LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A developer has withdrawn plans for a 24-hour grocery store and gas station in Lake Las Vegas after facing strong opposition from residents at a community meeting this week.
The proposed Emerald Marketplace at the intersection of Galleria and Lake Las Vegas Parkway would have included an upscale market, restaurant, gas station, and electric vehicle charging stations. About 100 people attended the community meeting, with nearly all opposing the project.
“The energy was very angry. We felt like we were being deceived by the applicant,” said Kim Sherman, a Lake Las Vegas resident.
Residents cite safety and environmental concerns
Residents expressed concerns about the 24-hour operation disrupting the community’s quiet atmosphere and potentially increasing crime.
“Vegas is 24/7, hustle and bustle. We all moved out to Lake Las Vegas to get away from that,” Sherman said. “The crime in Lake Las Vegas is low, specifically because we don’t have anything running 24 hours a day.”
Jason Porter, another resident, argued the project would reduce property values for nearby homeowners.
The proposed location also raised environmental concerns, as the site sits next to the Las Vegas Wash, which flows into Lake Las Vegas and then Lake Mead.
“When everybody puts gas in their car, there’s always drops that fall… and just the rains we saw here in the last couple of days… would be washing everything that accumulates in their parking lot right into this wash a couple of hundred feet away, which will end up in our lake,” said Jim Avery, a Lake Las Vegas resident.
Mayor and councilman intervene
After the contentious meeting, Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero posted on social media that she and City Councilman Jim Seebock heard from many residents and approached the developer.
The developer agreed to withdraw the application.
The project had cleared the Henderson Planning Commission and was scheduled for a vote by the full City Council on Dec. 2. The City of Henderson said the withdrawal request will be brought forward at the next council meeting for formal acceptance.
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