Clark County planning commission forwards Richmond American proposal for 99 homes amid neighborhood objections

The Clark County Planning Commission on Oct. 21 voted to forward a suite of actions on a Richmond American Homes project — including a plan amendment, zone change, vacation of easements, a set of internal waivers and a tentative map for roughly 14.19 acres south of Blue Diamond Road — to the Board of County Commissioners for final action on Nov. 19, 2025.

Attorney Stephanie Groenauer, representing Richmond American Homes, told the commission the developer revised multiple plans after months of neighborhood meetings to protect the adjacent rural neighborhood preservation (RNP) area and avoid encroaching on RMP‑designated lots. Groenauer said the developer sought to "down‑zone" portions of the site from corridor mixed use to a lower‑intensity residential designation to create a transition to the RNP and to preserve one row of half‑acre lots adjacent to the RNP.

The applicant submitted a Kimley‑Horn traffic analysis and an NDOT letter that Groenauer said reduced neighbors' traffic concerns: "That analysis showed 9,500 trips a day with a commercial project on the property versus a thousand trips a day with the residential homes," she said, arguing the residential plan would generate far less traffic than the previously approved commercial alternative.

Neighbors who spoke at the hearing said the project would harm the RNP character and overload local roads. "This development threatens that character," said a neighbor who identified herself as a long‑time RNP resident, and Kathy Fry, representing dozens of neighbors, urged the commission to oppose the plan, saying, "Please oppose this project," citing traffic, density and the loss of single‑story neighborhood character.

The developer said the plan kept the Blue Diamond frontage for smaller lots and preserved nine half‑acre lots adjacent to the RNP. Groenauer said Richmond had explored one‑story transitions but that meeting code for residential adjacency would have required two‑story homes or a planned unit development; the plan before the commission uses a mix of lot sizes and home types and reduces the number of requested waivers from ten to three.

Commissioners asked staff and the applicant detailed questions about which portions of the site remain inside the RNP overlay, whether lots along the transition meet the 10,000 sq ft requirement, drainage and whether Maranto Avenue could be overtaxed. Staff and the applicant said the RNP portion would not change, that the southern transition lots meet the 10,000‑sq‑ft requirement where shown, and that Richmond provided a drainage study and NDOT correspondence that would be entered into the record.

Commissioner Mujica moved to approve the plan amendment (PA25700032) and later moved to approve the zone change, the easement vacation, the waivers and the tentative map with the conditions stated during the hearing; the motions passed. The items will be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners for final action on Nov. 19, 2025. The record shows "motion passes" but the transcript does not contain a roll‑call tally for the final votes.

What happens next: The items will be heard by the Board of County Commissioners on Nov. 19, 2025, where the public may again testify or file written appeals. Several neighbors asked the commission for further engagement on Maranto Avenue access, CC&Rs and lot configuration; commissioners noted CC&Rs are private HOA matters and not enforceable by the commission.

Speakers quoted in this article are drawn from the commission hearing. The commission noted that several conditions discussed during deliberations (buffering, drainage commitments and homeowner disclosures about potential animal noise) will be included in records sent to the Board of County Commissioners for final consideration.