Land Use and Rural Neighborhoods ... - City of Las Vegas

CONCLUSION
The city has traditionally relied on a system based on
density and intensity to classify the use of land. Land use regulation
is implemented through a Euclidean system of zoning
whereby uses of a particular category are grouped together
and segregated from uses of other types. While this system is
straightforward and easy to implement, it tends to create and
maintain areas with similar characteristics that lack unique features
and discourages non-motorized modes of transportation.
It ignores the possibility that commercial and residential uses
can coexist in the same neighborhood or even in the same
buildings.
The city has already begun to transition from this traditional
approach to a more flexible form of regulation by allowing
for the development of master planned communities, planned
development zoning, mixed use developments and the introduction
of traditional neighborhood planning in limited areas.
Parallel with the shift in thinking about how land uses interact,
development codes must also change to implement a vision
that is based more on building types and locations for uses
rather than the uses themselves.
In residential areas, the demand for walkable urban neighborhoods
is growing due to shifts in demographics, concern
for the environment, and a desire for aesthetics and uniqueness
that will maintain property values. The housing market
will change to meet this demand by providing higher density
single family and a variety of multi-family products that will be
built in proximity to planned transit stations.
The city’s current General Plan depicts a snapshot of
future land use based on physical characteristics of the land,
proximity to other types of uses, and the needs of particular
areas. Where more detailed planning is needed, special area
plans should continue to be developed. The Downtown
Centennial Plan, Medical District Plan and West Las Vegas Plan
still require further implementation to reach their goals for revitalization
of the core area of the city, while the Centennial Hills
Sector Plan continues to guide the development of raw land in
the Northwest.
Particular attention should be paid to development of
open space within developing areas so that they will be within
walking distance or a short drive for residents of these areas.
Additionally, the Master Plan has identified that more park facilities
need to be developed to meet the needs of the growing
population. Master planned communities in the Northwest
have integrated adequate recreational facilities into their plans,
Conclusion
PD-0006-05-2012 RS LU_RNP page 57