Smart development key to sustainable future

I commend my friend and colleague Mayor (Kiernan) McManus for his comments in the Boulder City Review on Sept. 1 regarding his focus on conservation to best serve the residents of Boulder City. Together, our cities have a long-standing commitment to conservation and sustainability.

Southern Nevada is expected to grow by 100,000 residents in the next two years, on our way to 3 million residents by 2035. The city of Henderson is known for prudent planning and smart development, and we have plans in place to address and accommodate future growth with sustainability in mind.

I would like to take this opportunity to share information with our neighbors in Boulder City related to the proposed annexation of portions of the Eldorado Valley, south of Railroad Pass. The city of Henderson received applications from property owners to annex approximately 150 acres known as the “Eldorado Rock & Sand LLC” property. The annexation and subsequent development are expected to eliminate any county mine and processing operations at this site.

The method to annex land in Nevada is prescribed by state law, which will continue to govern our actions in this matter.

The city of Henderson already supplies water to this property through an interlocal agreement with the Las Vegas Valley Water District. Annexation and development of the property will not leapfrog existing infrastructure, rather, the infrastructure has already been constructed in this area as part of our long-term strategic planning process.

A sewer main was constructed in the frontage road during construction of the I-11 project, paid for with private funding by the adjacent property owners in support of future development of the site and in anticipation of annexation of the property by the city of Henderson. Sewer flows from the property will be pumped to the city of Henderson’s wastewater reclamation facility for treatment and discharged to the Las Vegas Wash, which will conserve water and generate valuable return flow credits for our precious water supply.

As the gateway between Henderson and Boulder City, it is imperative that we plan now for development in Eldorado Valley to minimize the impact and maximize the value to our respective communities. Through responsible and thoughtful planning and community input we can develop the property in a way that benefits both our cities.

In November, I will join my colleagues on the City Council to discuss the proposed annexation and we welcome the Boulder City community to review the annexation documents, which will be posted at cityofhenderson.com, and provide any feedback.

The opinions expressed above belong solely to the author and do not represent the views of the Boulder City Review. They have been edited solely for grammar, spelling and style, and have not been checked for accuracy of the viewpoints.

Debra March is mayor of Henderson and serves as chair of the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada and the Regional Flood Control District. She has been a resident of Nevada for more than 40 years.