Group seeks to limit sites for casinos

Brian Wargo and Liz Benston

Thursday, Dec. 1, 2005 | 7:07 a.m.

Henderson is preparing to follow the lead of Clark County and enact an ordinance more restrictive than state law by keeping new casinos farther away from homes, churches and schools.

The proposed ordinance restricting the siting of casinos in Henderson comes at the urging of a citizens group that has repeatedly fended off attempts by gaming companies to build casinos near their west Henderson neighborhood.

The restrictions would not apply to any of the major resorts under way in Henderson and the southwest Las Vegas Valley.

Among the projects that would not be affected by the proposal is the planned $1.8 billion M Resort at the southeast corner of St. Rose Parkway and Las Vegas Boulevard, which was recently approved by the Henderson City Council under its existing rules.

And the proposed $750 million Southern Highlands resort, located across Las Vegas Boulevard, is outside Henderson's city limits.

If enacted, Henderson's ordinance would match provisions in one that Clark County enacted in June 2000 requiring that unplanned casinos be at least 5,000 feet from residential areas, churches and schools. Under a 1997 state law, casinos outside of the Strip, lower Boulder Highway and the metro Las Vegas area must be 500 feet from homes and 1,500 from churches and schools.

Henderson's ordinance, however, goes much further than Clark County's by requiring that casinos be at least five miles apart from one another. The city also would have the discretion to deny casinos between 5,000 and 7,500 feet of schools, churches and residential areas. State law currently imposes a 2,500-foot restriction near schools and churches.

But like Clark County, Henderson's distance restrictions would not apply to master-planned areas and gaming districts where casinos are an intended use. That includes Henderson's Lake Las Vegas, which is exempt from the 1997 state law on distance requirements, Henderson Community Development Director Bristol Ellington said.

The Henderson Planning Commission will consider the ordinance at its 7 p.m. meeting today, and the City Council is expected to vote on the regulations as early as Jan. 3.

Henderson Council members appear supportive of the proposed distance restrictions, which the gaming industry worked with the city to develop.

That's what Henderson resident Jennie Orme was hoping for when she recently approached city officials to seek an ordinance restricting where casinos could be located. Orme, who lives near Eastern Avenue and St. Rose Parkway, said neighborhood residents have grown tired of fighting plans for casinos near their homes.

In 1998, Boyd Gaming proposed a 210-room resort with bowling lanes and movie theaters at Eastern Avenue and Lake Mead Parkway before dropping those plans when Orme and other residents complained. Station Casinos also had plans to build a resort on the site, but dropped them because of neighborhood opposition.

Orme, a community activist who served on the Clark County School District zoning advisory board, said other companies also have proposed casinos in the area during the last year, only to again face neighborhood opposition.

"What's happening is that we have grown tired of fighting this again and again," Orme said. "We bought our homes never expecting casinos would be nearby.

"We are not trying to shoot down gaming in Las Vegas. It has its place, but just not in our neighborhood. We don't want it around children, schools and churches."

Orme said she has collected signatures from more than 2,000 people supporting tighter regulations, which she said draws from Clark County's ordinance. Casinos bring in more traffic and people to neighborhoods, endangering children from drunken drivers and others, she said.

"It's not like we live on the Strip," Orme said. "When we bought our homes out here, we wanted to get as far away from gaming as possible. The two don't mix.

"We want to raise kids where we feel it is safe and not worry about visitors driving through the neighborhood."

Without the proposed new restrictions, denser clusters of casinos conceivably could be built in the community.

"It was never our intention to have a Strip corridor similar to Las Vegas Boulevard," Ellington said.

Councilman Andy Hafen said he wanted Henderson to adopt an ordinance similar to Clark County's and encouraged Orme to pursue it.

The proposal protects both residents and the gaming industry, because homeowners know where casinos are allowed before purchasing homes, he said.

And casinos will know where they can locate, he said.

"I think people need a comfort level that there is not going to be a casino in their back yard," Hafen said.

Councilwoman Amanda Cyphers said she has not heard of any opposition to the proposed ordinance. She said Henderson is not anti-gaming in pursuing the tighter restrictions on casinos, but called the effort a grass-roots push by citizens to protect their quality of life and their homes -- the biggest investment they make.

"It's different if they are within master-planned communities," Cyphers said. "People know (casinos) will be built there, and people are making informed decisions."

Gaming is expected to be part of the proposed 1,900-acre west Henderson master-planned community Inspirada, a project of the Focus Property Group.

Representatives of Station Casinos and Boyd Gaming -- the two major operators of neighborhood casinos in Las Vegas -- say they are watching the proposal.

None of the companies' existing casinos would be affected by the ordinance change, nor does either company have any new casinos under way in Henderson.

Boyd's South Coast is expected to open late next month on the South Strip -- a gaming district outside of Henderson's reach.

"We respect and understand that ... Henderson needs to develop criteria, and we are evaluating it at this time," Station spokeswoman Lori Nelson said.

Similarly, Boyd spokesman Rob Stillwell said, "We plan to adhere to any of the requirements that ... Henderson lays out. This really wouldn't have any impact on us, though."

Station had backed a bill in the 2005 legislative session that would have imposed similar distance requirements on future casinos. But the language eventually changed, and the bill was killed.

Station is in the best position to gain from future restrictions on casinos affecting new competitors, some experts say.

Some residents opposed the location of Green Valley Ranch Station Casino, which opened in December 2001. Cyphers said she does not receive any complaints about that resort, which has provided the community with restaurants and entertainment.

Because it is part of a master-planned community of 1,000 acres or more, Green Valley Ranch Station would have been allowed under the proposed ordinance, Ellington said. The Fiesta Henderson would not have been allowed, and the Sunset Station also possibly would have been affected, he said.

Clark County Planning Manager Chuck Pulsipher said the county's ordinance adopted in 2000 had the backing of casino officials, who recognized the advantage of a plan clearly defining where hotels and resorts could locate.

"It helps you avoid future fights and yelling and screaming at public hearings," Pulsipher said. "It makes some sense."

Lisa Mayo-DeRiso, a Las Vegas resident who has opposed Station Casinos' plans to build in neighborhoods, said she supports the Henderson proposal.

"I think it's great they are addressing this," said DeRiso, who had pushed for stricter distance requirements than current state law allows. "It adds an additional buffer between the casinos and the community, which is not really that far when you're talking about the comingling of traffic with people who are accessing our schools."

"It helps solidify that Henderson is a very serious community when it comes to families and quality of life," Mayo-DeRiso added.

Residents still have opportunities to oppose casinos in master-planned communities when those communities are being considered, she said.

"If the community is paying attention ... it can say, 'That's too big. We want a smaller casino,' " Mayo-DeRiso said.

Brian Wargo can be reached at 259-4011 or at wargo@lasvegassun.com.

Liz Benston can be reached at 259-4077 or at benston@lasvegassun.com.

archive