Residents protest land reserve plan
Despite objections from neighbors, the Las Vegas City Council reserved 131 acres of land for future public use Wednesday without specifying what the land will be used for.
That has neighbors worried about the future of the land on the southwest side of the intersection of Ann Road and the Las Vegas Beltway.
Previous plans for the property have included a garbage transfer station and a bus yard for the Clark County School District. Those plans are off the table for now, but area residents remain concerned that a service or industrial use could worsen traffic congestion and harm property values.
"Who wants to be next to any of this stuff?" said Marvin Rogge, a nearby resident. "There's nothing beautiful about any of those elements."
But public land uses will be necessary as northwest Las Vegas continues to grow.
"These are significant uses," Councilman Steve Ross said. "They're not the greatest things in the world, but they're uses a growing city must contend with."
Residents have criticized the zoning change for months. An early meeting drew hundreds of opponents, but only a handful showed up at Wednesday's meeting when the council voted unanimously in favor of rezoning.
Ross said the city was "essentially just setting aside" the land, which belongs to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
"We have an opportunity here to reserve this site," he said. "Any uses ... will have to come through the public process again."
Las Vegas has service yards throughout the city that serve a variety of purposes, such as maintaining city vehicles or providing a place to consolidate garbage pickups for transport.
Mayor Pro Tem Gary Reese cautioned against packing too many facilities into the 131-acre site.
Mayor Oscar Goodman told detractors they shouldn't worry so much about the unknown.
"I think the worst thing that government can say to its constituents is, 'Trust us,'" he said. Still, he added, "have enough confidence that you will be notified, that you're going to have the chance to be heard."
Contact reporter Alan Choate at achoate@ reviewjournal.com or 702-229-6435.
