Council OKs hotel, other businesses in northwest valley

By Cydney Cappello (contact)

Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008 | 6:28 p.m.

The Las Vegas City Council approved a request Wednesday to develop land at the southwest corner of Durango Drive and Farm Road.

The development will include a 139-room, five-story Holiday Inn, a Rockin' Baja Lobster restaurant, a tavern and an ARCO ampm convenience store.

One person spoke in favor of the development, although other area residents worried that a large hotel and the development that will follow isn't suitable for the northwest Las Vegas Valley neighborhood.

Resident Virginia Gipson, who attended neighborhood and planning commission meetings before the issue reached the city council, wrote a letter to council members asking them not to approve the development. She said she thought the area already had enough similar businesses.

“Within three miles of Durango Drive and Farm Road, there are 10 taverns, five car washes and 10 convenience stores with fuel pumps," she wrote in her letter to the council. "The proposal ... is completely out of character for this neighborhood."

Landowner Pichat Pojansomboon said the hotel will be 61 feet at its highest point, adding that a nearby Albertson's store is 37 feet tall. He said the hotel would be adjacent to a highway ramp that is 40 feet tall.

Resident Teddy Russell spoke in favor of the project, saying the neighborhood could see economic benefits from the development.

"I see an awful lot of quality jobs coming out of this," he said.

But Paul Pradia disagreed, saying this spot of land isn't the right place for a large hotel.

“The traffic pattern is certainly going to increase. It’s hard enough when you’re going south on Durango trying to get on 95. It’s almost impossible right now,” Pradia said. "And with the addition of the hotel, traffic will be a major concern."

The council added amendments to prohibit kitchenettes and public laundry services in the hotel, restricting it from renting rooms on a weekly or monthly basis.