On 10-4-22 a subdivision phase 1 project of 429 homes on 671 acres on Blue Diamond Hill was conditionally approved by the Clark County Commissioners. But for 20+ years, the public support to Keep Red Rock Rural remains united and strong! We are so grateful for your participation in writing letters, signing petitions and showing up to make your voice heard. This is one step in a long, complicated process and the fight is not over yet!
So, what’s next for development around Red Rock Canyon?
Here’s what you need to know
Support for Red Rock was Strong
The people who love Red Rock Canyon are strong and unified. There was a huge public outcry in opposition to the October 4th Red Rock Canyon subdivision application
- 1064 emails were sent to Clark County Commissioners
- 2421 petition signatures were collected
- Four rows of Save Red Rock people filled the Clark County Commissioners meeting chambers
Historical Perspective
Save Red Rock is a proponent of compliant rural development only, and has a history dating back to 2002 facing many housing proposals, from the initial Master Planned Community of 8,400 homes on 3,000 acres, to the current phase 1 project of a 429 home subdivision on 671 acres. During those 20 years there has been much litigation and Gypsum Resources is currently suing Clark County over these parcels.
Support Our Efforts!
We are always working to preserve Red Rock’s Rural landscape. Please support our ongoing efforts to maintain safety and serenity within this sacred land through advocacy, conservation, education and more.
This is Not a Done Deal
A series of conditions imposed by county commissioners must be met before final approval, including federal approvals, before any construction can begin. This phase 1 project is surrounded by National Conservation Area and assumes the use of a busy National Scenic Byway for all of its construction and commuter traffic. Since BLM is a public agency, Save Red Rock will keep you informed of any proceedings.
What is a Conditional Approval?
The October 4th subdivision application received an approval from the Clark County Commissioners with conditions that must be met prior to a full approval. In addition to compliance with federal law, the major conditions placed on this application include:
- No additional density will be allowed without proper land use approval
- Traffic study and compliance
- This application must commence within 4 years of approval date or it will expire
- Demonstrate paved legal access
- Fire/emergency access must comply with the Fire Code
Save Red Rock will continue to be vigilant to ensure that each condition is adhered to without request for waivers. Gypsum Resources has previously requested Waiver of Conditions in 2011 and 2019. At the October 4th hearing Commissioner Jones was direct with the applicant documenting the Applicant’s full understanding and acceptance of the conditions which helps prevent requests for future waivers of conditions.
How Does the Law Protect Red Rock Canyon?
Red Rock Canyon is protected by three major documents:
- Clark County Title 30 Development Code
- Red Rock Overlay within the Title 30 Development Code
- The 2010 Settlement Agreement between Gypsum Resources and County of Clark
Save Red Rock believes that the October 4th subdivision application conflicts with the law as determined by these three documents. However, the County Commissioners were instructed by the Chief Deputy District Attorney that there was not a conflict. This resulted in an unanimous and conditional approval by the Clark County Commissioners.
What’s Next?
The applicant now has the task of complying with the conditions attached to this phase 1 subdivision approval. Save Red Rock will be informing and instructing everyone on each opportunity to fight to keep Red Rock Rural and protect Scenic Byway 159.
Save Red Rock Thanks You
For Your Protection of Red Rock Canyon
Updates
Media Coverage
Past Campaigns
Save Red Rock has fought to protect the canyon on several fronts, with the community efforts resulting in many significant victories over the years, including lowering the speed limit on the scenic byway, creating safe 8-foot wide bike lanes, safety fencing for the wild burros and mustangs near the highway, and more accomplishments that can be found in our accomplishments page. Currently, Save Red Rock is fighting to KEEP RED ROCK RURAL, to preserve the rural character of the canyon, and to keep out future high density and commercial developments that would adversely impact the experience. Save Red Rock is working to notify people of the current threat of a zone change proposal in the canyon from rural to high density development that county commissioners will vote on soon. (See take action page.) If commissioners change a developer’s rural zoning to high density, he proposes to build a city of over 3,000 residents, businesses, and commercial institutions in Red Rock Canyon.
