Commission approves revised Star Hills subdivision after neighbors press for lower unit count and special construction conditions

Clark County commissioners approved a revised tentative map and associated waivers for a five‑acre infill parcel on the north side of Star Hills Avenue, moving the project forward with a set of new conditions intended to reduce hillside and construction impacts after dozens of residents raised safety and grading concerns.

The applicant originally proposed a larger subdivision and, at one point, asked to use an adjacent Bureau of Land Management parcel for grading work. Over multiple neighborhood meetings the developer withdrew the temporary gravel‑pit request and reduced the number of lots from earlier proposals, ultimately bringing a 28‑lot plan before the commission.

Residents and speakers from nearby Southern Highlands described the site as steep and mostly hillside, arguing that the parcel has extensive slopes (residents estimated the site to be roughly 80% hillside) and that developer experience with residential hillside construction was unclear. “This developer has never built single‑family homes,” one resident said, urging the commission to require a qualified builder and impose single‑story limits on lots directly adjacent to existing homes.

Commissioners and staff negotiated several additional conditions on the record before approving items 34–36. Those conditions included: - Designation of specific lots (including Lots 15, 6, 17, 18 and Lot 12) to be single‑story to reduce view and grade impacts on adjacent homeowners. The commission also directed that Lot 28 be deleted and retained as undisturbed open space except for up to five feet of transition grading toward Lot 27. - A requirement that the applicant identify the home builder who will construct the houses and demonstrate prior experience with hillside/residential projects before issuance of any grading permit. The county will accept equivalent experience showing prior work with substantial elevation changes if hillside‑specific projects are not available. - Requirement for a third‑party pre‑construction interior and exterior survey of adjacent homes immediately abutting the site to document existing conditions; the applicant will repair damage directly caused by earthwork operations. Adjacent owners must grant survey access within five business days of the request. - A 6‑foot wide landscaped planter on both sides of the entry to match Southern Highlands master association design guidelines and require gate/access consistency with adjacent master‑plan standards. - Construction hours limited to 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., six days per week (applicant revised from a longer schedule in staff report). - A requirement to match the color and type of block wall / fencing to adjacent existing walls for visual consistency; a condition to plant street trees consistent with adjacent blocks and the Southern Nevada regional plant list where permissible.

The commission also required that the applicant provide notice of the selected home builder to county planning staff before grading permits are issued and that the builder have demonstrable experience with hillside development or equivalent projects involving substantial site elevation changes.

Supporters of the conditions said they would protect existing homeowners and reduce construction‑related risk. The applicant accepted the added conditions during the hearing and agreed to coordinate required surveys and plan changes with staff before grading work begins. The commission approved the tentative map and related waivers with the conditions read into the record.