Neighbors oppose new gymnastics facility

By Jenny Davis

Friday, Sept. 26, 2008 | midnight

When residents like Jeff Rogers moved into their homes near Alexander and Juliano roads, they didn't think they needed to worry about businesses being built in the empty lot that is zoned residential near their homes.

Now that a gymnastics school is being proposed for the area, he and his neighbors are up in arms. They say the gymnastics school is a business and should be built on commercial land somewhere else.

But gymnastics schools aren't classified as businesses in Clark County zoning regulations.

The Clark County Unified Development Code says a zone change is not required for the gymnastics facility because there are use permits allowed within residential neighborhoods that allow quasi-commercial facilities like training facilities, adult day cares, schools, churches and congregate care.

Still, from the nearby residents' perspective, this would be a large business that is proposed to be open Mondays through Saturdays.

"I just want to know why," Rogers said during a Sept. 15 neighborhood meeting with officials of the gymnastics applicant, the Vitaly Schorbo School of Gymnastics. "It's not an easily accessible area. You have to drive a long way after you get off the freeway. It's in an area that is planned for no lighting and horse trails and homes on half-acre lots. Why not take this to a commercial area where it belongs?"

Vitaly Schorbo, the owner of the proposed school, has had a gymnastics school, 3250 Bronco St., for 10 years and is hoping to expand with a second facility. He said that most of his students come from the Northwest part of town and many of the parents want a new facility to be built near them.

"In this area, there is no gymnastics school within seven miles," he said. "There are people who want their kids involved in gymnastics, and want this school here. They don't want to drive 15 to 20 minutes somewhere else."

Also, the cost of land is less expensive in the area, he said.

The maximum number of students who would be taught throughout the day is 65, and a little more than 90 parking spaces are planned. The architect for the proposed facility said the number of parking spaces is high so that the facility can accommodate for the two tournaments a year that the school would host.

The proposal for the facility was supposed to be postponed during the Lone Mountain Citizens Advisory Council meeting on Sept. 9, but the applicants spoke about the facility for two and a half hours, which enraged residents because they didn't have a chance to speak on the matter because they thought it was being held.

During the neighborhood meeting, residents made it clear to Vitaly that they do not in any way support the proposal. However, after about an hour of objections, they decided to talk to the architect about what they want the building to look like if the proposal is approved despite their protests.

Some of their suggestions include:

• A continuation of the horse trail that already exists to the west of the property.
• Making it underground as much as possible to lower the height.
• Not allowing parking or driving on Juliano Road by making it inaccessible through a vacation of the road, or if Juliano can't be vacated, mitigate cut-through traffic or U-turn traffic by creating a median or split entry on on-site drop off or pick up.
• Making the appearance look more like houses in the area by having larger windows, colonnades and recesses.
• Have operating hours be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• A wrought iron gate along the front of the facility that is locked after hours.
• That lighting be contained within the site.
• Have an alarm and video cameras on property.

The traffic concern, however, is out of the hands of Vitaly and the architect. It is not possible to block off traffic for Juliano unless the county approves a vacation of the road.

Because half of Juliano Road is in the city and half is in the county, the two entities would have to work together to prohibit parking and driving.

The matter will be heard again at the Sept. 30 Lone Mountain Citizens Advisory Council meeting at 6:30 p.m. and at 7 p.m. at the Oct. 9 Clark County Planning Commission meeting.

Jenny Davis can be reached at 990-8921 or [email protected].