Editorial: More notice needed in high-rise projects

Monday, Jan. 3, 2005 | 9:06 a.m.

As high-rise development becomes more common in Las Vegas, some of the current planning procedures may have to be amended. An example is the city of Las Vegas' rule about notifying neighbors in the vicinity of a proposed major project. The current rule says residents within 750 feet must be notified at least 10 days before the proposal is scheduled to be considered by the city Planning Commission.

This was done in the recent proposal to build three 28-story condominium towers near Alta Drive and Martin Luther King Boulevard. The proposal was ultimately rejected last month by the City Council, largely because of opposition from nearby residents. In discussing the issue with this newspaper, Daniel Deegan, a member of a neighborhood group that had opposed the towers, brought up a good point.

A high-rise development, with its increased density, affects a lot more people than ordinary projects, such as a restaurant or drug store. High rises can be seen for miles and affect people's views. And at full occupancy, they will increase area traffic much more than most developments. Deegan noted that the 750-foot rule, in the case of the proposed condo towers, resulted in the formal notification of fewer than 10 homes.

We agree that in the case of high-rise developments, the notification area should be enlarged. In Deegan's neighborhood, news of the development spread without greater formal notification, but that might not always be the case. Formal notification would guarantee that affected residents are afforded the opportunity to express themselves before the Planning Commission. Deegan says the notification area should be proportional to the size of the high-rise project. We agree and believe the City Council should amend its notification rule to include this change.