County to reconsider commercial zoning

At least one Clark County commissioner agrees with what Mount Charleston property owners have claimed for months: Their community can't accommodate a 60,000-square-foot shopping center.

The county board on Wednesday will reconsider a zone change it made in May, when it did away with residential zoning on a 13-acre parcel and made way for a commercial development.

Lance Malone, the commissioner who asked that the zoning be reconsidered, said his major concern is the lack of studies regarding fire, police and traffic.

"It's not ready for commercial, not to that extent," Malone said.

Zoning was changed to allow developer Allen Nel to execute a plan that includes a Western-themed shopping complex with a convenience store, horse stables and a restaurant with a bar.

After listening to concerned residents and looking at the site across from the Mount Charleston Hotel, Malone said he realized the negative impact a large shopping center could have on the quiet mountain community.

He took advantage of a statute that allows commissioners to reconsider zone changes if the request is made within five days of the initial ruling.

Malone and homeowners fear that more establishments serving or selling alcohol in the community could lead to more fatalities on the two-lane Kyle Canyon Road, which twists up the mountain from the valley. The road is already known as one of the most deadly in the state.

Residents back Malone's assessment that there are not enough emergency services to accommodate the shopping center.

Many property owners, however, doubt that Nel intends to follow through with his plans. They say he requested the zoning change to boost property values and improve his position for a potential land trade with the U.S. Forestry Service.

Nel owns the nine-hole golf course behind the Mount Charleston Hotel and has mentioned plans to add another nine holes if he can acquire property from the government, according to property owner and Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas.

"This has nothing to do with whether or not there will be commercial up there; it has to do with how much the property is worth," Giunchigliani said.

Nel initially asked that the acreage be changed from residential to C-2, the type of commercial zoning most valuable because it permits alcohol sales and gaming. Malone said the commission opted to compromise by amending the zoning so that half is the less valuable C-1 and the other half is C-2.

Community members contend that the recent barrage of commission meetings about the development wouldn't have been necessary in the first place had a mistake made years ago been corrected.

The northwest plan advisory board determined the controversial property would be best suited for a horse-boarding facility and made that recommendation to the county.

But county planners misunderstood the citizen board's recommendation and in its land-use guide, which plots out the future use of property, the parcel was labeled commercial.

"The whole issue boils down to this: Unfortunately, however it occurred, the maps were changed," Giunchigliani said. "That has forced those of us who care about Mount Charleston to go through unnecessary hoops to fix an error."

Lesa Cober, assistant director of planning, confirmed the land-use guide's designation was a misunderstanding and added that a horse-boarding business could be opened in an area zoned residential if the operator obtained a use permit.

The commission will make two decisions during Wednesday's zoning session. First it will decide whether to amend the land-use guide to recommend the parcel be residential in the future.

Then the board will determine whether the 13 acres should be changed back from commercial to residential zoning.

archive