Editorial: Rezoning frustrates residents

The land sits near the 2,000-acre Town Center, a project that combines commercial and residential development. In order to enlist support from area residents for the Town Center project, which allows significant commercial development, Malone said it was agreed that other businesses would not be allowed nearby. The commission's staff also recommended a "strong denial," noting that the request didn't conform to the master plan and that it was premature until adequate infrastructure -- water, sewer and roads -- was in place to handle the intensity of the development.

Another problem with the rezoning approval is that it ignores the impact this decision will have on the city of Las Vegas. Malone and Las Vegas City Councilman Larry Brown believe that if there is going to be a rezoning the city should annex the property first, because ultimately the land will have to be annexed by the city anyway since the county can't provide sewer service to the thinly populated area. As the Sun's Adrienne Packer reported Thursday, even if the city believes that the 30 acres of land is too heavily commercial, the county's blessing makes it legally difficult for the city to reject the plans for commercial development.

The commissioners who favored the rezoning argued that the land, which is near the beltway, is better suited for commercial use. But the bottom line is that the county needs to follow its master plan and not change it repeatedly. The county's action provides more evidence why government consolidation valleywide would help bring more rationality to zoning decisions.

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