said. "This plan lets property owners know what the city has in mind for that area and sets a vision for it."

City planners also proposed restricting development within 300 feet of the south side of the S-curve to office use, with buildings no more than two stories high. But that portion of the plan was not approved by the commissioners after developers and landowners protested the limits.

Attorney Mark Fiorentino, representing a landowner within the S-curve, said the limits were "a little excessive" in pursuing the goal of creating a buffer.

Stephen Reilly, vice president of the Northwest Network of Neighbors, said he supports the plan to expand Town Center because he says it ensures commercial development will not creep into other areas.

"I think (existing residents) of course would have rather had single family (homes) right around there, but it's just a fact of life that by their proximity to the beltway and U.S. 95, it's sadly not going to happen for them," Reilly said.

Las Vegas Councilman Michael Mack, who represents the northwest, said it is important to finalize plans for the S-curve. He added that the city has also been working with Clark County in planning for the area.

"We can't leave things in limbo," Mack said. "We have to move forward and establish what the area will be."

Mack, though, may be unable to participate in the vote due to the area's proximity to Joseph Scala's Courtesy Automotive dealership. Mack is facing misdemeanor charges in Las Vegas Municipal Court after an ethics board ruled that Mack knowingly failed to disclose a $57,000 loan from Scala when he voted to deny a rival car dealership in the northwest last summer.

Surprisingly, Ware said she plans to speak out in favor of the plan when the matter is heard by the council. Her property is proposed to become the most intense type of commercial land, which would allow car dealerships and hotels.

If the plan is approved, Ware said, it may allow her and her husband to fetch a good price for their property so they can rebuild their home elsewhere.

"Purchase us. Put us out of our misery," Ware said. "We would want to be in a residential area. That's what we're looking for. Once we realized what we're in the middle of, we truly don't want to be here."