Wednesday, Aug. 21, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
The Henderson City Council has narrowly approved a 5.8 million-square-foot commercial project that will bring a 600-room hotel-casino and more restaurants, medical facilities and office space to Green Valley Ranch.
The City Council at Tuesday's meeting approved by a 3-2 vote the project that will be built by American Nevada Corp.
Mayor Bob Groesbeck and Councilman Andy Hafen voted against it.
"It was a highly emotional issue, but was presented in a businesslike manner with both sides providing concise, articulate presentations," said City Manager Phil Speight.
"It was a difficult decision that the council had to ponder hard. They were concerned that the project would be built per the (suburban Main Street-like) architectural renderings, which ANC promised it would."
Some Green Valley residents opposed the $800 million development, saying the resort would change the complexion of the upscale residential area, part of a 1,300-acre master-planned community south of Lake Mead Drive.
Phil Peckman, chief operating officer of Greenspun Inc., a holding company for American Nevada, assured residents it would be a first-class resort.
"It won't look like a neighborhood casino," he said, adding that it will be "a high-end resort first, and gaming second."
He said gaming will comprise only 20 percent of the upscale multiple-use 308-acre development on Lake Mead Drive between Green Valley Parkway and Pecos Road.
Peckman said project officials also addressed and satisfied residents' concerns about increased traffic and crime.
Prior to the project's approval last month by the Henderson Planning Commission, David Olson, ANC's senior vice president of marketing, said:
"We're not planning anything that would jeopardize the quality of life here. We want (an) upscale resort. We've identified a need for upscale rooms in the Henderson area."
The original 250-foot height of the hotel also was a bone of contention with opponents. After more than three dozen meetings with homeowner groups over the past six months, ANC lowered the proposed height to 80 feet.
Other concerns expressed by area residents at the council meeting included traffic problems, crime and decreased property values alleged to be associated with neighborhood-type casinos.
Construction is not expected to begin for two years, until after the southern leg of the Las Vegas Beltway is completed in 1998. Officials expect that work on the overall complex will continue for 10 to 15 years.
ANC is a division of Greenspun Inc., which also owns the Las Vegas SUN, Prime Cable and Hospitality Network.
