Pacific Properties mall plans rejected

The third time was not the charm for developers looking to put a commercial mall in a 21-acre tract in Paradise.

Pacific Properties went before the Clark County Planning Commission on Thursday night seeking a zone change from R-E, rural estates residential, to C-2, general commercial. But as the planning commission has done on at least two previous occasions for similar requests, the request was denied.

Pacific Properties wanted to build a 243,000-square-foot, two-story shopping center with access to Warm Springs and Pecos roads. Mark Fiorentino, an attorney representing the company, argued that the shopping center wouldn't have hurt the surrounding residential neighborhoods.

"The mere fact that it is commercial doesn't mean it can't be done right ... It can be done right," he told commissioners. Fiorentino said the developers planned to put "boutique-type" shops and restaurants in the mall and provide a free community center for nearby residents.

But residents weren't buying any of it. About 60 people from seven surrounding subdivisions turned out to protest the proposed zone change, and they carried hundreds of letters and petition signatures with them.

Commissioners, including board Chairman Kirby Trumbo, were familiar with the issue before it arrived on their agenda Thursday evening.

"We've been lobbied by both proponents and opponents on this," Trumbo said while appealing to the crowd to keep their comments short and to the point. "I wore out my answering machine on this one."

Neighbors, including Paradise Town Advisory Board Chairwoman M.J. Harvey, argued that the shopping center would be incompatible with the residential character of the surrounding subdivisions, bring heavy traffic to an area that is criss-crossed with bike trails, hurt property values, contribute to flooding problems, attract troublemakers, and would add to a glut of commercial centers nearby.

Approving the shopping center would be "one of the worst examples of spot zoning I've ever seen," Sierra Vista Homeowners Association president Rob Martin said.

County planning staff and the Paradise Town Advisory Board had recommended denial of the zone change. The planning commission's echo of the earlier denials isn't the last word.

The proposed zoning change will go before the Clark County Commissioners on Dec. 22 for final action. Fiorentino said he hoped to get a better reception to the zone-change request before the county commissioners.

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