Serene neighbors fighting commercial zoning request on land

By Ashley Livingston

Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008 | midnight

An owner of vacant land near the busy commercial corridor at Eastern and Serene avenues would like to see even more retail there — something neighbors adamantly oppose.

Ray Koroghli, owner of parcels of land that border Interstate 215 and the backside of the shopping center at Eastern Avenue, has sought permission to use the property for commercial purposes.

Neighbors are against such a use and said the allowance of commercial in that area would lead to further erosion of their rural neighborhood preserve.

At the Aug. 20 meeting of the Clark County Zoning Commission, a request to change the area's zoning from rural residential to commercial was denied.

Chris Kaempfe spoke to commissioners on behalf of Koroghli.

"This site cannot and will not be developed as low density residential," he told the board, noting its proximity to Interstate 215 to the north, commercial developments to the west and a drainage channel to the east.

Earl Hodge, who was speaking on behalf of Serene Country Estates Action Committee, cited traffic as another reason the group opposed the zone change.

The group would like to see their neighbor pursue a residential use, he said.

Paradise Town Advisory Board member M.J. Harvey brought up the concern that Koroghli owns about 11 acres total in the area.

"Because of the extent of ownership, it is very important that we have an overall plan as to what these people want to do," she said.

While the original request to the commission was for a hotel, Kaempfe asked the board to instead consider a less intense zone change that would allow retail businesses.

Ashley Livingston is a reporter for the Home News. She can be reached at 990-8925 or [email protected].