LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Plans are moving along to rebuild the historic and beloved Mt. Charleston Lodge, and some mountain residents expressed both excitement and concerns.
Locals heard a public presentation at The Retreat off Kyle Canyon Road.
A 2021 fire destroyed the lodge and the plot of land has remained empty for more than two years.
The “new lodge will maintain the iconic A-frame architecture,” said documents submitted to the Clark County office of Comprehensive Planning.
Blueprints reflect the restaurant, bar, outdoor decks and private event spaces.
Plans address parking and an elevated parking deck.
“The lower level of the lodge…will feature a surface parking lot with 93 new parking spaces and 56 existing spaces. The upper level of the lodge will have an elevated parking deck with access directly to Kyle Canyon Road and 39 parking spaces,” documents read.
The documents request several waivers to increase width and height: the highest point would rise from 35 to “47 feet, a result of the unique design being employed to solve the parking issues as well as the dramatic pitch of the A Frame.”
The structure was first built in the 1900s, was destroyed by fire in 1961, then destroyed again in 2021. Engineers wrote to planning officials about the evolution of building and code changes.
“With changes to building codes relative to construction requirements, accessibility requirements and life safety requirements simply attempting to reconstruct the lodge in its previous configuration would not be possible,” document read.
“We absolutely want to pay homage to the lodge that everybody holds so dear to their hearts, but prepare for something a little bit bigger,” said Christina Ellis of the Ellis family to FOX5 in October 2022. The Ellis family owns Ellis Island Hotel, Casino and Brewery.
“As long as they follow the rules,” said one resident who was interested in hearing the plans. “Both cabins and lodge are [zoned] ‘residential.’ that makes it complicated,” he said. “There is a law in place now, a state law: you can’t have any zone changes on the Spring Mountain Red Rock overlay,” said long-time mountain resident Jean Perry Jones, who helped push for a 2009 state law to limit commercial building and expansion on the mountain to preserve the landscape and nature. “With them wanting to build back, its a bit problematic. Water is an issue. Parking is an issue. Night lights are an issue, because we have dark skies up here,” she said.
There is another chance to review the proposal in Las Vegas on December 6 at 9 a.m. at the Clark County Board of Commissioners.
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