Community Development
Boulder Highway Corridor
What will the Investment Strategy accomplish?
The Strategy will allow the City to take advantage of opportunities along the corridor; such as, a fairly sizable amount of undeveloped and underdeveloped land, additional capacity within the multi-modal transportation network, and the ability to encourage a greater mix and intensity of uses to support the ACE Rapid Transit service planned for Boulder Highway. The project will include, but is not limited to, the following key outcomes:
- An analysis of existing conditions, including an inventory of existing transportation networks and a market study;
- Design recommendations for ACE Rapid Transit stations within Henderson;
- A vision and framework for development, including the identification of potential catalyst sites that would support Transit Oriented Development (TOD) projects;
- The creation and application of a new Corridor Mixed Use (MC) Zoning District;
- A complete overhaul of the landscaping standards within the right-of-way; and
- An implementation strategy, including development incentives, strategies, and investment priorities.
What
was the response from the community?
The community wants a more attractive corridor that will build on the plans for
transit along the highway. The highway currently offers a diverse array of
services and it is important to maintain that variety while making them more
convenient for potential customers without personal vehicles. Additionally, the
corridor is an underutilized resource that sees thousands of people passing
through every day. Providing a broader mix of housing opportunities and making
businesses more visible by bringing them closer to the street will help promote
the corridor as a destination unto itself instead of just a route leading to
somewhere else.
What has been accomplished so far?
With the City Council's adoption of the
Boulder Highway Corridor Investment
Strategy, a new vision for the future of the corridor has been established:
The Boulder Highway Corridor is a civic, entertainment, residential, employment, and transportation spine of the city that represents its past, present, and future in a seamlessly integrated and active environment. Quality building design, active civic spaces, a continuous green parkway, and coordinated transportation systems combine to offer a high-quality experience that distinguishes the City of Henderson within the region. While the corridor is coordinated to offer a unified sense of place, distinct areas offer very different experiences - downtown living, shopping, entertainment, and civic facilities and events; stable neighborhoods; destination commercial mixed-use nodes; and business and employment areas.
Additionally, five Guiding Principles were developed to further support the Corridor Vision:
-
The City will promote the revitalization and transformation of the Boulder Highway Corridor
The revitalization of the Boulder Highway Corridor will occur incrementally over time. The city will promote this revitalization using a range of tools, strategies, and public/private partnerships.
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The Boulder Highway Corridor will serve as a major multi-modal transportation corridor within our city and region
The importance of the Boulder Highway Corridor extends far beyond just the City of Henderson. Ultimately, it will serve as one “leg” of a much larger regional system allowing the city to remain independent while providing its residents with easy access to other activity and employment centers throughout the valley. -
The City and Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) will establish a distinctive "look and feel" for the Boulder Highway Corridor that is unique to Henderson
Because the Boulder Highway Corridor extends far beyond the City of Henderson, it will be important to establish a distinctive image for the Henderson portion of the corridor that distinguishes it from its neighboring communities. -
Mixed-Use Activity Centers will be established at key nodes
The Boulder Highway Corridor covers a very large area and existing land use patterns in most areas are fairly low density. At identified key opportunity nodes, future development will need to occur at significantly higher densities and be concentrated within walking distance of transit stations. -
The Boulder Highway Corridor will be integrated with the surrounding community
In order to reach its full potential, the Boulder Highway Corridor must be well-connected to the surrounding community and the region and must offer residents, employees, and visitors a variety of transportation options (auto/pedestrian/bicycle/transit).
How will this Vision
become a reality?
With the help of the Boulder
Highway Citizen Advisory Committee, Staff Working Group, elected and appointed
officials, and public comments gathered during our extensive public outreach
process, tools have been developed to help staff implement the community’s
vision.
Development Standards for the Corridor Mixed Use (MC) Zoning District
Second, new sign regulations have been created for the new MC district and have been added to the Sign chapter (19.11) of the Development Code. An excerpt from that chapter focusing on the new regulations is available below.
Sign Regulations for the Corridor Mixed Use (MC) Zoning District
Finally, the standards for improvements within the right-of-way of Boulder Highway have been completely overhauled with the new Boulder Highway Landscape Design Manual. The Design Manual replaces the prior Boulder Highway Beautification Manual, but builds upon many of the principles it established. The new Manual carries forward the beautification efforts while incorporating several new initiatives such as water conservation, reducing maintenance costs, and providing more shade along the corridor. The document also provides a Development Guide to help applicants through the entitlement and permitting processes. The full Manual is available below.
Boulder Highway Landscape Design Manual
Why is
the City proposing these changes?
