90°F
weather icon Mostly Cloudy

Planning commission debates ‘comprehensive’ vs. ‘master’

It was 20 minutes of discussion about a single word.

When the Planning Commission met on Feb. 21, there was only one piece of new business on the agenda. The commission was set to discuss, vote on, and forward to the city council a change to Title 11 of the Boulder City Code that Community Development Director Michael Mays characterized as the “subdivision section.”

There were two substantive changes to be discussed. First, it was recently discovered that BC code was not aligned with Nevada law. Specifically, NRS 278.320 says that the time period between when a tentative subdivision map is filed and when the final map needs to be submitted is up to four years. But Chapter 39 of Title 11 in Boulder City gives developers only one year for that process. Staff recommended that be changed in order to align with state law.

The second substantive change was also related to time. Currently, Chapter 39 of Title 11 allows for one year for the completion of subdivision improvements. In comments to the commission, Mays said that, given the current reality of extended wait times just to actually receive materials that have been placed on order, one year is not sufficient. He noted that in some cases, just getting materials can take a year and a half or longer. In order to address this reality, the recommendation was to extend that deadline from one year to three years.

Further, it was recommended that the public director or city engineer be able to unilaterally provide an extension of up to one year.

But, before any of that could be discussed, there was a housekeeping issue. It all had to do with the difference between the word “comprehensive” and the word “master.”

Prior to 2003, the overarching plan covering development and land use in Boulder City was called the “Comprehensive Plan.” In 2003, that was replaced with the current Master Plan. However, there are multiple areas in the city code that still refer to the comprehensive plan. And, as city staff was recommending opening up that bit of Title 11, they also advised changing references to to plan from “comprehensive” to “master.”

Ironically, while steps are made locally to align language within city code under the “master” term, the trend in real estate since at least 2014 has been to phase out the use of the term “master” for everything from plans to bedrooms and bathrooms because some find the term offensive.

For example, a 2014 piece from the Philadelphia NPR/PBS affiliate WHYY quoted local activists Tiffany Green and Tim Hannah of Black Communities United as saying they’ve talked about planning efforts in their communities, and people have found the word “master” offensive. “Many African Americans find that word to be insulting,” Green said. “It is a word that was used at a time that was a very bad experience for the black community.”

Eventually, the commission voted 4-1 to forward the recommended text changes to the city council for their approval.

MOST READ
LISTEN TO THE TOP FIVE HERE
THE LATEST
Toll Brothers gets split decision

The development of the area near Boulder Creek Golf Course known as Tract 350 (the sale of which is slated to pay for the majority of the planned replacement for the aging municipal pool) may have hit a snag last week as the planning commission voted 5-1 to deny the developers’ request to build houses closer to the street than is allowed under current law.

Council gives nod to 185 new hangars

There is at least one part of Boulder City that is set to see growth in the coming years. A lot of growth.

Boulder City ready to celebrate America

Boulder City resident James Cracolici may have put it best when he called the annual July 4 Damboree, “The crown jewel of all events held in Boulder City.”

BC can ban backyard breeders

Although there is nothing on any city agenda yet, the resolution of the issue of whether pet breeding will be allowed in Boulder City took a huge step forward last week as Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford released an official opinion on the intent and limitations of state law that had been requested by city staff last year.

Completion dates for two road projects pushed back

Mayor Joe Hardy tacitly acknowledged that Boulder City gets, perhaps, more than its fair share of funding from the Regional Transportation Commission, given the city’s size.

Businesses recognized at Chamber awards night

The Boulder City Chamber of Commerce’s annual installation and awards night featured many business owners in town and even had an appearance, albeit an A.I.-generated one, by Audrey Hepburn.

Parallel parking approved

Like so many other things in the world of Boulder City government, the issue of reconfiguring parking in the historic downtown area along Nevada Way, which generated enough heat to cause council members to delay a decision up until the last possible moment, ended with more of a whimper than a bang.

Ways to reduce summer power bills

Now that the thermometer is on the rise outdoors, the cost to cool homes and businesses on the inside is doing the same.