County seeks federal help to use mountainside land for recreation
Clark County owns about 1,221 acres with mountain ridges on the western edge of the valley. It has received inquiries from private companies interested in leasing some of the scenic land and bringing an added recreational dimension to the area, such as a zip line or a mountain biking facility.
But federal restrictions on the land, which the county received from the Bureau of Land Management in 2002, prevent the county from leasing any of the land out to private companies that offer recreational services.
County commissioners decided Tuesday to seek the congressional delegation’s help in getting the federal restrictions lifted on the land, with an eye toward preserving its recreational intent.
“We’d like opportunities for private projects to come onto the land,” Nancy Lipski, the county’s comprehensive planning director, told commissioners Tuesday.
The county’s path to obtaining the land came through an exchange involving the federal government and the Howard Hughes Corp.
The corporation had 1,071 acres on the eastern edge of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
The company gave up the 1,071 acres, which is separate from the county’s land, to the federal government for further protection of the Red Rock area.
In exchange, the federal government completed two transfers. The corporation received 998 acres and the county received the 1,221 acres through the federal Clark County Conservation of Public Land and Natural Resources Act of 2002.
The land, known as the Southwest Ridge, has a wide reach. Part of the land lies west of the intersection of West Warm Springs Road and South Fort Apache Road. The land is also southwest of West Tropicana Avenue, ending northwest of West Sunset Road.
Hughes officials believed that putting the land in the county’s hands is the best path to preserving it for recreation, company spokesman Tom Warden said.
“Our intent in the land exchange was always to prevent residential development on the sensitive high ground and it was to preserve it for recreational purposes,” Warden said.
County officials stressed the recreational focus will remain. With a tight budget, the county wants the ability to lease the land and bring a private company on board through a potential partnership would make more options available.
“We do not want to sell the land,” Lipski said. “We do not want to transfer the land. … We just want to be able to do other things we cannot do at this time.”
Commissioner Susan Brager said: “It’s not to give anything away. It’s just to broaden what we might do.”
If the restrictions are removed, the county would need to put out a request for proposals before getting a private company’s involvement.
If the county gets the added flexibility, it will be important to have policies for what it would like to see on the land and a plan for moving forward competitively, Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani said.
County officials do not have a specific use in mind for the land yet. But ideas abound.
When the county solicited public feedback in 2012 concerning the area, residents gave plenty of suggestions. Trails, zip lines, paint ball and a BMX bike facility were on the list.
Javier Rivera lives close to the Southwest Ridge, near the intersection of Warm Springs and Fort Apache.
In an interview, he offered another suggestion: a skate park for youngsters with limited options for activities.
“It’s either video games or the street,” he said.
Contact reporter Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.
