Calico Ridge residents want recreation area

Residents of Henderson's Calico Ridge at Wednesday's Citizens Advisory Committee meeting unveiled their own version of a master plan for highly-disputed industrial land in their community.

Around 130 people turned out for the meeting at the Henderson Convention Center to hear representatives from the Calico Ridge Owners Association outline their plan for 61 acres of land currently zoned for industrial use, which borders the custom homes in Calico Ridge as closely as 20 feet in some areas.

The residents' plan, which was voted on and approved by 75 percent of those who turned out for the October 5 Owners Association meeting, strongly rejects any further industrial development in the Calico Ridge area, located between Lake Mead Drive and Olsen Street.

Instead, the plan calls for the formation of a local improvement district, or LID, that would result in the 61 acres in question to be developed into a natural desert habitat and recreational area.

The proposed recreational area would include bike and walking trails, as well as softball and soccer fields to compensate for the lack of parks in the Calico Ridge area.

The cost of purchasing the industrial land for the current owners had yet to be determined, said Jim Anderson, one of the Calico Ridge Owners Association's Board of Directors. He added, though, that Calico Ridge residents are willing to pay into the plan in order to preserve their neighborhood.

"The residents feel so strongly about this that they are willing to commit significant money into the program," Anderson said. There are close 400 homeowners in Calico Ridge.

Advisory committee Chairman Manny Gomez raised some concerns about where the funding for what would be a very costly LID plan would come from.

"What I heard tonight is that they (Calico Ridge residents) would put up half, and the city of Henderson or some other source would put up the other half," he said. "I think the (Citizens Advisory) Committee is a little bit skeptical because this is a pretty expensive endeavor and we are wondering how much these people really want to do this."

Anderson countered the Gomez's financial concerns by saying that the city might be able to swap land or relocate the current industrial land owners, rather than provide actual monetary funding for the project.

The concerns of Calico Ridge and surrounding residents aren't limited to just aesthetics such as scenic views, but also include safety issues.

One of the potential developers of the land, Atlas Cold Storage, is proposing a 150,000 square-foot facility on 7 1/2 acres that would use large amounts of ammonia. Another major concern for residents is a flood zone that runs through much of the industrially zoned land.

"Just because you build a building there won't make the water go away," Anderson said, adding that improper construction of flood channels by developers could lead to flooding in Calico Ridge neighborhoods.

The LID plan we'll now go on to the Henderson City attorney's office and the Department of Public Works to study it's feasibility, Gomez said.

A workshop on Calico Ridge and the surrounding study area will be held on October 28.

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