Judge rules against neighbors of shooting park

The legal battle over a 2,900-acre shooting park appears to be over, meaning gun enthusiasts will likely pack up their weapons and head to the public facility when it opens late this year.

Senior U.S. District Judge Lloyd George on Monday dismissed most of the claims lodged by residents who filed a lawsuit in an attempt to stop construction of the park, north of Moccasin Road between Decatur Boulevard and Buffalo Drive.

Homeowners argued they were not properly informed of the proposed use of the land, that a shooting range would violate county noise ordinances and that the appropriate environmental impact studies were never performed on the land.

George tossed out all but one claim. He declined to dismiss the argument concerning the environmental impact, because the Bureau of Land Management is in the midst of conducting its own study. The BLM, which conveyed the land to the county, is analyzing whether the range would significantly and adversely affect the land, a ruling that could require further impact studies. The report is expected to be released Aug. 3.

Deputy District Attorney Rob Warhola said he believes George’s ruling marks the end of the legal wrangling. Residents may file an appeal with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but the park likely will be completed by the time that process runs its course.

Even if BLM officials decide more environmental work needs to be done, the county would complete the required work and finish the park.

“We did so much out there already, I can’t imagine they’d find any (additional work) anyway,” Warhola said. “If they do, we’ll just do it.” Attorney Matthew Callister, who in the past has referred to the park as “Disneyland with guns,” was out of town Tuesday and could not be reached for comment.

The county began planning the park in the early 1980s, and the land was transferred to the county in 2003. Between the time the park was designed and the time construction began, development in the Las Vegas Valley crept up to its border. Warhola said master plans outlining future projects are available at county offices. The designation for the shooting park land was “public facility.” “Most of them (residents) moved out there after the zoning was approved for the shooting park,” Warhola said. “If they would have just looked and asked to see what public facility meant, they would have seen it was a shooting park.”

In the past, residents said they believed a public facility designation on the land meant a park, library or school.

George sided with the county in ruling that the sellers of homes are required by law to disclose master plan designations of property within a one-mile radius of the property being sold.

Homeowners also unsuccessfully argued that the county didn't provide adequate notice of its intent to build the range or keep residents posted about Shooting Park Advisory Committee meetings. George also rejected the argument that the county improperly zoned the land. The first phase of the park will cover 900 acres and cost around $64 million. The park, which ultimately will be the largest shooting range in the country, will include a 1,200-yard high-power rifle range, 125 trap ranges and 24 skeet ranges.

Warhola said the first phase should be completed by the end of the year.

Contact reporter Adrienne Packer at apacker@reviewjournal.com or 702-384-8710. �