Editorial: Buffer zone idea worthy of pursuit

Thursday, Sept. 12, 2002 | 8:56 a.m.

Buffer zones are an ingenious invention. Practically all of their uses have to do with attempting to keep the peace on one level or another, even at the world level in trying to keep nations from going to war. They are also an indispensable tool for local land-use planners who attempt to keep a different kind of peace -- the kind that allows public meetings to occur without groups of residents hollering at each other.

That's why good agricultural planning places buffer zones between crops and rivers, to keep fertilizers out of public water and environmentalists at bay. That's why buffer zones are designed around airports, to increase safety and in so doing decrease tensions between residents and airport managers. That's why all zoning laws are in place, to create buffers between incompatible developments.

Buffer zones cannot guarantee harmonious relations among people, as is demonstrated on world and local levels every day, but they are often a necessary first step in trying to ease conflicts and are usually helpful. That's why Clark County Commission Chairman Dario Herrera's idea to study the creation of buffer zones around some environmentally sensitive areas is a good one. We've already experienced exceptionally contentious public meetings -- police were called to the last one -- over a home developer's plan for a huge master-planned community at the gateway to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

Herrera would have citizen committees work with county planners in identifying potential buffer zones. County planners, who say they would work to minimize the impact on private property owners, are scheduled to discuss Herrera's proposal at the County Commission's Wednesday meeting. The idea has enough merit to warrant close attention to that discussion.