Proposal on Calico approved

After months of struggling to find a compromise acceptable to both residents and developers, the Henderson Citizens Advisory Committee Wednesday ratified a plan for part of the Lake Mead study area.

The advisory committee voted 8-0 Wednesday to approve its plan for what is known now as the Calico Ridge center -- an area of about 1,073 acres that would be designed in part to bring jobs to the neighborhood.

It would also give residents more say in what kind of buffers are placed between them and commercial developments and require developers to make their projects accessible to public transportation.

Wednesday's vote did not include plans for about 62 acres zoned for industrial use, currently in mediation with the city attorney's office.

Residents of Calico Ridge complained to the city over the 62 acres because the industrial-zoned land was within 20 feet of their property line. Industrial development there, they claimed, would bring down their property values and quality of life.

City officials responded by hiring a mediator to come up with a plan that satisfies both homeowners and the city.

Once mediation is complete and a recommendation can be made on the 62 acres, the two parts of the plan will be combined and then sent to the Planning Commission and City Council, according to advisory committee Chairman Manny Gomez.

The area included in the plan adopted Wednesday would be north of Calico Ridge, south of Athens Avenue, east of the section line for Section 33, and west of Sunset and Olsen Road and the former city landfill.

Approximately 30 residents turned out for the meeting, most of them from Calico Ridge and Section Four -- a community of 1-acre lots on the south side of Lake Mead Drive.

Bob Reynolds, president of the Calico Ridge Owners Association, said he is satisfied with the part of the plan drafted Wednesday but is waiting to see what recommendations would be made concerning the other 62 acres in mediation.

"We will be at every meeting, every step of the way," Reynolds said. "We'll be watchdogs."

The advisory board will meet again Feb. 10.

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