Block development is a future planning priority

Diana Sahagun

Friday, Dec. 17, 1999 | 11:23 a.m.

Housing in the older parts of the city should become a priority over the next five years, with rehabilitation work accomplished in large blocks rather than a house here and a house there, North Las Vegas planning staff says.

This concept was outlined Thursday night during a workshop that city staff held along with interested members of the public.

Representatives from the city's grants administration division invited citizens to discuss the plan the city is preparing to submit to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The plan, which sets goals for the next five years, is necessary in order to receive federal housing funds.

The grants division supports low-income residents in the city's mature areas by offering housing rehabilitation and increasing home ownership opportunities for low-income families.

"Our biggest challenge is that the mature areas are huge," said Lydia Camacho, manager of the city's grants program.

Part of the focus of the discussion was how the grants division rehabilitation program could be improved.

Staff seemed to agree that instead of fixing up a home here and there, the focus for the next five years should be to rehabilitate areas in chunks and work outward. "If you're rehabilitating houses here and there, you aren't going to make an impact on the neighborhoods," Camacho said.

Clarence Huff, president of the city's National Council of Senior Citizens, said a goal for the next five years should be more housing for low-income seniors.

"With the numbers of people moving to Las Vegas, there's a tremendous amount of seniors coming here," he said. "There should be some mechanism in place where the city has affordable housing for seniors to rent."

Staff also agreed that a future need was to focus on a mix of reinvestment into the community by not only providing residential housing but also commercial, by working closely with the city's economic development department.

"The grants division needs to make housing and commercial work together to make North Las Vegas a better place to live," said Gail Burks, president of Nevada Fair Housing Center, Inc. "We need to not just rehabilitate homes but bring in more families and attract private investment."

The workshops will continue Jan. 11 and 13, to give the public a chance to comment on the housing issues. Once the input is collected, the grants division will present the HUD plan to the City Council.