City dances to new rhythm

Even the stodgy reverend in "Footloose" had a change of heart just before the credits rolled. Why should Henderson officials be any different?

Less than eight months after the city banned teenage nightclubs and dance halls, City Council members will reconsider the move on Tuesday.

To replace the outright ban, city staff has recommended regulations similar to those used by Las Vegas and Clark County.

"This approach better addresses the concerns we had when the ban was enacted," said Assistant City Attorney Ron Sailon. The change could also prevent the city from having to defend the ban in court, he said.

Dance halls catering to teenagers would be allowed under the new regulations, but they would be required to get both a city business license and a conditional use permit that restricts them from being open after 10 p.m. on a school night or midnight any other night.

The new rules also come with zoning restrictions, set for City Council consideration on Jan. 6, that would prohibit teen night clubs and dance halls within 1,000 feet of a school, park, library, tavern, liquor store or smoke shop. No two clubs would be allowed within 2,000 feet of each other.

Only one such club, Frozen 75 on Sunset Road between Green Valley Parkway and Mountain Vista Street, currently operates in Nevada's second largest city. Open almost three years, it was not subject to the ban.

Sailon said Frozen 75, which is located next to one of the valley's largest liquor stores, would be required to follow the new restrictions on hours of operation but would be grandfathered in under the new zoning rules.

Frozen 75 manager Sam Azeke said he hasn't read the proposed restrictions but doesn't think they will affect the club, which is open only to teenagers from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. After midnight on weekends, the club admits only adults age 18 and up.

Azeke said he is "disappointed in the city" for the way it has handled this issue from the start but has no plans to attend Tuesday's meeting to speak his mind. "I've done so much talking already," he said.

Although it didn't apply to Frozen 75, the ban did hurt business there because many teens assumed it had been forced to close, Azeke said. Most of those teens have since "moved on" to the underground party scene, where alcohol and drugs are common ingredients.

By lifting the ban now, all the city will gain is "more people doing this and probably doing this for the wrong reasons," Azeke said.

"My question is, 'Why?' The damage is done now," he said.

The city banned dance clubs catering to teenagers on April 1 with an ordinance stating that such clubs "seriously affect the social and moral well being of the city and its residents."

The decision drew criticism from Frozen 75 owners and a small group of teens and parents. A representative from the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union also argued against the ban.

Henderson enacted a similar prohibition on strip clubs several years ago. The city's last remaining topless club since closed, effectively eliminating such businesses from the community.

Councilman Jack Clark has made no secret of his belief that teen dance halls and night clubs also need to disappear from Henderson. Don't expect any "Footloose" style change of heart, either.

Clark said he has personally witnessed drug use in the parking lot of Frozen 75, and the club has had problems in the past with overcrowding and denying entry to police after a 911 call. The club's management denied Clark's allegations and said police have never been denied access to the property.

Ultimately, Clark said he is willing to defer to the city attorney's office if regulation makes more sense than the ban does. "But my feelings on these clubs have not changed," he said. "I feel they are a detriment to our youth."

Contact reporter Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350.