Editorial: Why dialogue is needed

Friday, Jan. 30, 2004 | 5:08 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

Jan. 31 - Feb. 1, 2004

One of the Las Vegas Valley's more common growth-related conflicts is now playing out in North Las Vegas. Residents of a Rural Preservation Area -- an area where lot sizes are a half-acre at minimum and livestock is allowed -- are protesting a proposal that would change the character of their neighborhood. The proposal, by Celebrate Homes, would place 39 houses on a 14.8-acre parcel at Lone Mountain Road and Allen Lane. This averages out at 1.3 homes, instead of one, per half-acre. Also, the community would be gated and no livestock would be allowed.

Steve Werk, a resident of the area and spokesperson for 70 other residents who signed a petition protesting the proposal, told the North Las Vegas Planning Commission: "What the developer is trying to do is bring a walled community into the midst of a rural community. And once they get a foothold here the next developer will say there's been a precedent set."

Werk is right. Once common in the Las Vegas Valley, "horse estates" are being crowded out by master-planned communities. Years ago a growth strategy should have been developed to preserve these traditional symbols of Western life. The Planning Commission postponed any decision on this particular proposal. When it does decide, however, it will be looking only at this small area. A county-wide growth strategy, adhered to by all municipalities, certainly would be important in situations such as these.