LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – A group of neighbors in the southwest part of the Las Vegas Valley say plans for a gas station are hitting too close to home, literally.
The neighborhood, near Durango Drive and Blue Diamond Road, is directly behind an empty lot where a gas station is set to be built.
A resident of that neighborhood, LaRae Dicamillo, says if the gas station is built, she’ll move out of the home she and her husband have lived in for nearly 20 years.
“We’ve been there since our home has been built, we’ve been there 16 years, my grandchildren have learned to walk there on our floors,” LaRae says.
LaRae, her husband, and several other neighbors shared their concerns with Clark County Commissioners Wednesday morning.
“Gas contains volatile organic compounds, which leaking into the soil can adhere to the outside of the pipes and wiring, and can lead into our homes,” LaRae says.
Her husband, Michael Dicamillo, worries about their home’s value.
“It will be a financial burden along with it because nobody would want to live directly behind a gas station. I’m sure the value of our house will decrease by hundreds of thousands of dollars,” he says.
The Dicamillos say they first got word of the gas station last month. They say the lot was originally supposed to be a shopping center.
“The shopping center, we knew it was coming, development in the community,” Michael says. “But the gas station is not acceptable whatsoever.”
County Commissioners granted approval to developers for the gas station Wednesday morning. Developers also got special approval to build it closer to the neighborhood than they normally would, from 200 feet to 40 feet.
In Wednesday’s meeting, Commissioner Justin Jones said he understands their concerns, but says the opposition is too little, too late.
“Given that they are literally at the point of grading, I don’t have a lot of deference at this point, or the ability to cancel the existing development,” Jones said.
He added, earlier in the development process, he imposed a “significant” landscape buffer around the perimeter to buffer property owners. County officials said the gas station was approved to be included in the development back in 2020.
LaRae says despite the approval, her fight is far from over.
FOX5 reached out to Clark County to see what additional steps, if any, property owners can take.
Copyright 2024 KVVU. All rights reserved.
