Second, why is the county taking action before the appeal at the state level has been resolved?
Third, no mention has been made of this ordinance coming in front of the Red Rock Citizens Advisory Council.
Fourth, this property was not zoned for the proposed project to begin with and is certainly not appropriate for a major project–it has no infrastructure.
Fifth, and this is where the money is, if the county allows Rhodes to begin the major projects process, then he will be able to sue the county and state for having delayed his project to the point where he lost his window of opportunity and the support for development.
It looks as though the county commissioners have cut some deal–even if not true, the appearance is clear.
It would be nice to have this aired in the media.
It seems as though we’ve fought through the processes only to have our efforts corrupted by lazy, inept, or dishonest politicians. It’s all very sad.
Evan Blythin
The short:
Big development sues BLM and County for the ability to build a city in the heart of Red Rock Canyon. County Commissioners are planning to cut a deal despite 3 failed attempts at suing and years of community efforts against development in Red Rock. This is a tragic development for anyone who loves to escape to Red Rock. The effects of this lawsuit, if unchallenged by Clark County Commissioners, would be ugly. The top of the mountain across from the Red Rock Canyon visitor’s center (the horizon in the middle of Red Rock seen from Las Vegas) would be subject to mass development larger than Boulder City!
It was a tough fight originally, but intense grass roots efforts paid off and lawmakers led by Dina Titus and Clark County Planners, created a protective zone called the Red Rock Overlay District that limited development in Red Rock Canyon to one house per two acres, low lighting, etc. The effort was a success and preceded other community-led efforts to improve the quality and experience of the Canyon, such as efforts backed by BLM and Senator Harry Reid to design a safe, recreational bike path, Senator Dina Titus to remove commercial trucking from the canyon, Senator Shirley Breeden to lower the speed limit, and NDOT to build a wide bike lane and improve road safety and signage.
The Overlay District satisfied the people and protected Red Rock Canyon from mass development, but now developer, Jim Rhodes has sued the county, the state, the BLM, and others, to destroy this overlay, the interests of the community, and the RED ROCK CANYON NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREA, all for the gain of one person. Would the County Commissioners really favor Jim Rhodes over all the citizens of the Valley who love our unspoiled Red Rock Canyon and fought to protect it?
Heather Fisher
This has all been done under the radar. I only found out because a friend of mine was the court reporter!
Lisa Mayo DeRiso
