Tuesday, April 29, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

HALTING DEVELOPMENT: Red Rock proposal unveiled

Sens. Reid, Ensign offer plan to buy adjacent land

"It's something we need to put to rest as soon as we can, and I know of no other fair way to do it." HARRY REID NEVADA SENATOR Click above for enlarged image. The old Hardie Gypsum Mine on Blue Diamond Hill overlooks the Spring Mountains, Red Rock Canyon and much of the Las Vegas Valley. Photo by Jeff Scheid.

A proposal unveiled Monday would use tens of millions of dollars from the sale of public lands to buy and rehabilitate scarred mining property next to scenic Red Rock Canyon and prevent the area from ever being developed.

Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and John Ensign, R-Nev., introduced the plan, which calls for the purchase of 2,400 acres at the old Hardie Gypsum Mine site. Developer Jim Rhodes acquired the land last month for $50 million with hopes of building thousands of homes there.

In the ensuing weeks, the private land that overlooks Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area was the subject of court hearings, affidavits, state legislation, a county zoning controversy, and urgent pleas from environmentalists and those who live near the canyon.

Nevada's senators said they stepped into the conflict to try to end the uproar.

"It's something we need to put to rest as soon as we can, and I know of no other fair way to do it," Reid said.

The plan calls for the county to use some of the $100 million generated from the sale of surplus federal land in Southern Nevada to acquire the acreage from Rhodes. The stripped land then would be rehabilitated. Once the land is fit for public use, Reid and Ensign said, they would introduce legislation directing the federal Bureau of Land Management to purchase the site from the county and expand the conservation area's boundaries.

Under the proposal, Rhodes must be willing to sell at market value. Rhodes spokeswoman Lynn Purdue declined to say whether Rhodes would sell, but she said he's "willing to listen to any options."

Although it might be years before the dilapidated mining property could be used by the public, the proposal was applauded by the local Sierra Club, members of the County Commission, a representative of the village of Blue Diamond near Red Rock Canyon and the state senator who authored a bill to prevent high-density development on the land.

And in an about face, the BLM also announced support for the plan. When proposed by county commissioners two weeks ago, BLM spokesman Phil Guerrero said the land was too damaged by decades of mining to make the acquisition worthwhile. But the senators' proposal, which gives the county, not the federal government, oversight of the restoration process, is acceptable to the agency, Guerrero said.

"This is a good, common-sense approach to solve the dilemma over residential homes being built on the border of Red Rock," he said.

Rhodes' land is zoned for residential development, but only for one home on every two acres. He wanted the land rezoned to allow high-density development.

The proposal from Ensign and Reid would prevent development on the land forever and protect the scenic views in Red Rock Canyon.

"The important thing is that it (proceeds from land sales) will go toward protecting something that is priceless because Red Rock is priceless," said state Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, whose bill would have locked in rural zoning on the site.

Ed Rothfuss, a representative of the local Sierra Club and a former administrator at Death Valley National Park, said the Sierra Club wants to make certain the public doesn't pay more than the land is worth.

"A lot of us feel ouchy about Rhodes buying the land, and we would hate to see him milk the public for more than it's worth," Rothfuss said. "We would hate to see the milking of America."

The proposal doesn't require a vote of Congress. Instead, the County Commission at its May 6 meeting is scheduled to consider applying for the federal funds, which are available to local government agencies for the acquisition of environmentally sensitive land, the creation of recreational facilities and other purposes, Assistant County Manager Rick Holmes said.

The county's application then would be forwarded to a committee of representatives from the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, the National Forest Service and the National Fish and Wildlife Service, Holmes said. That committee will evaluate the application and make a recommendation to Interior Secretary Gail Norton.

Ensign authored the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act when he served in the House of Representatives. Federal land sales under the 1998 law have brought in $220 million to date. The money has been used to buy environmentally sensitive land and to benefit infrastructure and state schools.

As of April 28, the account had $100 million. A June 5 BLM sale is expected to add at least $132 million to the fund, Guerrero said.

Rhodes is the second developer in a year to propose high-density development on the land atop Blue Diamond Hill and across state Highway 159 from the tiny village of Blue Diamond. Since the summer, residents of Blue Diamond and dozens of other Red Rock activists have protested development so close to the pristine canyon.

"This is the ultimate culmination of our goal, which was that this land be in federal hands," Blue Diamond resident Pauline Van Betten said of the proposal.

Ensign, Reid and County Commissioners Bruce Woodbury, Yvonne Atkinson Gates and Chip Maxfield said they support the proposal. It will put to rest permanently the community's anxiety over the prospect of development on Red Rock's doorstep, they said.

"These issues are going to keep coming up regarding the property in question unless, ultimately, it is put in federal hands and made a part of the protected area out there," Woodbury said.

Two weeks ago, Rhodes unsuccessfully sued Commissioner Mark James in an attempt to derail James' proposal to maintain rural zoning on Rhodes' land. Rhodes alleged James couldn't bring forward his proposal because James, an attorney, had advised the developer on the land and had a conflict of interest on issues affecting the site. James, in an affidavit, denied ever advising Rhodes on the matter.

James couldn't be reached for comment Monday.