Urban sprawl

Three North Las Vegas women lounge underneath hundred-year-old trees and shade.

A hawk soars, a rooster cackles and peacocks flutter their wings. Quail rustle quietly in the bushes nearby.

In a moment the tranquility is shattered.

A pickup hauls down the unpaved road, kicking up a choking layer of dust as it passes. With a sigh the three women glance at each other, remembering what it was like "way back," a year ago when their homes were part of the unincorporated county. The women fear the truck rumbling by is the first sign of a wave of urban growth about to surround their homes.

They speak of their fears as the city continues to discuss a future annexation that will one day take place at Ann Road and North Fifth Street.

Officials say the city will eventually annex 520 acres of land, including 150 acres owned by Bob Combs and his family, who own R.C. Farms.

The residents fear another annexation would cause the same disappointment they've felt for the past year since their rural homes on county land near Lone Mountain Road and Commerce Street were annexed into the city. Fearing visits from city code enforcers, they asked that their names not be used.

In June 1998 the city annexed a 185-acre parcel bounded by Lone Mountain and Washburn roads and North Commerce and Fifth streets. Residents protested the annexation, explaining they didn't want to be part of the city because property taxes would double and property values would plummet.

Residents told City Council during numerous meetings that police and fire services were insufficient, and they didn't want to pay for improvements like streets, gutters and sidewalks.

The city must have the consent of owners who, combined, hold at least 50 percent of acreage and value of the land before it can annex. The residents protesting the annexation could garner support representing only 49 percent of the landowners.

The council listened to residents' concerns during public hearings, then unanimously approved the annexation.

Many residents in the annexed neighborhood say their worst fears have come true and that their quiet country life is over. They complain that there have been no street improvements since the annexation. But city officials say improvements have been forthcoming and they have upheld their end of the deal.

One woman in the neighborhood reflects on what the city looked like when she and her husband bought their home in 1982.

"It was quiet, dark -- there wasn't any dust unless the wind blew," she said. "We just wanted to get out of town."

Her husband angrily points out that since annexation, their taxes have more than doubled. Their taxes rose from $470 to $817 a year.

"It's terrible how our taxes have increased," he said. "It just breaks my heart."

Randal Cagle, manager for the public works department, said residents were informed that their taxes would increase, but added the extra money pays for benefits like fire and police services.

He said the county land was annexed a year ago because it was already completely surrounded by the city.

The parcel was annexed in one chunk to avoid piecemeal annexations and for consistency, allowing continuity of development.

A benefit now that the land is annexed, Cagle said, is that residents can hook up to water and sewer lines that have been installed by developers.

The families interviewed said their homes are already equipped with septic tanks and water wells, and balked at the $10,000 it would cost to connect to the city water system.

Now that residents are part of the city and must comply with ordinances, they also say they are being unfairly targeted by code enforcers.

Many of the neighbors have had to get rid of livestock or unlicensed vehicles that had been sitting on their property for years. They say the city has numerous neighborhoods that look even worse.

Another woman in the neighborhood worries that all the code enforcement will eventually "freeze us out," or drive the residents out so the land can be developed for commercial uses. For nine years she has lived on the property with her son, who bought the land 30 years ago for only $500.

Cagle said since the land has become part of North Las Vegas, code enforcers have continually gone to the neighborhood, as well as other neighborhoods throughout the city, to make sure lots are kept clean. This will protect the residents' property values, he said.

As far as street improvements, Cagle said, the city has always said it would be responsible for maintaining roads that were already there.

"We have put in a lot of roads and we have paved them at no cost (to the residents)," he said, adding that close to a mile of roads has been constructed.

Cagle said that eventually the city will annex 520 acres of land, including the pig farm.

The Combs family owns 150 acres in a county island north of Ann Road surrounded by the city. On the land east of North Fifth Street, the family operates R.C. Farms, a 6,000-head hog farm that each day goes through 30 tons of food waste gathered from area restaurants.

Combs said the city has attempted to annex his property several times, the last attempt about six months ago.

"I didn't locate the pig farm downtown," Combs said. "Time has played out so now we're in the middle of the progress of the city. Now, (North Las Vegas) is coming up and engulfing my property."

Mayor Michael Montandon said earlier this year that the annexation would depend on Combs because his parcel is large enough to swing a vote by area property owners. Cagle admits that nothing will be done until Robert Combs makes a decision regarding the property.

Combs said he remains open to the possibility of annexation, but only if the city finds a suitable site elsewhere for him to continue his business.

"We're not so dead set against it, but we want to have a place to go. We want to have a facility to continue our operation. For the time being, we're going to stay here until we find someplace better.

"(The farm) is fourth generation, so this is our way of life. This is our life, it's all we know."

archive