More fodder tossed into land fight

Tuesday, May 9, 2006 | 7:31 a.m.

Clark County's need to provide utilities and rail service to a proposed regional airport near the California state line may threaten Henderson's plan to gain more control over future southern development of the Las Vegas Strip.

The county has unveiled drawings designating a utility corridor that's as much as a half-mile wide between Interstate 15 and Las Vegas Boulevard South near Henderson's border at St. Rose Parkway. The corridor leads to Ivanpah Valley and an airport planned between Jean and Primm. The easement would shrink to 800 feet south of Sloan Road and continue to straddle Las Vegas Boulevard South.

The debate over the corridor's size is part of a larger battle over southern Clark County's future. It comes down to who controls a future South Strip resort corridor and other lucrative development expected to flourish with the anticipated 2017 opening of the airport. The winner will get more property taxes and new sources of gaming revenue.

The proposed size of the corridor and inclusion of both sides of Las Vegas Boulevard South hampers Henderson's attempts to control land use for what officials say is a key entrance to the city. A year ago, a Clark County protest to the Bureau of Land Management blocked Henderson from annexing 3,626 acres until a utility corridor was established. County officials said they also feared the annexation would lead to Henderson's expansion on federal lands closer to Ivanpah, and hinder growth of the proposed airport and its surrounding development.

Now, Henderson officials are questioning the county's need for a corridor wider than 800 feet.

"We are not trying to be land hogs, nor is our reason for annexing lands to be a checkmate for other entities to grow," said Henderson Councilwoman Amanda Cyphers. "We would like an opportunity to have a future that we choose."

City officials have long criticized Clark County's planning practices, dating to, among other things, the county's approval of an adult bookstore near a Henderson church and park.

"I don't want to sound elitist, but we have spent a lot of time and money planning on what we see as our grand entrance to the city," Henderson Councilman Jack Clark said. "The county has not done a great job of planning our borders. That causes me great concern."

Clark County Commissioner Lynette Boggs McDonald, who represents the area Henderson wants to annex, said the county has enacted a moratorium through 2008 that prevents any land uses that don't conform to current zoning. She said mistakes made years ago shouldn't be any basis for the county giving up control of the future South Strip.

"Historically, the Las Vegas Strip has always been in the jurisdiction of Clark County, and it needs to stay that way until someone says why we should deviate from that history," Boggs McDonald said.

County officials point out that the proposed corridor is much less than they could obtain under the 2002 legislation that led to the federal sale of 5,800 acres for the airport to Clark County. Without specifying a location, the legislation allowed a utility corridor of up to one-half mile, or 2,640 feet, but called on Henderson and the county to work together on establishing the boundaries and size in consultation with the secretary of interior.

Assistant County Manager Virginia Valentine said the county wants to be cautious and ensure it preserves enough right of way until it knows where the utility and transportation projects will be located. No infrastructure has been designed, and the county wants to avoid using tax dollars to acquire right of way later that it could get now for free.

"We do know from past experience that we never seem to have enough right of way for interchanges, frontage roads or buffers," Valentine said.

Valentine said other factors played a role in the corridor's size, such as who should service the land between Interstate 15 and Las Vegas Boulevard South. A wedge north of St. Rose Parkway is part of unincorporated Clark County, and the county already has utilities serving the area. Land use is also a factor in the corridor's size. Valentine said the county has a master plan for the area.

But John Rinaldi, Henderson's manager of property and redevelopment, wondered why a discussion about including Las Vegas Boulevard should even be germane to a discussion about where a transportation and utility corridor should go.

"When you are looking for what's the best use of the land, I don't think anybody for the city or county wants to see a wide swatch of land left for no purpose. We are all interested in making sure there is an ample supply of land for development in the valley. It is our lifeblood."

Identifying a corridor won't prevent an area from being annexed or developed, Valentine said, and federal land not needed for the corridor will be released for sale at auction.

The city would still have a chance to gain more South Strip frontage by annexing private land, which happened with the planned M Resort at the southeast corner of St. Rose Parkway and Las Vegas Boulevard South.

Despite tension between Henderson and Clark County, Juan Palma, Las Vegas field manager for the Bureau of Land Management, said he remains optimistic the issue will be resolved because both sides already have made concessions.

Clark County won't seek the half-mile allowed under the federal legislation for the entire length of the corridor, and Henderson has withdrawn a separate annexation request for tens of thousands of acres of federal land near Jean.

Henderson continues to seek 3,353 acres southwest of its current border. That represents a 300-acre reduction from 2005 to account for the corridor, he said. (The city currently is just under 100 square miles. Its long-range plans call for growth of more than 150 square miles to the south.)

"I am hopeful we can resolve this," said Palma, who questions the need for a utility corridor wider than 800 feet. "We have resolved 90 percent of it, but that little bit left is crucial. I have not given up. My role is to bring them all to the table to reach an agreement."

Henderson officials say that they won't agree to any deal that land-locks the city and prevents them from annexing federal land south of the 3,353 acres.