Silver Knights arena signage plan approved despite opposition

A group of neighbors who have fought the construction of a minor league hockey arena in Henderson at virtually every turn experienced yet another defeat this month when council members approved a signage plan for the venue.

The decision left the citizen group, the Henderson Coalition for Responsible Government, without options to pursue any further appeal. But in the neighborhood, an undercurrent of anger with city leaders and the Vegas Golden Knights — owner of the American Hockey League team and operator of the arena — remains.

John Dalrymple, a spokesman for the coalition, said the team wants to profit on every square inch of the land and arena by putting signs everywhere.

“And that’s at the expense of the community,” he said. Dalrymple said his coalition wants the arena to fit in with the residential area.

The group consists of neighbors in the area surrounding the future home of the Henderson Silver Knights. They have vehemently opposed the arena project since it was announced in February 2020.

When efforts to block the construction of the arena failed, the group turned its attention to thwarting a signage plan that Dalrymple said exceeded what is allowed by city code.

Lobbyist James McCoy told the Henderson City Council the team met with the neighbors and agreed to some concessions, such as the removal of a large banner, reducing LED sign brightness to comply with city codes and reducing the size of numerous signs.

Golden Knights spokesman Nate Ewell said in a statement that the team addressed resident concerns to the best of its ability and modified the signage plan significantly after getting feedback from the neighbors.

“The Vegas Golden Knights are proud of the positive impact the Dollar Loan Center (arena) will have on the Henderson community,” Ewell said.

But Dalrymple argued the concessions did not go far enough and asked for greater restrictions on how many signs can be put up and the operating hours on a large LED sign on the side of the building.

He said the team wants to hang up too many banners on light poles and that large, standalone letters that will spell the name of a sponsor in the arena’s plaza are unnecessary.

A large LED sign on the building, Dalrymple argued to the city, could pose a distraction risk at the intersection of Paseo Verde and Green Valley parkways if it is allowed to be lit up at 7 a.m. when children are going to school nearby.

McCoy told the City Council that landscaping at the intersection obscures the sign and that the building itself obstructs the view of the sign from another intersection that leads to the schools.

He said the team could be open to turning the sign on at 9 a.m., as Dalrymple’s group requested, but would prefer to keep it on earlier during service hours for a restaurant in the arena.

Ultimately, the council approved the signage plan on Nov. 2 without adding Dalrymple’s requests. Councilman Dan Stewart, who has opposed the project throughout the process, cast the only vote against the plan.

Henderson spokeswoman Kathleen Richards said in an email the team made considerable concessions and that the signage plan is appropriate for the venue and consistent with what is in the area already.

The Golden Knights and city are splitting the cost of the arena evenly.

Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.