Editorial: The new dream of home ownership?

Friday, May 21, 2004 | 8:55 a.m.

The Clark County Commission, so terribly concerned about people who are missing out on the American Dream of home ownership because of rising prices, has approved a subdivision just for them -- right near a lovely sewage treatment plant, a power plant and a salvage yard.

Commissioner Myrna Williams took the lead Wednesday in arguing for the 800-home, 88-acre development that was opposed by county planners and the Sunrise Manor Town Advisory Board. "Sometimes you have to do things that are not so popular because it is the right thing to do," Williams said.

Well, the prices would be right. Projected to sell for about $120,000, the homes near Hollywood Boulevard and Vegas Valley Drive would be a bargain. The current median asking price for a new home in the Las Vegas area is just under $285,000.

But if these small homes get built, the county will learn quickly that it was not the right thing to do. We speak from experience, having written in the past about homeowners living near a sewage treatment plant. There is no overcoming the nauseating odors. Families who think they can handle the smell are soon, and literally, crying foul. And then there would be the safety issues raised by parents, who wouldn't want their children growing up next to a power plant and salvage yard.

It was a mistake for the County Commission to allow zoning on the 88 acres to be changed from industrial to residential. You want industrial zoning on such land to act as a buffer against necessary but noxious developments such as sewage plants and scrap yards. This Awful Smelling Affordable Plan should be rescinded -- ASAP.