Henderson City Council denies appeal against tavern near church

Henderson City Council on Tuesday denied an appeal of a proposed tavern planned as part of a restaurant project near a residential neighborhood and church.

Most of the public comments early in Tuesday night’s meeting focused on the appeal of a decision by the Henderson Planning Commission to approve a planned tavern on East Lake Mead Parkway, next to Pueblo Drive.

The commission previously approved the application from Z Plaza LLC to build a tavern with a reduction of the required space between the tavern and nearby religious assembly from 500 feet to 110 feet, along with amendments to the project’s design.

A pizza restaurant that will provide alcohol and gaming options for its customers will be built on the site, according to George Garcia, representing Z Plaza.

Pastor Stephen Witt of the nearby Well Church, which lies across Pueblo Drive from the proposed tavern, and Marc Friedland, president of the Tierra Vista Homeowners Association located south of the proposed site, appealed the Planning Commission’s approval, bringing the decision to the City Council.

Garcia said his clients agreed to build fencing around the children’s play area at the church, a fence on the other side of the water drainage corridor between the tavern and Pueblo Drive, and landscaping in front of the water drainage corridor.

Witt said church members were initially concerned with the proposed site’s elevation allowing patrons to be “staring down” at a newly built play area for children outside the church. However, the fencing and landscaping that will added alleviated those concerns and gained the church’s support for the project.

“I think what we’ve done is gone above and beyond, go that extra mile to work with Pastor Witt and the church to provide extra mitigation to ensure that there’s adequate barriers (between the tavern and the church),” Garcia said.

Friedland told the council that the proposed project doesn’t fit with its surrounding community, with residential neighborhoods to the west and south of the site. He also said the tavern wasn’t really going to be built in an existing commercial center and had no other commercial properties adjacent to it, as claimed in the application.

He also claimed that the denial of the appeal would “undermine the city municipal code,” prove a “pro-developer bias” in the council and undermine government transparency.

“Your vote to support this appeal is of utmost importance. If opposed by you it would seal the fate for transparency in government and affirm the blatant pro-developer bias against Henderson residents,” Friedland told the council.

Garcia countered that the site will be built in an approved commercial center, and that “adjacent” in his use means within the same zoning area as classified by the city. He pointed out that the area containing the site and the area across the street that also contains the church are zoned for commercial use.

He said the restaurant will be built on the proposed site regardless of any decision regarding the tavern. The decision on the appeal just determines whether it will also be a tavern.

The council voted to deny the appeal, providing that Z Plaza adds a wrought-iron fence between the restaurant and church; a steel mesh fence that cannot be seen through between the site and the neighborhood to the south; and erects fencing around the church play area.

In other action, the council held a public hearing and further approved the annexation of over 290 acres of land in the Eldorado Valley. The city now has between 16 and 90 days to adopt an ordinance formally extending city limits to include the annexed land.

Contact Mark Credico at mcredico@reviewjournal.com. Follow him on Instagram @writermark2.