Clark County planning staff proposes adding 3.5-units-per-acre residential category to master plan
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Summary
Planning staff told the Clark County Planning Commission they will propose a resolution to add a low-intensity residential category allowing up to 3.5 dwelling units per acre to the county master plan, restoring a category used before the 2021 update.
Planning staff told the Clark County Planning Commission on July 1 that they will bring a resolution to amend the county master plan by adding a residential category allowing up to 3.5 dwelling units per acre.
The staff member said the 3.5-units-per-acre tier previously existed, but the county’s 2021 update used it sparingly. "This is a resolution to amend the master plan by adding a new residential category to allow up to 3.5 units per acre," the staff member said. The staff member framed the proposal as an intermediate option between the existing 2 units-per-acre category and the 5 units-per-acre category.
Why it matters: planners told commissioners the added category is meant to give a middle option when projects slightly exceed the 2-units-per-acre threshold but where 5 units per acre would be considered too intense for a neighborhood. The staff member cited a recent example in which a proposal would have produced a density just above 2 units per acre and where stakeholders resisted jumping to the 5-units-per-acre category.
Details: the proposal would add the new category to the master plan’s list of residential intensity options; it does not change the land-use map or rezone any property by itself. The staff member reiterated that the county’s 2021 master plan already contains the 2-units-per-acre and 5-units-per-acre categories and that the new category would sit between them.
Discussion at the briefing was limited to staff explanation and a short question period; no formal action or vote on the resolution occurred at the July 1 meeting. Commissioners did not vote on the amendment during the briefing; staff indicated the item would return as a formal action item for future consideration.
The commission meeting record shows the proposal framed as a policy amendment (resolution) to the county master plan and not as a parcel-specific map amendment. That means property owners would still need separate plan amendments or zone changes to use the new category on particular sites.