Council considers annexing 3,626 acres in southwest

Eric Leake

Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2005 | 8:48 a.m.

Henderson will soon grow by 3,626 acres if it approves an annexation the City Council decided to consider Tuesday.

The federal land lies primarily on the city's western and southern borders along Interstate 15 and the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area. If annexed, the land will remain federal property under Henderson jurisdiction and planning.

John Rinaldi Jr., manager of the Henderson Office of Property Management and Redevelopment, said the annexation would be the city's largest of the new millennium.

He said the city is considering annexing the land to develop and plan infrastructure for neighboring developments.

"Another reason we're doing it is to better be able to plan the periphery of the city and protect that area from land uses that might be incompatible with our future plan," Rinaldi said.

The land is neighbored by a 1,940-acre parcel owned by the Focus Property Group. Rinaldi said Focus and the city are currently working on a development plan to bring before the city's planning commission.

He added that the city plans to use the land, if annexed, in a way compatible to the Focus property, though no development plans have been made yet.

"What this land represents for the city is just a natural extension of the already planned municipal services of the city," Rinaldi said.

In order to annex the land, the city had to consult with the Bureau of Land Management, which did not object. The city council unanimously decided Tuesday only to consider the annexation.

Now the issue will be presented for public hearing at the March 15 Henderson City Council meeting, Rinaldi said, with it possibly being adopted as an ordinance in mid-April.