Heather Fisher was driving to the Clark County Government Center this morning when she saw a “cute little tri-scooter” parked on the side of State Route 160.
The driver of the scooter stopped to carry an endangered desert tortoise across the busy road. Had he not been there, that tortoise could have ended up under the rubber of someone’s tire, as many do with Southern Nevada’s current growth.
“If major development and the traffic that comes with it does not happen in Red Rock Canyon, then stuff like that would be safer,” Fisher said during a zoning meeting of the Clark County Commission. “Keep Red Rock rural. It’s in your hands.”
Fisher, president of the conservation group Save Red Rock, thinks such incidents will happen more frequently following a decision Tuesday of the Clark County Commission that paves the way for a housing development to be constructed in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
Commissioners unanimously approved an $80 million settlement to end their yearslong legal battle with developer Gypsum Resources and owner Jim Rhodes, giving Gypsum the green light to move forward on their residential project that will erect 3,500 homes near Red Rock Canyon and Blue Diamond Hill.
The agreement calls for Gypsum Resources to limit its development to 3,500 homes, when they initially planned for 5,000.
It is also contingent on the Bureau of Land Management agreeing to divert traffic from Scenic Route 160 to Scenic Route 159.
The agreement ends the legal saga, where a Clark County District Court judge determined county officials intentionally destroyed documents to thwart the housing plans. Commissioner Justin Jones, who served as Save Red Rock’s attorney prior to becoming a commissioner, was accused of deleting text messages. Jones didn’t vote in today’s agreement.
The sides were due in state court in July for a jury trial, which is now averted.
“We have done some things that we’re not proud of as a county; those things are things that we’ll live with, and we’re on our way in an effort here to get to the end of all of this and cut the litigation expense and the time and the energy and the uncertainties down to nothing,” Commissioner Jim Gibson said during the meeting.
Canyon’s conservation status
Red Rock was designated a National Conservation Area in 1990, making it a portion of federal land reserved “in order to conserve, protect and enhance (the area) for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations,” according to the Red Rock website. Over 1.25 million people visit Red Rock Canyon each year.
Draped in various forms of red, opposers of the settlement gathered within the Clark County Government Chambers to voice their concerns about the settlement. Save Red Rock, which has fought against the Gypsum Resources development since the early 2000s, urged commissioners to “keep Red Rock rural” and not approve the million-dollar settlement.
From biologists and climbers to county employees and worried citizens, people raised their voices on issues such as the protection of wildlife, water availability and the possibility for other developers to use this case to get their own projects approved.
Fisher told commissioners that Save Red Rock has received over 890 emails, acquired thousands of petition signatures and encouraged people to be “blowing up the phone calls” in opposition to the settlement.
Corey Soderberg, who identified himself as a “lifelong Nevadan,” believes that approving this settlement will open the floodgate to other developers looking to move into the valley.
With wide open spaces and beautiful views, the concern is that the conservation area will eventually be destroyed by developers who will use this case to pressure commissioners into approving their projects.
“My issue, and as many others, with this approval of this housing development is where does it stop,” Soderberg said. “(We’d) allow developers and — let’s just call a spade a spade — those who are interested in profits (to build), and a lot don’t have … roots in this country, they just look to build as much as they can and take as much as they can from the resources. So, to continue to build into this landmark that amazes so many and the home to many wildlife species, I fear there will be no end to the deterioration of Red Rock.”
