County approves airport parking garage next to big fuel tanks

An airport parking garage will be built next to a cluster of large jet-fuel tanks under plans approved Wednesday.

Clark County commissioners gave the green light to plans by developer American Nevada Co. for a six-story garage just north of Terminal 1 at Harry Reid International Airport.

The structure would have more than 2,200 standard parking stalls as well as solar panels over most of the top level, and it would be “shielded” on the side that borders the fuel tanks, according to a county staff report.

County staff had recommended approval of the project, which had a lengthy list of preliminary conditions, including security measures.

Land-use attorney Bob Gronauer of law firm Kaempfer Crowell, representing the developer, told the commission that Reid International has a parking shortage, saying it’s like a “coin flip” trying to find a spot.

He also argued that the project site – which has a building occupied by airline-food supplier Sky Chefs - is “less secure” today than it would be if the garage were built with all the conditions from the county.

“This is compatible and harmonious,” he told the commission.

‘Inherent safety risks’

Las Vegas attorney Elias George, who said he was representing a longtime pilot, outlined a variety of concerns. Among other things, he cited the jet-fuel spill at Reid International this past weekend, saying this is a “real and active risk.”

Clark County firefighters responded Saturday to a report that jet fuel was spilling over the top of a tank at the airport. The spill did not cause any injuries or any disruption to flights or airport operations, Fire Chief Billy Samuels said in a news release.

Samuels did not say where exactly the incident occurred. Reid International has large fuel tanks west of the airfield, closer to Las Vegas Boulevard, in addition to the tanks next to the proposed garage site.

Michael Park, of Henderson, told the commission on Wednesday that he agrees the airport is in “dire need” of additional parking.

But he also said that he agreed the garage project has “inherent safety risks” due to its location.

“It seems to me that too little consideration has been paid to these inherent risks to date, and certainly not out in the open in a way that we’ve been able to scope the true risks,” he said.

‘Numerous safety and security concerns’

Alex Varonos, of Las Vegas, asked the commission to pull the item and require an independent safety and security risk assessment before any approvals were given.

He noted that the garage would be a high-occupancy structure with thousands of vehicles cycling through, with hot engines, gasoline and lithium-ion batteries.

He also said that the garage would offer people direct sightlines to fuel tanks and other areas of the airport.

“I don’t mean to be alarmist, but it doesn’t really take a very … sophisticated plot to imagine how somebody could access this vantage point and plan to do great harm to lots of people,” Varonos said.

He also mentioned the Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting on the Strip.

The gunman who opened fire on the Route 91 Harvest music festival, killing 58 people that night and injuring hundreds more, also fired at fuel tanks on the airport’s west side. He struck a large tank twice but did not cause much visible damage, a police report shows.

‘Vehicle crash mitigation rail’

The county’s Department of Aviation, which operates Reid International, stated that the garage’s design “presents numerous safety and security concerns” due to its proximity to the airport’s east side fuel tanks, according to a county staff report.

The garage would provide an “elevated, direct line of sight” to large jet-fuel tanks and other secure areas of the airport. Plus, the rooftop solar panels would be in “very close proximity” to runways, and glint or glare from lighting and reflective surfaces “can create a hazard” for pilots, the department said, as seen in the staff report.

County spokeswoman Stephanie Wheatley told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that while the department expressed concerns about the project, its conditions of approval “mitigated” these concerns, so it did not oppose the plans.

Among the conditions: Before building permits are issued, the developer must submit plans to the aviation department for a barrier on the project site’s western edge, which borders the fuel tanks.

The barrier must include a “vehicle crash mitigation rail” that is designed to withstand a 15,000-pound vehicle at 50 mph, according to the county staff report.

The 3.8-acre project site is owned by American Nevada and surrounded by county-owned property. The existing building there would get demolished to clear space for the garage.

Ahead of the meeting Wednesday, the proposed garage was on the list of so-called routine action items. Commissioners can approve those matters in one vote, without discussing individual items, although items can be pulled and heard separately.

George, the lawyer, asked the commission to publicly discuss the garage project.

American Nevada, launched in the 1970s by the late Las Vegas Sun publisher Hank Greenspun and his late wife, Barbara, is perhaps best-known for developing Henderson’s Green Valley master-planned community.

Contact Eli Segall at esegall@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0342.