Divided Planning Commission OKs John S. Park historic district

Judy Odierna

Friday, Jan. 24, 2003 | 9:06 a.m.

The Las Vegas Planning Commission Thursday was as split as the community in deciding whether or not the neighborhood around John S. Park Elementary School should be designated a historic district.

Despite opposition for the designation the commission voted 4-3 to recommend making the area the city's first historic district.

The proposed John S. Park Historic District is southeast of Charleston Boulevard and Las Vegas Boulevard South. It would be bounded by Park Paseo and Franklin Avenue and between Ninth Street and Fifth Place. The item needs final approval from the City Council.

The area is also being submitted to the National Register of Historic Places for designation.

"I'm amazed at the amount of misinformation flowing around on things," Planning Commissioner Craig Galati said. "At some point in the growth of our city we're going to have to recognize the importance of our history and celebrate our history. Once it's gone, it's gone."

But others on the commission were not so convinced.

"It seems to me that there are less than 5 percent of the people who want this," Vice Chairman Stephen Quinn said. "I have to agree with the people who don't want the extra inconvenience."

If the district is approved, major changes to homes would have to be approved by the Historic Preservation Commission.

A little more than half of the people speaking Thursday night were against the designation. Resident Michael Ganson also handed in a petition with 65 signatures he said were against the historic designation.

"So many people don't want to live under a special interest group like a neighborhood association," Ganson said. "No attempt has been made to accommodate the property owners who don't want to be involved."

Ganson and others say they don't want more government regulation on what they can or can't do to their homes.

Local governments can also choose to place additional restrictions that could govern everything from color to a change in windows.

Ganson and other have said that they also did not want the designation because they want the option of selling their properties for commercial use. Residents who were in favor of the designation, and some on the commission, said they would oppose commercial development whether the area received the designation or not.

"I can't foresee me ever supporting commercial in this neighborhood," said Commissioner Steven Evans, who supported the historic designation.

Mary Hausch, a neighborhood resident and member of the Historic Preservation Commission, said those in favor are just trying to preserve old Las Vegas.

"If you look north of Charleston many wonderful historic houses have been lost and replaced with big buildings," she said. "We love our neighborhood and we want to preserve it. That's what this is all about."

The John S. Park Neighborhood Association has been seeking the designation since August 2000, when it wrote a letter to the city requesting a neighborhood plan be developed. The City Council adopted a five-step action plan, which included the designation as one of the steps.