LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Plans for the reconstruction of the Mt. Charleston Lodge got the green light from county officials, adding more parking spots for the visitor demand.
The Clark County Zoning Commission unanimously approved the proposal last Wednesday December 6.
Some of the approved changes, according to submitted county documents: the maximum height of the property goes from 35 to 47 feet at the peak of the “A” frame. A spokesperson for the project said the two-story parking structure is 12 feet above the ground, and the first floor is underground. The whole property will now have 185 parking spots.
“The main issue up there has always been the lack of parking. It was probably well over 100 spaces deficient,” said Tony Celeste with firm Kaempfer Crowell.
“It’s something that has been very iconic to not only the mountain but to the Las Vegas Valley and it’s a resource that that is needed,” Celeste said.
Some residents expressed their public support for the rebuilding project.
“If you took a survey of the three to 400 residents on the mountain, you’d get 90% approval of wanting our lodge back, it was our meeting place. It was the social life of the community,” said Earnest Freggiaro of the Mount Charleston County Advisory Board. The board approved the proposal.
“We miss [the lodge] a lot. and I speak for a number of my neighbors. Our national recreation area traffic is a problem whether you approve this project or not,” another resident said.
Traffic, noise, overcrowding, excessive lights and water use remain a concern among some residents.
“We don’t want Las Vegas up in Mount Charleston. We don’t want any glitz and glamour or any changes. We want the mountain to be the mountain,” said Stephanie Meyers, who helped push for a 2009 state law to prohibit new commercial development on the mountain. Meyers voiced concerns that proposed changes violate state law.
County officials told the voting members of the board that the project complies with state law and zoning requirements after a legal review.
FOX5 reached out to a spokesperson to ask about a building timeline, and are still waiting to hear back.
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