What are your thoughts on land preservation and development?MAYOR CITY COUNCIL WARD 1 CITY COUNCIL WARD 3

The View asked the candidates to share, in their own words, their stances on city planning

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William Robinson

William Robinson did not submit an answer to this question.

Shari Buck

There is an important balance that needs to be maintained between these two competing interests. While controlled growth and development adds vitality, we cannot sacrifice our natural history for the sake of expansion. I welcome the discussions in the future between all the interested parties.

Stephanie Smith

Our slowdown in growth gives us a real opportunity to assess what our preservation needs and obligations are. North Las Vegas still has a great deal of available land, and careful planning will ensure only positive development and growth. We must actively attract new industry and jobs for all of North Las Vegas. We can effectively facilitate these new industries, while always working to sustain our community's natural resources.

Ned Thomas

Every cloud has a silver lining, and this new era of slower growth means that we can step back and thoughtfully examine what we have accomplished in our community. We now have an unprecedented opportunity to address longer term infrastructure and facility needs that may have been left undone due to the swift pace of change. We have the chance to be proactive rather than reactive.

As a professional urban planner with hands-on experience in local government, I believe that development can achieve the desired economic benefits of developers as well as the desired community-building benefits of public officials and residents.

But this requires a great deal of leadership, trust and mutual respect on all sides.

Many residents of North Las Vegas have felt an imbalance in the city's response to large-scale development projects, particularly those that should have required careful consideration of citywide impacts and extensive community involvement in the process. We need to be more accountable and inclusive.

For future development, I would demand high quality, environmentally friendly development that complements our desert environment and adds value to existing neighborhoods.

We should also preserve portions of our desert landscape that are unique and contain priceless paleo-scientific resources.

Rolando Cruz

One of the sad things about Southern Nevada in general is that when it comes to history is pretty much history already. We need to conserve some of our natural relics we have since no matter how hard we try they will never come back. Building over these lands will be a crime for the next generation of citizens that will inherit our city. The growth we have while eliminating these precious resources will hurt our image.

Jeffrey Eggeman

I think that with the economic crisis we don't have to worry about more housing development. Land preservation needs to be worked out. There needs to be better flood management on North 5th Street and on Losee Road. Every time it rains, these areas flood. The city of North Las Vegas should have a better green technology policy. Any new government building should have green technology. The government buildings already built should have at least some green technology, like energy efficient light bulbs. These measures can save the city a great amount of money and help it cope better with helping others.

Robert Eliason

We need to look at preserving sensitive land and figure out how we can develop the rest in a orderly manner.

Felix Acevedo Jr.

North Las Vegas should preserve its industrial and commercial zoned land. Maintaining and expanding these industrial and commercial lands ensures that our business continues to flourish and expand. This will help create much needed jobs for our residents and create new revenue for our city.

Angelo Carvalho

I feel that we should save and preserve some of the natural land areas and assist with good developments.

Jack Kelso

As a planner and architect, I am very sensitive to conservation efforts and land preservation, especially within the Las Vegas Wash area running along the northern area of Ward 3. I support these conservation and preservation efforts. I am concerned about the future development areas in the northern area and the number of infill parcels within Ward 3. I will establish a fully representative and active Ward 3 Committee of homeowners and vested interests to review, evaluate and support sound planning proposals that protect the residential and commercial owners within Ward 3.

Michael Little

1) Land use preservation in Southern Nevada is predicated on a limited and exhausted water supply. The supply and demand market in water availability and cost will dictate future growth and land preservation in Southern Nevada and the desert southwest.

2) Redevelopment will become a much more viable consideration for developers due to limited available capital, existing infrastructure, diminished tax credit grab and a redefining national economy and conservation movement. North Las Vegas has 10-20 years of infill build out inventory and unlimited redevelopment opportunities.

John 3:16 Cook

I'm for preservation 100 percent. We have enough development. We have some horrible years ahead of us and everything else needs to be squared away before we start new development.

Kim McKinney

I believe in land preservation but also welcome development within our ward as long as developers include parks, paved streets, right of ways, and basic infrastructure in their plans.

Anita Wood

The challenge for every elected local official -- especially during these tough economic times -- is to balance the lifestyles of those who are already here with the very real need to make sure we have a healthy, vigorous construction industry. I believe it can be done.

First, we need to have clear, reasonable rules and live with them. Our North Las Vegas Comprehensive Plan is written to protect current homeowners, ranch and rural estates while providing opportunities to build housing, commercial, industrial and provide amenities from new restaurants to new parks. The problem is not the plan, but the enforcement and even-handed application of it. We have to look at transitional zoning, providing for a gradual increase in density, not abrupt changes.

I value our older rural and ranch estates and the sort of lifestyle which brought many to North Las Vegas. With fair and consistent zoning decisions there is room to protect the old and welcome the new.