by Wendy Rush
Southwest Las Vegas is about to get more populated. A new housing development in the Blue Diamond area has been approved this week. The new build will bring 400 single-family homes on Blue Diamond Hill. The Las Vegas Review Journal reported that a vote approved this on Tuesday. The Clark County Zoning Commission was unanimous in the vote. Though there was opposition from Save Red Rock conservation advocates.
Gypsum Resources LLC will have to shut down its mining operations before construction starts. Head Developer James Rhodes also has a few other hurdles to jump through. These include securing sewer services and getting approval for road construction. That paved road will go from Route 159 to the new project.
Commissioner Justin Jones told Las Vegas Review Journal that he voted to approve the project because it honors existing county code (reviewjournal.com). A project larger than 700 acres is classified as “major” and subject to much stricter approval processes. This project falls just shy of that mark.
This probably wasn’t an easy decision for Jones. He used to be the legal counsel for Save Red Rock, a non-profit dedicated to keeping Red Rock Canyon rural. The project proposal initially asked for the building of 3000 homes. And even though a substantially smaller number was approved, deep opposition is still being seen. Mostly from environmentalist who are concerned about the scenic integrity of the land.
The Save Red Rock non-profit previously sent out a petition getting signatures urging the counsel to vote against this proposal. According the reviewjournal.com, the reason was that “‘the application not only appears to violate county code and previous legal agreements,’ but that the project required the use of the Red Rock Canyon Scenic Byway state route, which ‘is already struggling with rapidly increasing traffic and hazardous conditions.’”
Although the non-profit wasn’t successful with their petition, they will be there to make sure all the conditions agreed upon in the proposal will be adhered to.
