Spring Valley still plagued by ‘party houses,’ residents say
Despite Clark County’s ban on short-term rentals, “party houses” continue to bring unwanted noise and traffic, Spring Valley-area residents told two county commissioners at a recent meeting.
Lisa Skurow said she has seen some “serious violations” in her neighborhood, near Jones Boulevard and Edna Avenue in a community neighbors call Davis Park.
Commissioners Michael Naft and Justin Jones held a meet-and-greet Feb. 26 at Desert Breeze Community Center that drew about 50 people. Both took office this year; Jones was elected and Naft was appointed by Gov. Steve Sisolak to fill Sisolak’s seat.
Skurow told them she is worried that her neighborhood is turning into a hotel zone.
Skurow, a real estate agent, is concerned with five rental properties that are listed at the TotalMax Homes website at totalmaxhomes.com and are within blocks of one another. They have names like Dreams and Desires Mansion (on Darby Avenue), Oasis Oakey Mansion (Oakey Boulevard) and Retreat of Revelation Mansion (Red Rock Street).
Clark County’s Short-Term Rental Education and Enforcement Team is following up on complaints about all the TotalMax Homes properties, said county spokesman Dan Kulin. He added that the county received 104 complaints about possible short-term rentals from Jan. 1 to March 1.
Gary Wu is listed as the manager of the limited-liability companies that the TotalMax Homes properties are listed under.
Wu did not respond to initial requests for comment. On Friday, he said all of his renters sign contracts requiring stays of at least 30 days, adding that he often rents to large companies that might have visitors who come and go.
“I have no control over who comes and visits the renters,” Wu said.
The Dreams and Desires Mansion is advertised as having 12 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms and accommodating up to 39 people. Each listing has a disclaimer that says, “All rentals will need to be 31+ days to meet Clark County current ordinance. Other Clark County ordinances on noise level, public parking, etc. are also required to be observed.”
Skurow said she often sees multiple cars at the properties with out-of-state license plates that are gone by the end of the weekend.
“I have a 8-year-old daughter; she doesn’t need to know about overdoses and the coroner being at a property that holds 39 beds,” she told the commissioners. “We don’t need it in our neighborhood.”
Skurow is also concerned with the change in architecture of the properties. According to the county website, building permits are required for residential perimeter walls taller than 2 feet, and an administrative deviation is required for walls taller than 6 feet. Each one of the TotalMax Homes properties is surrounded by a fence and oftentimes a concrete wall that violate county rules, Skurow claimed. On Friday, Wu responded that he had the necessary permits for the barriers.
“All of the properties have the same iron fences and gates,” she added.
Jones represents District F, which includes parts of Spring Valley. He pointed out that Clark County code enforcement had increased its hours to deal with “party houses” operating on weekends and after hours.
Jones added that his in-laws live near two short-term rentals.
“They are operating as party houses,” he said.
This story was updated Friday to include property owner Gary Wu’s response.
Contact Rachel Spacek at 702-387-2921 or rspacek@reviewjournal.com. Follow @RachelSpacek on Twitter.
About the law
Renting out one's property for less than 30 days is illegal in unincorporated Clark County, an area that includes Spring Valley.
Enforcement
Last year, the county added six code enforcement positions: four officers, one supervisor and one clerical position, according to Dan Kulin, county spokesman. With those additions, Kulin said, the county created its Short-Term Rental Education and Enforcement Team. This year, Kulin said, the team is adding four more officers; three of the positions have been filled.
Complaints
Clark County residents can submit code-violation complaints and view a map of service requests made in the past 30 days at clarkconnect.clarkcountynv.gov. Those who don't have ClarkConnect log-ins may create one. To search for code violations, click "MAP service requests" and "Selection Criteria," then "Neighborhood Issues" under "Issue" and "Code Violations" under "Details." Other types of complaints may also be viewed.
By the numbers
In a video put out 11 months ago, code enforcement chief Jim Andersen estimated there were 5,000 to 6,000 short-term rentals in unincorporated Clark County.
