Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Las Vegas City Council:

Revised downtown curfew proposal up for consideration Wednesday

Las Vegas’ first attempt at imposing a downtown curfew was met with resistance and concerns that the affected area was too broad. On Wednesday, the city council will review revised boundaries for the curfew and possibly vote on the proposalat its regular meeting at 9 a.m. at City Hall, 495 S. Main St.

Downtown curfew

As concerns about large crowds in the East Fremont Entertainment District and the Fremont Street Experience continued to fester, Mayor Carolyn Goodman put forward a downtown curfew as a way to improve safety for teenagers while also curbing underage drinking in the area.

The initial curfew proposal restricted those under 18 from being unaccompanied from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and legal holidays in the area bound by Sahara and Eastern avenues, Interstate 15 and U.S. 95.

The proposal was fast tracked after it was introduced last month, but hit a snag before it could make it to the full council when several groups raised objections. Concerns focused on how the curfew would affect teenagers who live in the downtown area and whether the new ordinance would lead to profiling.

The bill was delayed by two weeks while new boundaries were drawn up that limit the curfew to a more compact area centered on Fremont Street.

The council’s recommending committee gave its approval to the bill on a 3-0 vote today, so the bill will go to the full board for a vote Wednesday.

Short-term rentals

The potential for valley homes rented for a few days at a time to turn into nuisance “party houses” has long been a fear of residents and elected officials.

In Clark County, commissioners have voted to ban outright any rental shorter than 31 days.

Las Vegas has chosen a different path by crafting regulations allowing short-term rentals with some oversight by the city.

The city could update those requirements Wednesday, including adding a requirement that landlords obtain business licenses and pay a fee to the city. Additionally the proposal sponsored by councilwoman Lois Tarkanian would establish occupancy limits and other guidelines.

The proposal faces a tough road to passage, though, after the recommending committee at a meeting last month recommended denial.

Flooding in the northwest

Large amounts of rain and damage to Mount Charleston from this summer’s fire formed a perfect set of conditions that led to severe flooding on several occasions in the last two months in northwest Las Vegas.

Property damage was limited and no residents were harmed by the floods, but city crews have had to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to clean up the muck that washed down from Mount Charleston.

Although monsoon season has passed, concerns remain about the flooding problems in the area returning next year.

Working with the Clark County Regional Flood Control District, the city has prioritized a $6.5 million project to improve a stretch of Grand Teton Drive between Hualapai Way and Tee Pee Lane.

On Wednesday, flood control general manager Gale Fraser will update the council on that project’s progress and other work being done to address flooding in the northwest part of the city.

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