Whiting Vegas is proposing a 58.2KSF charter school at 6418 Vegas Valley Dr. in Sunrise Manor.
Whiting Vegas is the property owner, while XL Charter Development, LLC is the applicant. Ethos Three Architecture is the design firm and landscape architect. Kaempfer Crowell is providing legal representation.
Mater Academy Vegas Valley Drive is proposed on a 6.26-acre site at the NEC of Tree Line and Vegas Valley drives. The currently vacant site has a master planned designation of Business Employment and is zoned Industrial Light.
The school will have a capacity of 1,000 students. The building will be constructed at the central portion of the site with a maximum height of 35 feet.
Amenities include a playground, basketball courts and a half soccer field with artificial turf. Outdoor amenities will be situated east of the primary building.
The building will be made of painted plaster, stacked stone, cementitious panels and vinyl windows. Other design elements include painted metal sunshades and low-E glazing.
Rooftop mechanical equipment will be screened by parapets. The primary entrance will be constructed on the northern façade. A six-foot chain-link fence will line the site on the northern, eastern and southern sides.
According to the justification letter, “The Applicant proposes a public, tuition-free charter school at the Site, specifically, a Pre-Kindergarten, elementary and middle-school.”
Immediately north and east of the site sits a single-family residential development zoned Residential Single-Family. Toward the south, across Vegas Valley Drive, sits a condominium development zoned Residential Multifamily. West of the site, across Tree Line Drive, is a Sun Peak Generating Station zoned Industrial Heavy.
The justification letter, prepared by Kaempfer Crowell, indicates the surrounding residential developments create the necessary demand for a K-12 development. Planned outdoor play areas are to be located away from homes toward street frontages.
Access to the site will be provided via two points off Tree Line Drive. The primary parking lot will sit north of the building. Developers are including 58 parking spaces, where 51 are required. Additionally, 62 bicycle spaces are planned, where 50 are required.
Special Use Permit, Design Review and Waivers of Development Standards
Developers are requesting a Special Use Permit, Design Review and three Waivers of Development Standards. The SUP is required for schools in locations zoned IL. County staff found the school to be compatible with the surrounding area and recommended approval of the SUP.
The first waiver is to remove the buffer wall requirement on the northern property line, as well as remove the decorative wall and landscaping requirement along the eastern property line. While staff was supportive of the eastern portion of the waiver, it recommended denial of the northern portion of the waiver due to the existing residential neighborhood.
The second waiver will allow the planned circulation lanes on the northern and eastern property lines. Staff recommended denial of this waiver as well.
The final waiver will reduce the driveway throat depth along Tree Line Drive to 6.5 feet, where 75 feet is required. Staff recommended approval of the 92% reduction, as the driveway is egress only.
The Clark County Zoning Commission is scheduled to consider the proposal during its May 6 meeting.
The Sunrise Manor Town Advisory Board previously recommended approval of the project.
