Editorial: New venture may aid downtown area

Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2000 | 9:53 a.m.

Las Vegas has struggled to revitalize its decaying downtown, but it may get a needed boost. Kaufman & Broad, the biggest builder in Las Vegas, said last week it would enter into a joint venture to build housing in the blighted central parts of major cities throughout the West, including here in the Las Vegas Valley.

The extent of the builder's involvement in Las Vegas hasn't been determined yet, but Kaufman & Broad said it will partner with Cisneros Communities Venture, creating a company called American CityVista, that primarily will build large communities in those areas where residential development has been noticeably absent for years. Not only is housing in the urban core an important component in jump-starting the stagnant downtown economy, but it also is critical in the Las Vegas Valley because land in the suburbs is bumping up against land owned by the federal government.

The fact that Henry Cisneros, the one-time secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and former San Antonio mayor, is going to run this venture is a promising sign given his previous support for affordable housing. Local governments should reach out to American CityVista to determine what they can do to offer their assistance. For that matter, it will be interesting to see if other builders who have flocked to the suburbs now look downtown in light of this recent development. The city of Las Vegas can talk all it wants about the need for more housing in the downtown area, but until the private sector actually starts building new homes there -- and residents move in -- the likelihood of revitalization will remain a distant hope.