Newton gets OK for tours

Clark County commissioners voted unanimously to let Newton, 68, give guided tours of his Casa de Shenandoah ranch just south of Sunset Road, where visitors can see his Arabian horses, classic cars, opulent mansion and exotic menagerie.

They also gave the go-ahead for a museum, auditorium, car wash and 500-space parking lot on the north side of Sunset. Newton plans to start tours by late 2011.

Commissioners allowed a special use permit but set some limits, including the following:

■ Tours no earlier than 8 a.m. or later than 6 p.m. standard time or 8 p.m. daylight saving time.

■ No more than an average of six tours per hour.

■ No buses longer than 29 feet.

■ No shuttles on Tomiyasu Lane or Pecos Road.

■ No alcohol service.

■ Newton’s derelict airplane and its hangar must be shielded from view by evergreen trees.

■ No more than 12 workers and their families may live on site.

■ A gift shop and a wedding pavilion were rejected.

Newton withdrew a request to close Tomiyasu Lane, where he had planned to run shuttles through gates. Instead, access will be from Sunset Road.

After the vote, Newton looked relieved and pledged to work with neighbors to allay concerns.

"I want it to be something that everyone is proud of," Newton said.

Some neighbors spoke vehemently against the tourist attraction, saying it would spoil what is left of a semirural setting.

"My backyard is threatened. My home is threatened," said Mike Toney, a 20-year resident of the area. "It doesn’t belong in this neighborhood. Vote for me. I voted for you."

He pointed to commissioners Steve Sisolak and Rory Reid.

J. Randall Jones, an attorney, said Newton aims to mimic Elvis’ Graceland, a commercially dense tourist destination.

Newton wants to build a heliport and an air terminal for his old airliner, Jones said, noting that the ranch is abuzz with construction.

Jones suggested that Newton and his business partner, Steven Kennedy, already had won over the commission. He noted that Kennedy had sent neighbors a letter stating the venture would materialize, one way or the other.

"They have acted as if they have this wired," Jones said. "They believe this commission meeting is a formality."

Sisolak said Jones’ insinuation of a backroom deal was "offensive." He also said some of phone calls and e-mails from some opponents were the most vile he has received as an elected leader.

Newton’s wife, Kathleen, dismissed Jones’ remarks as "lies,” and said work now being done involves demolition of existing garages and a heliport. The ranch the singer built in the country 45 years ago is now on a busy urban corridor, she said, and the tours would be a fraction of the existing activity there.

Wayne Newton estimates the venture will create 300 to 400 jobs .

Blythe Gable, who lives north of the property, said the Newtons take good care of the property and would run the tours professionally. The project has been planned and discussed in great detail, he said.

"It’s not been haphazardly put out there," Gable said.

Terry Manley, another neighbor, disagreed. He said more effort could have been made to resolve differences .

He accused Kennedy of trying to ramrod the project through and taking advantage of the Newton name. He condemned Kennedy’s lawsuit against neighborhood activist M.J. Harvey, who publicly bashed him, as "incredibly heavy-handed.”

Commissioners Lawrence Weekly and Reid agreed that lawsuit was out of line, which prompted Newton attorney Jay Brown to say it has been dropped.

Wayne Newton said the review process was trying at times.

The most difficult part was hearing false information being tossed around, he said. For instance, one speaker claimed he had lost his gaming licenses, something that never happened.

"Some of the misconceptions — that’s always tough to listen to and not jump up and say, ‘That wasn’t a fact,’ " Wayne Newton said.

Contact reporter Scott Wyland at swyland@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.