Panel gets handicapped parking proposal

A controversial ordinance that would shrink the size of handicapped parking spaces and reduce the gap between them has been sent to a Las Vegas City Council recommending committee.

Las Vegas Mayor Pro Tem Michael McDonald, sitting in place of absent Mayor Jan Laverty Jones at Monday's public meeting, assigned himself and Larry Brown, the bill's sponsor, to the committee that will hear the measure next Monday.

The proposed ordinance, which meets the minimum requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, has drawn fire from the area's largest disabled rights organization, the Southern Nevada Association for the Handicapped.

Vince Triggs, longtime director of that organization, told the Sun last week that should the bill pass in its present form it would be "a step backward for the entire community."

The bill calls for the city to reduce the size of handicapped parking spaces at new developments -- or at established developments that are undergoing major remodeling -- from a width of 9 feet to 8 feet.

The proposed ordinance also would require a 5-foot access aisle on just one side of the handicapped spaces instead of the current two 5-foot access aisles that sandwich each space.

The proposed ordinance stems from complaints by area developers who say the current ordinance allows too much space for handicapped parking, especially at small businesses where available parking is limited.

City staff officials say they believe the bill is a good effort to accommodate everyone from developers to the disabled.

Clark County, which is not currently considering changes to its handicapped parking space standards, requires handicapped parking to be 9 feet wide, but allows just one 5-foot access aisle on either side of the space, as the city now is proposing.

In addition to introducing the handicapped parking bill, the City Council also unveiled a proposed ordinance it hopes will clarify the procedures for modifying development plans and obtaining site development plan reviews.

That bill was put on the fast track, meaning that if it is approved Monday by the McDonald-Brown recommending committee, it could go to the council for vote in late July. By contrast, the handicapped parking bill would not come before the full council until sometime in August.

Also on Monday, the council voted 4-0 to pass a bill that makes technical amendments to the general provisions of business licensing. Changes include exempting non-profit professional service organizations from business licensing requirements if the professional services are provided to the public free of charge.

The council also unanimously passed a bill, annexing into the city's limits 5.25 acres of county land on the east side of Durango Drive about 290 feet south of Farm Road.

archive