Council delays decision on proposed movie studio

Hollywood will have to wait at least in Henderson.

The City Council has agreed to postpone consideration of the Black Mountain Studios' request for a commercial subdivision in the Mission Hills area.

More than 30 residents turned out Tuesday to voice their concerns about the proposed $200 million film production studio and sound stage, but they too will have to wait to be heard until the Jan. 19 council meeting. The council gave City Attorney Shauna Hughes two weeks to research and respond to council members' questions concerning the proposal. The nature of the questions was not disclosed.

Mayor Jim Gibson suggested postponing the matter for 30 days, but Hughes said the applicant, Doris Keating, was concerned that an extended delay could be detrimental to the project's financing.

"I have assured the applicant's representative that I can adequately complete my review within two weeks," Hughes said.

The Planning Commission in December approved the first phase of the project, which consists of two lots on 20 acres at the southeast corner of Dawson Avenue and the Union Pacific railroad tracks in the Wagon Wheel Industrial Park. Keating purchased the property from the city in March 1997.

Plans for the first phase include construction of a 10,000-square-foot themed garden, a fountain and a 119,225-square-foot building, which would house a movie studio and commercial offices, on about 6 acres.

Concerns cited by residents attending the Planning Commission meeting included adequate buffers and setbacks to protect their community from traffic, noise and other dangers posed by the studio project, as well as a huge influx of visitors.

The studio is expected to be completed in six phases over three years and eventually take up 84 acres. The final product would include several sound stages, editing and storage facilities and an area to house animals used in filming, as well as sets for visiting film producers.

Once completed, Black Mountain developers predict the studio will draw about 1.5 million visitors annually.

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