Columnist Jeff German: Station to take more heat for tower

Friday, Oct. 24, 2003 | 6:09 a.m.

Jeff German's column appears Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays in the Sun. Reach him at german@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4067.

WEEKEND EDITION Oct. 25 - 26, 2003

SUMMERLIN, which is in the shadow of the scenic Red Rock conservation area, is known for its homeowners associations that impose strict rules on its residents.

If you don't believe me, ask the Summerlin residents who dared to test the rules by putting up temporary basketball hoops in front of their homes about the headaches they got from their associations.

Station Casinos, the neighborhood gaming giant, is looking to become one of the newest members of the master-planned Summerlin community, which is being developed by the Howard Hughes Corporation.

I'm willing to bet that Station Casinos -- which plans to build its Red Rock Station megaresort at the intersection of the Las Vegas Beltway and West Charleston Boulevard -- is thanking its lucky stars that it doesn't have to answer to any of the homeowners associations up there.

Dealing directly with the County County Planning Commission has been a piece of cake for the influential casino company.

The commission late last week approved the massive project, even though it included a 300-foot hotel tower that far exceeds the 100-foot height limit zoned for the property.

There were plenty of Summerlin residents on hand to voice their opposition to the 300-foot tower, which is expected to block the views of many toward the Red Rock canyon a few miles to the west.

In the end, however, the commission decided that the project is too beneficial to fast-growing Summerlin and recommended it to the Clark County Commission, which will have the final say on Dec. 3.

Red Rock Station, designed to have 1,500 hotel rooms, far more than any other neighborhood casinos, will anchor a business and entertainment district long planned for this part of Summerlin.

In pushing for the 300-foot tower, Station contended it wasn't much taller than the 250-foot height limit previously zoned for property owned by Howard Hughes next door.

The only problem with that argument is that the 250-foot limit was approved more than six years ago as part of Summerlin's master plan, when there was nobody even living in the area to voice objections. The area, now populated, thriving with businesses and growing every day, was simply a barren desert. No red flags about the future threat to Red Rock canyon were thrown up in 1996.

One county planner candidly admitted to me that he doubted commissioners would have approved of the 250-foot limit had the vote been taken today.

And so Station Casinos now has the blessing of the Planning Commission, which has a reputation for rubber-stamping big projects like this.

Had Station not gotten so ambitious and instead scaled back the tower closer to the 100-foot restriction for its property, the company would not have encountered so much flak from the public.

Average citizens who are asked to follow the rules, you see, tend to resent a politically connected company that receives special treatment -- even one that has always been a good community partner.

In the coming weeks, as the County Commission gears up to consider the project, the casino giant will -- and probably should -- face more pressure to scale it back.

Red Rock Station is destined to become a success in Summerlin even if it ends up with no hotel tower. So there really is no excuse for Station Casinos not to be more sensitive to the conservation issues.

And while we're talking about excuses, it will be interesting to see whether City Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald, whose ward borders the proposed casino site at Charleston Boulevard, becomes a voice in this fight.

So far, Boggs McDonald, who was appointed to Station's board in July, has been conspicuously silent.

Officially, this is the county's business. But many of Boggs McDonald's constituents have concerns about the project and probably expect her to speak out.

Don't they have a right to know how she feels about Station Casinos plans for Summerlin?

archive