Henderson council to consider Black Mountain golf course development

The Henderson City Council is scheduled to take a vote Tuesday that could pave the way for developing a shuttered golf course, an idea that has drawn opposition from neighbors.

Council members will consider multiple facets of the project, including rezoning and a development agreement.

If the project is approved, a developer will get to move forward with a proposal to fill the now-closed Black Mountain Golf and Country Club with 1,275 homes. Additional planning documents would need to be submitted to the city in the future, and staff would need to review house designs.

Development has been met with resistance in the neighborhood.

Denell Hahn, a vocal opponent of the project, said she worries density will cause too much traffic. She said she is concerned the new homes will not be compatible with the existing neighborhood and could drive down property values.

Hahn insists the opponents are being reasonable. She said she does not think neighbors are opposed to it becoming a residential area.

“We’d like to see houses that are going to enhance the neighborhood,” she said.

Andy Baron, an Arizona-based land planner for the project, said the developer has had ongoing communication with the neighborhood, and has tried to make sure the project will be compatible with the existing area. There are some condos planned, he said, but rental units are not part of the project.

“We’ve done a lot to try and make sure we’re communicating with the public,” he said.

And according to a staff report on the project, “the existing traffic systems will handle the increased traffic.”

The golf course went into bankruptcy in 2017 and closed in November 2018.

A plan submitted to the city for review last year called for 1,800 homes on the roughly 200 acres.

Now, the project would feature a maximum of 228 on a parcel called the Founders Nine, the original nine holes of the golf course opened in 1958. Another parcel would be home to 1,047 units.

Hahn criticized Henderson for scheduling a vote during a virtual meeting that will not allow residents to attend in person. In the past, opponents of the Black Mountain golf course development have worn matching T-shirts in the council chambers.

“We’re just following the governor’s directive to restrict large gatherings of people,” city spokeswoman Kathleen Richards said. There are multiple avenues for the public to participate in the virtual meeting, she said.

Opponents still intend to show up at City Hall for the meeting, Hahn said.

Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.