Shaquille ONeal Foundation presents youth center plan for Sunrise Manor; zoning, right-of-way vacation and development waiver approved with conditions

Lisa Morris Hibbler, executive director of the Shaquille O'Neal Foundation, and Chase Wheeler, the project's architect, presented a proposed youth development center in Sunrise Manor and described plans for a Boys & Girls Club, a Communities In Schools alumni center for ages 18 to 24, a pre-K center and a multisport complex with amenities including a mixed martial arts training space.

The project site is on Kellen Lambert Boulevard near the Lake Mead and Lamb corridors and is within walking distance of several public schools, the architect said. "The multi sport play field will have lighting," Wheeler said while walking board members through the site and floor plans. The development team said the early-childhood wing would include four classrooms with outdoor play areas and that the project building would be about 37 feet at its highest point.

The proposal requires three land-use actions: a zone change, a vacation/abandonment of a portion of right-of-way along Kellen Lambert and a waiver of development standards tied to driveway throat depth for the single ingress drive. Planning staff initially recommended denial of the throat-depth waiver but provided conditions and options for approval if the applicants worked with staff to resolve safety and stacking concerns. Hibbler said project partners and funders include the Shaquille O'Neal Foundation, a county commissioners office and the school district, and that the foundation has pursued the site for more than five years.

During the public hearing, a nearby resident asked whether the site backs all the way to Lake Mead Boulevard and raised questions about the airport overlay designation; planning discussion said the airport environmental map touches a small triangle of the site and that restrictions apply mainly to occupancy limits for that corner rather than building height. A neighborhood speaker, Danielle Simmons, offered public support, saying the facility would "impact a lot of children." Another speaker asked where project plans could be reviewed; Hibbler replied that plans are available on the county's Board of County Commissioners agenda page and that the Boys & Girls Club will operate the facility when built.

Board members pressed the applicants on driveway throat depth, stacking and peak-hour interactions with adjacent schools. The applicants said the pre-K portion would use a quick drop-off area in the rear and that the Boys & Girls Club would operate primarily after school, reducing overlap with school pick-up peaks. The architect and project team said they were engaged with planning staff and a civil engineer had met with the planning supervisor the day of the hearing to resolve outstanding throat-depth comments.

After discussion the advisory board voted to: approve the zone change; approve the vacation/abandonment of the five-foot right-of-way; and approve the waiver of development standards with staff conditions and the applicants commitment to continue working with planning on throat-depth details. The advisory board vote is advisory; the project will proceed to the county planning commission and Board of County Commissioners for subsequent approvals and permits.

The project team emphasized outreach and operational coordination with nearby schools and the Boys & Girls Club as the eventual operator. Planning and the applicants will continue to refine driveway geometry and stacking controls to meet safety standards prior to final permitting.