City, county in battle over road

A Clark County commissioner claims plans to build a 40-acre park in the northwest are being held captive by the city of Las Vegas because of a disagreement over the widening of Durango Drive.

Commissioner Lance Malone said he and City Councilman Larry Brown, who share constituents, have been battling over whether Durango Drive should be widened to four lanes or six lanes.

Last week, when Malone refused to introduce a Special Improvement District to fund a six-lane design, he said Brown reneged on an agreement to relinquish a city-controlled parcel where the county had planned to build a park.

"I am not going to be blackmailed and be forced to do something I don't want to do," Malone said. "It's not worth my time or effort."

Councilman Brown was taken aback by Malone's comments and said the city's road-widening project has been misunderstood by the county.

Malone's district fans out west of Durango and is zoned Rural Neighborhood Preservation, which means homes are on vast lots and suburban elements like sidewalks and street lights are scarce.

"A six-lane road would destroy that neighborhood," Malone said. "On the west side, you don't see 7-Elevens and Rite Aids on every corner. It's a pristine area where you can still step out of your home at night and see the stars."

Malone said he and Brown agreed to widen Durango to four lanes, but during a recent town hall meeting that Brown did not attend, city planners presented drawings for a six-lane thoroughfare with a solid median.

More than 60 county residents whose homes face Durango between Alexander Road and Tropical Parkway strongly opposed the width of the road and the median, claiming they would have to make U-turns to pull onto their own streets.

Malone said acquiring park land on Durango and Lone Mountain -- which is owned by the Bureau of Land Management but leased by the city -- is not worth ruining the rural neighborhood in his district with a major road.

"I have other BLM parcels where I can build a park. I can spend my money somewhere else," Malone said. "I'll continue to make a plea because it's a great place to put a park, but I'm not going to bend on making Durango a six-lane road."

Brown said Friday he was surprised at Malone's accusations. He said the city never veered from its original plans to make Durango a four-lane road.

Brown said not only have plans never existed for a six-lane Durango, but he never indicated to Malone that the city would not relinquish the park property. In fact, Brown said, the City Council is expected to vote today on whether to submit a letter to the BLM asking that the lease be turned over to the county.

One of the reasons Durango needs to be widened, Brown said, is to accommodate the number of visitors a 40-acre park might attract.

"We can't build a regional park and say we don't need a regional road," Brown said. "This is no super highway."

Brown and Malone agree that they have had a healthy relationship in the past. The two are working together on a soccer park on Tenaya Way and Lake Mead Boulevard that is expected to be completed next summer.

"This is an unfortunate situation," Malone said. "We're not always going to agree on everything in the northwest, but we need to work together. Sometimes we just need to agree to disagree."

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