UPDATE: Vegas Officials Green-Light Parking Garage Right Next to Airport Fuel Tanks

UPDATE: Las Vegas officials voted on Wednesday to approve the construction of a six-story parking garage next to eight large fuel tanks at Harry Reid International Airport. The Clark County Commission said the garage can be built if developers meet safety and security requirements imposed by the Clark County Department of Aviation.

EARLIER: The Clark County Commission is scheduled to vote on Wednesday, November 5, on whether to approve a controversial proposal for a new parking garage at Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport. The proposal raises safety concerns due to its proximity to eight large jet fuel tanks, the nearest being less than 100 feet away.

The 2,200-car structure would be situated on 3.8 acres just north of Terminal 1, a space currently occupied by airline food supplier Sky Chefs, whose building is slated for demolition. Terminal 1 is home to Las Vegas’ busiest airline, Southwest.

The garage is being proposed by land American Nevada Co., a legacy developer known for master-planned communities and commercial developments throughout Las Vegas. It was founded in 1972 by Hank Greenspun, the late publisher of the Las Vegas Sun newspaper, and his wife, Barbara.

According to a county staff report obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Clark County Department of Aviation, which runs the airport and would also need to approve the project, has raised “numerous safety and security concerns.”

The main one is that the new structure would provide an “elevated, direct line of sight” to the tanks.

According to the staff report, the developer will be required to build a solid wall obscuring views to the tanks and airfield from any part of the parking structure — especially its roof. In addition, the garage must be surrounded by a “vehicle crash mitigation rail” capable of stopping a 15K-pound vehicle doing 50 mph.

Hank Greenspun’s descendants maintain close ties to local politics. Clark County Commission chair Jim Gibson was the president and CEO of the online travel agency Vegas.com from 2010-2013, when it was owned by the Greenspun Corporation.

A public comment session is scheduled to be held at the commission meeting on Wednesday.