Historic Las Vegas neighborhood may become exempt from gaming development
CARSON CITY — An aging Las Vegas neighborhood would have more protections from gaming development under a bill in the Nevada Legislature.
Assembly Bill 219 would change the boundaries of the Las Vegas Boulevard gaming corridor so some homes in the Beverly Green neighborhood would no longer be part of a gaming enterprise district. The designation is required for establishments to receive nonrestricted licenses from the Nevada Gaming Commission.
The bill creates an exception to the gaming corridor’s set parameters, which generally apply to any location within 1,500 feet of the center line of Las Vegas Boulevard.
Supporters say removing the gaming designation would add more protections to an area with mid-20th-century houses that’s about to become a National Register of Historic Places neighborhood.
“This would provide more of a sense of community,” Assemblywoman Heidi Swank, D-Las Vegas, the bill’s sponsor, told the Assembly Judiciary Committee on Monday.
The bill would remove from the gaming corridor a primarily residential area east of Paradise Road and north of Sahara Avenue. The change effectively discourages developers from buying up about 110 houses parcels to redevelop into casinos.
Kelly Crompton, a government affairs officer and lobbyist for Las Vegas, said the city is “committed to preserving this as a historic district.”
No one spoke in opposition to the bill.
Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-0661. Follow @BenBotkin1 on Twitter.
