County revamps rules on land deals

Wednesday, July 21, 2004 | 10:49 a.m.

The Clark County Commission on Tuesday enacted sweeping changes to the way it handles leases, swaps and sales of county-owned land in an effort to avoid incidents like the one that led to the ongoing debate over the lease for a big-box Wal-Mart near McCarran International Airport.

The new policy requires public hearings and a detailed request for proposal before leases are approved. The county owns thousands of acres of airport property under and near landing and takeoff areas, which it usually leases, sells or swaps for commercial and industrial purposes to avoid noise complaints from residents who might otherwise settle there.

But sometimes the uses that the airport staff have planned do not please nearby residents. On Tuesday, residents objected to plans by the airport to lease airport land to the Nevada National Guard for a 100,000-square-foot armory that would serve as the headquarters of a team that would respond to a weapons-of-mass-destruction incident.

The armory would be at Serene Avenue and Arville Street. John Hiatt, chairman of the Enterprise Town Advisory Board, told the board that the proposed lease with the National Guard -- which would bring the county about $92,000 per month -- has not been discussed with the residents of the area.

"Essentially nobody in the area has a clue what is being done there," Hiatt said. "This is similar to the Wal-Mart issue because it is an end-run around the planning process."

Commissioners noted that the master land-use plans for the area call for "public facilities," but they said that most residents assume the facilities would be a public park or swimming pool, not an armory.

Adjutant General Giles Vanderhoof, commander of the Nevada National Guard, told the commission that he could delay consideration of the armory lease by two weeks to allow the guard to meet with residents, a suggestion accepted by the commission.

He warned, however, that delaying acceptance of the lease for too long threatened $13 million in federal funding for the military's response team.

In June, residents objected strongly to the proposed 200,000-square-foot Wal-Mart planned for Russell Road and Eastern Avenue. However, the commissioners were surprised to learn that in March they had approved a master-lease that included provisions for the Wal-Mart.

The March approval was included in the "consent" portion of the commission agenda, which does not usually require any discussion. With Tuesday's change, all the leases will get a public vetting before approval.

Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates said the changes come too late to avoid the Wal-Mart controversy, but they should help residents and commissioners avoid feeling blindsided in the future.

"I think it is important as a commissioner to understand what I am agreeing to," Gates said.

Commissioner Rory Reid, who represents the area with the Wal-Mart controversy, said the changes were a step forward for the county. He has been critical of the county and contracted developer's failure to meet with neighbors before approving the lease for the store, arguing that the county held private developers to a higher standard.

"There is no question but that this would improve our policy," Reid said. "This is public land. We have more of a responsibility to the residents than people in the private sector."

The change will ensure public meetings "so everybody knows from the outset what the proposals are and what the implications of the policies are," he said.

County Manager Thom Reilly said the new policies are designed to make the entire process of handling airport land more transparent. He said the policies have the backing of the airport staff.

"The new policy was drafted by airport staff and they were fully supportive of it," Reilly said. "It is more responsive to petitioners and to the public."

He said the lease for the National Guard armory should come back to the commission in two weeks.