Top ways you can help:
- JOIN AND SHARE ON SOCIAL
- SIGN THE PETITION (or share it if you’ve already signed it)
- SUPPORT THE CAUSE to help #SaveRedRock
Hear Both Sides of the Issue:
The developer’s presentation is at minute 0:20:00 and goes for about 40 minutes. The public response begins at: 1:02:15, starts with an adorable girl who fought her way to the front of the line to testify of her love of Red Rock (I vote for her!), proceeds with about 90 minutes of public testimony (everyone with different concerns, everyone with the same love of Red Rock), and ends with a plea to not approve this concept because you can’t bring back the character of Red Rock once this has been developed and you can’t unscramble the egg. click to see the video
See developer’s proposed plan and location map in this video:
The Threat
What would allowing Southern Nevada’s third largest city to be built in Red Rock do?
- allow doughnut hole development miles from the nearest infrastructure
- favor a single developer over the public interest (of over 20,000 in opposition to this zone change)
- change the rural character of the canyon
- penetrate the mountain that blocks the canyon from the city, with another city
- introduce the congestion, haze, noise, and traffic that accompany high density development
- flood the dark sky in the canyon with light pollution from thousands of headlights
- cost taxpayers millions to maintain the infrastructure and pump the water 1000 feet up the hill
- impact and endanger tourists and locals seeking to enjoy the natural beauty of Red Rock Canyon with increased traffic volume and disparity
- impose an additional 10-15,000 cars each morning and night from their proposed 6 lane highway to the 4 lane SR 160
- choke the already-congested 2 lane corridors in the Southwest and Mountain’s Edge areas, such as Fort Apache, Durango, Buffalo, and Rainbow
- penetrate 2 major open space reserves, Arden Ridge Open Space and the Southwest Ridge Recreation Area
- directly overlook Red Rock Canyon’s only campground
- forever change the Las Vegas sunset view and natural skyline
- violate the Clark County Title 30 guideline to “correspond with the character and physical limitations of the land”
- violate the Clark County Title 30 guideline to “encourage the most appropriate use of land throughout the county”
- violate the Clark County Title 30 guideline to “protect existing neighborhoods and communities, including the protection of rural neighborhoods”
- violate the Clark County Title 30 guideline to “otherwise further the general prosperity, health, safety, and welfare of the community”
- create liability for the county with concurrent mining, building, and residential conditions
- violate the 2014 Clark County Comprehensive Master Plan provision that “proposed developments be compatible with adjacent land uses”
- violate the 2014 Clark County Comprehensive Master Plan provision that “discourages urban sprawl”
- violate the 2014 Clark County Comprehensive Master Plan provision that “encourages new development to be around existing or future transportation corridors”
written by Trent Billingsley and Heather Fisher, Nov. 17, 2016
The Solution
A PERMANENT SOLUTION? We have dream — it is a long shot, but a “conservation easement” that could preserve lands surrounded by the Red Rock NCA once and for all. Learn more about the Conservation Easement ultimate solution and tell your County Commissioners to give the Nature Conservancy and others time to study this option.
Conservation easements protect land for future generations
- A conservation easement selectively targets only those rights necessary to protect specific conservation values, such as subdivision and high density development, and is individually tailored to meet a landowner’s needs.
- There is no one-size-fits-all conservation easement. Each one is individually tailored to meet conservation objectives and the needs of the landowner, such as the need to continue to derive income from the land through mining, at the same time potentially providing the owner with tax benefits.
- Because the land remains in private ownership, with the remainder of the rights intact, an easement property continues to provide economic benefits for the area in the form of jobs, economic activity and property taxes.
- A conservation easement is a legally binding agreement on the land in perpetuity. A conservation easement is legally binding, whether the property is sold or passed on to heirs.
- The rights conveyed in a conservation easement, such as the right to subdivide, have been established over two decades of case law as having real value.
- Conservation easements do not mean properties are automatically opened up to public access unless so specified in an easement.
- 3.2 million acres are currently held under conservation easement by the Nature Conservancy.
- All information from The Nature Conservancy website.