Boulder Highway
represents a significant opportunity for reinvestment with the upcoming
introduction of rapid transit and recent interest in its retail and residential
potential. Since late 2006, City staff and members of the community have been
working to develop an Investment Strategy for the corridor that will allow more
efficient use of private property, enhance the character, and provide a wider
array of services, employment opportunities, and residential choices for the residents of Henderson.
The City Council adopted the Investment Strategy in December 2008 and staff will
be working closely with property owners, potential investors, and nearby
neighborhoods to implement the Corridor Vision.
What is
the difference between regular transit and “rapid” transit?
For Boulder Highway,
the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service, which has been named ACE Rapid Transit by
the RTC, will provide an “express” service that substantially reduces travel
time. Passengers will be able to purchase their fares before boarding the
bus to reduce the time necessary at each station. The website for the RTC provides more detailed
information. Please see the link at the bottom of this page to access the site.
What is
Mixed-Use zoning?
Mixed-Use describes a
traditional pattern of pedestrian-friendly development where multiple uses are
located within the same building or development. Similar to a traditional main
street or downtown area, retail and restaurant spaces occupy the street level
and the floors above offer space for offices or residences. The pattern offers
convenience for residents and a nearby customer and
employment base for businesses. Mixed-use
is especially effective near transit stations where riders can also
enjoy the
variety of services offered within a
walk able distance from the station.
What
changes can we expect with the proposed Corridor Mixed-Use district?
This district will
show
that
Boulder Highway is
different from other areas of the City and that special
standards apply. It will also include incentives
and opportunities for denser,
more pedestrian-friendly development. Through enhanced development standards
and improvements in the public right-of-way, the City hopes to preserve the
diverse array of services while promoting a cohesive image along the length of
the corridor and a safe environment for pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicles.
Some of the major changes that will be the most visible with new development
include buildings being placed closer to the street, more shade trees and
covered walkways to provide relief from the desert sun, multi-use buildings with
residential and retail/office space, and improvements at the intersections to
make them more pedestrian-friendly.
Where
is this new Corridor Mixed Use (MC) Zoning District located?
Please click on the links below to see the boundaries of
the approved zone change. The corridor has been broken up into four (4)
sections to provide enough detail to see individual addresses and street names
if you zoom in. Please be aware that the files are fairly large and may take a
moment to download.
Map 1: Gibson
Road to Barrett Street (12MB)
Map 2:
Merlayne
Drive to Lake Mead Drive (11MB)
Map 3:
Lake Mead
Drive to Horizon Drive (12MB)
Map 4:
Horizon
Drive to Foothills Drive (12MB)
What
happens to my property if it is included in the area that was rezoned?
If you currently own
a home or business on the property, your development is “grandfathered” and you
are still allowed and encouraged to maintain all of the improvements on your
property.
Many properties throughout Henderson have both
base zoning (i.e. Multi-family Residential or Highway Commercial) and Overlay
Zoning (i.e. Redevelopment Overlay or Gaming Overlay). Overlay districts modify
the base zoning to apply additional allowances or restrictions. If your
property’s zoning classification includes any overlay districts, such as Gaming
Overlay, they will remain in place and only the base zoning district will
change.
What is
the next step?
Now that all the tools are in place, staff will be working to attract new
investment to the corridor and coordinating with developers to help them comply
with all the new standards. Another key initiative will be seeking additional
funding sources to provide public improvements such as extending and completing
gaps in the bike trail running along Boulder Highway, enhancing crosswalks and
other amenities at major intersections, and providing more landscaping along the
corridor for beautification and shade. Staff will also be working closely with
RTC as construction begins on the new stations for the ACE Rapid Transit Service
in Fall 2009.
How can
I get more information?
Please
contact Gloria Elder at (702) 267-1553 or
gloria.elder@cityofhenderson.com
for general information or to discuss potential
development plans. Additionally, several display boards from the most
recent Public Open House Meetings are available below:
Open House Display Boards:
Display Board 1:
General Development Pattern (9.18MB)
Display Board 2:
Grandfathering
(232KB)
Display Board 3:
Improvements on Private Property
(551KB)
Display Board 4:
Improvements within the Public Right-of-Way
(1.30MB)
Display Board 5:
Transportation Elements
(756KB)
Display Board 6:
Transition to Existing Neighborhoods
(207KB)
Neighborhood meeting with the River Mountain Ranch Estates HOA (5/13/09) Display Boards:
Display Board 1:
Description of Corridor Mixed Use (2.94MB)
Display Board 2:
Description of Highway Commercial
(1.33MB)
Display Board 3:
Size Limitations for New Buildings
(1.43MB)
Useful Links: