Editorial: Way too risky for a store

Sunday, Dec. 4, 2005 | 8:32 a.m.

A Wal-Mart Supercenter and Sam's Club proposed for 73 acres in Henderson has drawn heated criticism -- for good reason.

The 758,000-square-foot development is proposed for the northwest corner of Lake Mead Parkway and Water Street, an area that is home to the Basic Management Inc. site, a huge industrial area whose plants date from World War II. Four large chemical plants that use and store hazardous materials remain in operation at BMI. The development, if built, would have retail stores within 700 feet of the plants.

Last week a Wal-Mart attorney, Doug Baker, said the retail giant was suspending plans for the development. For now, the proposal has been taken off the Henderson Planning Commission's agenda and there is no timetable for resurrecting it. But the plan, or a similar plan, could come back at any time.

The chief executive of LandWell Co., the real estate arm of the corporation that manages the industrial site, told Las Vegas Sun reporter Brian Wargo, "Right now it is in limbo, but eventually this site will be developed with or without them (Wal-Mart)."

One of the worst industrial accidents in Southern Nevada history took place near this industrial site in 1988. An explosion at a plant that subsequently moved to Utah killed two people, injured 350 and damaged or rattled homes and businesses for miles around. In 1991 a chlorine leak at one of the remaining chemical plants sickened more than 300 people and forced thousands to be evacuated.

One of the critics of any nonindustrial development on the 73 acres is Richard Bremmer, the hazardous materials coordinator of the Clark County Fire Department. "You want a buffer zone around that area," he told the Sun.

Any use proposed for that land, aside from industrial, should not be permitted by Henderson.