Editorial: Blue Diamond offer too good to pass up

Friday, Jan. 31, 2003 | 9:35 a.m.

It's beginning to appear as a certainty that a gypsum mine atop Blue Diamond Hill overlooking the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area will be protected from inappropriate development. The proposal last year from a developer to smother the site with thousands of homes galvanized the Blue Diamond community as well as Clark County. Blue Diamond residents rose up in opposition and the county began fast-tracking a zoning plan that would restrict development on all lands bordering Red Rock. Unfortunately, however, the owners of the gypsum mine have rejected a proposal from a national conservation organization that would have permanently blocked development at the mine, which is considered a gateway to Red Rock Canyon.

The Conservation Fund, a group formed in 1985 that has so far protected 3.4 million acres of sensitive land around the country, offered to take the lead in buying a conservation easement. The easement would have allowed continued mining, which is not objectionable, but would have barred any other use on the approximately 2,000 acres. The land is owned by James Hardie Gypsum, which had signed a sales agreement with John Laing Homes last year. Sale of the land was contingent upon Laing securing zoning for its housing plans. Because of the public outcry, the zoning was not approved.

The overture by The Conservation Fund, which has an excellent national reputation, was a welcome turn of events. The owner would have received tax breaks and compensation for the easement, and residents would no longer have had to worry about another proposal similar to Laing's. We would like to see James Hardie reconsider the organization's proposal.