Tuesday, July 20, 2004 | 11:01 a.m.
Most of the residents who live on the long, sometimes lonely road to Mount Charleston moved out there years ago.
Now they are seeing the city get closer to them -- and they aren't crazy about the idea. One of the latest proposals, which will come before the Clark County Planning Commission tonight, would be to build 39 homes on 80 acres near Scottie and Kyle Canyon roads.
The proposed development, next door to another that calls for 15 homes, would be a gated community adjacent to Bureau of Land Management property. The developers say they have some supporters among the neighbors who want to see their properties increase in value because of the promised upscale development.
Stephanie Banister, who has lived on Scottie Road for nine years, said the overwhelming majority of her neighbors, however, oppose the project.
"We're very, very upset," Banister said. "It's wide open space on the way to Mount Charleston, definitely not the place for a gated community."
Among the concerns they have is that the new development will require new wells and new septic systems. The existing well owners fear that water levels will drop because of the new demand. They also fear that the new septic systems could contaminate their wells.
"I am very concerned about what will happen to our wells and the water table," Banister said. "It's too concentrated.
"I'm not against growth per se, I just don't think it should be on the road to Mount Charleston."
Others say they are concerned about the lack of services, such as fire and police, close by the site. But the main concern is simply the number of houses that could go in there.
"People move out here to get away from all that," said 16-year-old David Goodwin, who grew up on Scottie Road. "Where are people going to ride their horses, their bikes, go for quiet walks? There's going to be more traffic, more speeders, more drinking and driving.
"I like it the way it is up here. I don't want it changed."
The developers, however, say the relative quiet is why the area is perfect for an upscale community where the new residents will be able to ride horses and bikes in the shadow of Mount Charleston.
Scott Montgomery, project manager for Cherokee Land Development, said the company is planning to keep as much of the natural experience as possible. The Joshua trees and other native fauna will be transplanted where necessary to accommodate the 39 houses planned for the site, he said.
"I understand where the people opposing it are coming from, but we think we honestly are going above and beyond," he said.
Mike Wilson, his partner in the proposed development, said the developer still will have to go before the state engineer for the rights to groundwater for wells. He said the land-use issue before the planning commission, however, should not stop the project.
The request for approval is within the 2-acre per house land-use guidelines for the area, Wilson said.
County officials confirmed that unless someone objects, approval from the planning commission should give the green light to the project. However, Banister said she and her neighbors are almost certain to object, sending the issue to the full Clark County Commission for a final say on the project.
Wilson and Montgomery said one of the benefits of the project, where the lots alone should sell for about $1 million, is that property values for the neighbors will go up.
"There are a lot of people up there that we're going to make millionaires out of this," Montgomery said.
One board that was unable to make a recommendation on the issue was the Lower Kyle Canyon Citizens Advisory Council, which advises the county commission. The council was unable to muster a quorum last week during a hearing on the project.
Steve Hamilton, a council member, said he supports the project.
"I think that basically it's a conforming use (to the county land-use rules)," he said. "They're not asking for anything that has to change zoning."
Hamilton noted that a few miles away at the turn off from U.S. 95, quarter-acre lots are planned for big subdivisions. But that would not be appropriate farther west on Kyle Canyon Road, he said.
"It's a good thing for that area because that's the kind of thing we want to see up there," Hamilton said. "Closer to the turn off, there's higher density."
Hamilton said that he is a Realtor, so some think he might have a conflict of interest. He is also a resident along Kyle Canyon Road, though.
"I feel, as a resident, that it is within the zoning and is what we want to see," he said.
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