The County Commission has adopted a "Neighborhood Casino" ordinance which distinguishes between a large resort hotel found on the Las Vegas Boulevard "Strip" and a hotel casino found off the strip, in neighborhoods around Clark County.

The Board adopted the ordinance on January 18, 2006, after appointing an 11-person stakeholders committee in early 2005 to suggest regulatory options related to neighborhood casinos. The ordinance went into effect on February 6, 2006.

The ordinance first establishes a definition for "Neighborhood Casino" based on geographic area (outside the urban core and not master planned for resort hotel) and defines the hotel as having a minimum of 200 rooms, rather than the 300 room minimum required for resort hotels.

State law initiated in 1997, along with a local ordinance adopted in 2000 restrict s resort hotels from establishing in areas outside of the Las Vegas Boulevard Gaming Corridor which are not master planned for resort uses. However, a "major project" development may designate area for a resort hotel use within their specific plan. This is the case for four sites within the County. Typically, with major project development, all the uses (ie residential, commercial, parks, resort hotel, etc.) are planned and entitlements are given long before ground is ever broken to construct the resort hotel; very often after many residents have moved into the area without realizing a resort hotel will be constructed around the corner from their home.

In order to address issues mentioned above, the ordinance focused on process improvements intended to increase neighborhood awareness, as follows:

• The applicant is required to hold a neighborhood meeting prior to public hearing.
• The applicant is required to advertise (1/8 page) their project in the local newspaper (newspaper of general circulation), around the same general time of the public hearing.
• All extensions of time for land use applications must be public hearing, notifying all property owners within a 2,500 foot radius of the subject parcels.

• If the land use application is approved, temporary signs must be constructed on site. The signs must meet temporary sign regulations found in the development code as well as the following:

Development and design standards for neighborhood casinos are as follows:

• The structure is limited to a maximum height of 100 feet (if it is located within the Mixed Use Overlay District, the height permitted within the MUD subdistrict applies).

• No lighting from any building shall shine directly on adjacent development. Reflective lighting (such as but not limited to backlighting and uplighting) shall be used to the greatest extent practical.

• The use of highly reflective building materials should be minimized to reduce potential impacts on nearby properties.

• All existing safe routes to school and future school sites shall be identified on the site plan, and related safety concerns shall be addressed at time of design review.

The Board recognized the potential impacts such facilities can have on neighbors. While specific mandates were not codified, the following issues were included in the ordinance which applicants are expected to address with their plans and during the public hearings:

• Traffic mitigation of potential traffic impacts.

• Separation distance from inventoried (future) and existing school sites located within 2,500 linear feet of the proposed project.

• Height, size, brilliance, and animation of signs.

• Access through non-gaming areas for community recreational uses that invite or welcome minors.