Mayor, BLM set to sign historic land-sale deal

Diana Sahagun

Monday, April 17, 2000 | 9:26 a.m.

Diana Sahagun covers North Las Vegas for the Sun. She can be reached at (702) 259-2320 or by e-mail at diana@lasvegassun.com.

Calling it a true "red-letter event," North Las Vegas Mayor Michael Montandon is expected Wednesday to sign an agreement with the Bureau of Land Management on the first phase of 7,500 acres earmarked for a master-planned community.

Although the City Council must ultimately vote whether to sign the agreement, both parties say they are ready to proceed.

Bob Abbey, Nevada BLM director, is planning to attend the council meeting to sign the agreement with the mayor.

"It is very exciting for the city. We've been working on this for over a decade," Montandon said.

The agreement stipulates that the BLM will sell the first 1,200-acre parcel at an auction that could come as early as May 2001, BLM spokesman Phillip Guerrero said.

In addition to the 1,200 acres, another 500 acres of open space will be set aside for parks, schools and other public facilities.

Under the Recreational and Public Purposes Act, local governments are given first choice for the open space, Guerrero said. The BLM will sell the acreage to North Las Vegas for $10 per acre and will provide any acreage to be used for parks for free.

The government will forever retain ownership of the 500 acres, so if the city does not proceed with plans for a park, it will be forced to forfeit the land back to the BLM.

Guerrero said the city will most likely apply to receive the 500 acres before a land auction.

The BLM's next step following the agreement will be to appraise the land and conduct a study to make sure there are no cultural sites -- for example, an archaeological find -- that would be affected by development.

The city plans to develop the 7,500 acres as a master-planned community, with 3,960 acres, or 52 percent, for residential neighborhoods, 775 acres, or 10 percent, for commercial uses, 475 acres, or 6 percent, for industrial uses and the balance of about 2,400 acres for public uses.

The agreement to deal with a 1,200-acre parcel in the first phase is a compromise between the BLM and the city. Originally, Montandon wanted to see the 7,500 acres sold as one piece to one developer. But his desires clashed with Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, who said taxpayers would benefit more by chopping up the acreage into smaller parcels and selling them over time.

"This way, the city can fulfill its vision of obtaining a master-planned community, and the BLM can attain its goal of raising the most money for the taxpayers," Guerrero said.

The 1998 Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act provides for all revenue from the sales to remain in Nevada, with 85 percent dedicated to buying environmentally sensitive land, 10 percent toward water projects and 5 percent toward public schools.

"This agreement will change the very face of North Las Vegas. It will be a new community and something we've never seen before," Guerrero said.