Henderson will assess neighborhood for beautification project
Residents in the Meridian Estates in Henderson soon will have another bill to pay, this time for the price of beauty.
The Henderson City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Tuesday to create a beautification project that will charge homeowners to maintain the landscape in the perimeter of the neighborhood near Robindale and Pecos roads.
“This was a request from many of the neighbors that have lived in the area,” said Ed McGuire, deputy director for the public works department. “Frankly, there are big gaps in the landscape, and there is a lack of maintenance.”
The Neighborhood Improvement District project will replace trees, add shrubbery and remove waste. It will add grading, an irrigation system, accent boulders and rock mulch, said Robert Herr, director of the public works department.
The project will cost $89,080, divided among the 166-home neighborhood.
Homeowners each will pay about $537, and the payment will be divided into semiannual installments of $134.25 over two years. Long-term maintenance is estimated to be $52 a year per home. Additional service fees will cost $36 the first year and $19.27 in subsequent years.
For nonpayment, a lien can be placed on the property, McGuire said.
He said the first bill likely will come in November.
Since the project was introduced in 2016, residents have been at odds.
Laurie Amicucci, who opposed the project, called it a backhanded attempt by the city to create a homeowners association.
“They’re going to be in our pockets forever,” she said. “We all bought our homes here because there was no HOA. Now, this is going to be worse than an HOA. We won’t even have a say in what kind of plants or rocks go in.”
Opponents were one signature short of the 56 required on a petition to halt the project, Amicucci said. At least three other people opposed the project, she added.
But McGuire said they were rejected because they didn’t meet “the statute as the legal owner.” Other letters of rebuttal came too late, he added.
Also Tuesday, the City Council unanimously voted to award a $6 million contract to TAB Contractors for street improvements on Horizon Drive, from Pacific Avenue to Boulder Highway. The project is aimed at narrowing outside lanes, widening sidewalks and installing bike lanes.
The council also unanimously approved an application for a marijuana manufacturing facility for Agua Street at 340 Sunpac Court.
Contact Sandy Lopez at slopez @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4686. Follow @JournalismSandy on Twitter.
Who can apply?
The Neighborhood Improvement District project is available to any neighborhood in the city.
In order to launch the project, a petition needs to be submitted with the signatures of 51 percent of residents. Then, the city would have public hearings and create the district through an ordinance.
