Henderson planners critical of new casino

Another Henderson neighborhood casino? No way, says the Henderson planning department.

The department is recommending planning commission denial of Sunset Beach Resort, a hotel-casino proposed for Sunset Road, east of U.S. 95, by Roadhouse Casino owner Robert McMackin.

Sunset Beach would include 16,000 square feet of casino space, a 210-room hotel, and a 4,000-square-foot restaurant. It would have a beach club theme, including a distinctive sailboat canopy over the entrance.

But the 9-acre site, at Sunset and Middlegate Roads, does not meet several components of a law pending before the Henderson City Council.

"Due to the proposed project not meeting the requirements of the pending legislation, staff does not support the proposed zone change," states a planning staff report written by principal planner Sue Gray.

Specifically, Sunset Beach fails to meet three requirements of a pending bill, Gray found: it sits on a 9-acre site, whereas the new law would require resort hotels to occupy a minimum of 25-acres; it does not appear to have a 30-seat bar, another requirement of the new law; and it does not have on-site entertainment, as required by the proposed law.

The resort would include a pool, spa, rock waterfall and sports court area.

The bill was introduced to Henderson's City Council at its July 7 meeting, and is expected to pass into law next Tuesday, Gray said.

"It's always been the policy of Henderson to review projects based on pending legislation," Gray said.

Gray also took issue with the resort's design, which would connect three separate buildings only by walls and walkways.

"The intent of the non-restricted gaming designation is that the casino and hotel be an integrated project with connectivity between uses," Gray wrote. "The hotel towers are not connected to the casino, and patrons must exit the casino to access the hotel towers."

The proposal fails to comply with Henderson's comprehensive plan, Gray found.

"The proposed location of the use and the proposed conditions under which it would be operated will not be consistent with the comprehensive plan; will be detrimental to the public health, safety or welfare of persons residing or working in or adjacent to the neighborhood of such use; and will be detrimental to properties or improvements in the vicinity or to the general welfare of the city," Gray's report concludes.

Neither McMackin nor representatives of his company, Pegasus Sunset LLC, returned calls for comment.

If approved, Sunset Beach would not be the first neighborhood casino in the area. Station Casino's Sunset Station, at the southwest corner of Sunset and Marks, opened last year. And Santa Fe Gaming last week began preparing a site at the northwest corner of Sunset and Marks for a resort called Santa Fe Valley.

Both Sunset Station and Santa Fe Valley sit on parcels larger than 25 acres. Sunset Station includes a movie theatre, and Santa Fe Valley says it will include an ice rink.

The Henderson Planning Commission will consider Sunset Beach at its meeting tonight.

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