Editor's Note: Now you're sprawling, baby

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The latest proposal to spill out of the valley proper comes from John Laing Homes, which wants to build 8,400 houses on a hill bordering and overlooking Red Rock Canyon.

Residents of Blue Diamond, a funky hamlet southwest of Las Vegas, and local environmental groups are opposed to Laing's proposal for Blue Diamond Hill. They say the property should be protected from development because of its ecological values and proximity to Red Rock Canyon. Some say the acreage should be made part of the adjacent Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

John Laing Homes, meanwhile, is promising to be environmentally sensitive--short, of course, of not building 8,400 homes and bringing 21,000 residents into this serene, sparsely populated area abutting one of the most beautiful and beloved public spaces in the Mojave Desert.

One hopes for a sustained battle this year over Blue Diamond Hill. The arguments for rejecting the development--or perhaps for buying out the developer using public funds raised from the sale of other public parcels in the valley--are strong. (I'll write more about this project soon.)

So, Las Vegas may be more densely packed than Eastern cities. That's probably a good thing. But just don't say Las Vegas doesn't have a sprawl problem.

--GEOFF SCHUMACHER