Editorial: Sharing burdens of growth

Friday, March 31, 2006 | 7:08 a.m.

The Clark County School District's need for a new school and residents' desire to retain their neighborhood's rural atmosphere are heading for a showdown in Henderson.

According to a story in Wednesday's Las Vegas Sun, those who live in Paradise Hills are unhappy about the district's proposal to build an elementary school at the northeast corner of Paradise Hills Drive and Greenway Road. Residents fear that a school will further erode the area's views and create traffic that will ruin their peace and quiet.

District officials say they must build a school to relieve nearby J. Marlan Walker International Elementary, where enrollment has swelled to 1,250. Walker has compensated by adding 19 portable classrooms, but it is not enough.

People have suggested alternative sites, although such sites could cost more. District officials say they have redesigned the proposed school several times to meet the community's demands, including the addition of a public equestrian trail.

At issue is whether a school is compatible with the rural preservation district designation that Paradise Hills was granted under an ordinance Henderson adopted in 2001. The designation exempts such communities from requirements that call for sidewalks, curbs and gutters and streetlights, and a school would need all of those. The designation also limits density and requires developers to describe all projects at a community meeting before the city approves them.

But such protection does not - and should not - guarantee that no schools, fire stations or other necessary services will be located within these communities as the need for them arises. The Las Vegas Valley's population isn't static, and its needs are constantly changing. Residents who move to the fringes of this fast-developing region should expect certain aspects of their neighborhoods to change.

We support the rural preservation district's concept of density and general design. Such communities add variety and open space. But we also believe that residents moving into any Las Vegas Valley community should expect that some services may have to be added as more people choose the area as their home. Living near a school, fire station or other public service is part of the load we all must share.