City not moving forward with motel district

It appears that everyone is on the same page in that they want to see motels in Boulder City retain their historic charm.

But they’re not even on the same chapter when it comes to how that occurs.

For the past several months, the Boulder City Historic Preservation Commission has been discussing with city staff the possible creation of a Historic Motel District.

That plan, at least for now, will not be moving forward. After receiving virtually no positive feedback from the motel owners on the idea of a district, the city and commission moved to Plan B. That being a workshop between the commission, city staff, motel owners and public where they could all interact with questions and shared information.

A motion to move forward with the workshop failed to get a second during last week’s commission meeting, so the issue died. Two of the commissioners, Chairwoman Blair Davenport and newly-appointed member Norma Vally, were not in attendance, leaving three voting members.

“These people do not want the restrictions that they would be facing with this designation,” Commissioner David Hancock said. “I think creating a historic district that imposes restrictions on them and forces them to come into compliance with those rules, well, I don’t feel a lot of them are going to be able to do that.”

Because of that, he said he’s on the side of the motel owners and that it’s time to abandon the idea of a historic district.

The city had narrowed down the list of potential motels to be part of the district based on a variety of criteria. Those included (with year built):

■ Oasis Boutique Motel, built in 1962

■ El Rancho Boulder Motel, 1954

■ Boulder City Inn, 1948

■ Flamingo Inn, 1949

■ “Kitchenettes,” 1960

■ Sands Motel of Boulder City, 1967

■ Western Inn Motel, 1936

■ Nevada Inn, 1932

“The idea of having a workshop was to have an engaging conversation where the public speaks and we speak,” said Commissioner Don Johnson, who made the motion to have the workshop. He noted that during a workshop, as opposed to a commission meeting, there can be back-and-forth dialog between the commission and public. “I think we all want the same thing – to maintain the historic integrity of Boulder City.”

A city report states that Broadbent &Associates, Inc. performed an intensive-level architectural survey and inventory of the historic-age, motel properties located in Boulder City. The motels are located along the north and south sides of Nevada Way between New Mexico Street/Cherry Street on the east, and Buchanan Boulevard/Boulder City Parkway on the west.

The motels were constructed between 1932 and 1982 along Nevada Way, which served as the city’s main commercial corridor, the report states. They were developed to serve a growing clientele of automobile tourists visiting Boulder City in the early- to mid-20th century.

Six of the eight motel owners, who could be reached or responded to city inquiries, said they were not interested in a historic district. According to City Planner Nakeisha Lyon, the owners said they were concerned about additional regulatory requirements. This could include having to seek city approval of any potential changes they may seek to make.

A letter to the commission from Tammy and Seth Grabel, owners of Western Inn Motel, explained why they do not support the creation of a historic district. Their feelings echoed the comments from other owners during this process.

“From our perspective, this proposal offers no meaningful benefit to our property, our business, or our family,” they wrote. “Instead, it creates the potential for additional restrictions, costs, and limitations that we neither want nor need.

“We also believe that those promoting this proposal should focus their efforts on improving and maintaining their own properties rather than attempting to place additional regulations on the properties of others. Property owners should have the freedom to determine what is best for their own investments without unwanted government intervention.”