Henderson redevelopment area to grow

Greg Harman

Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2000 | 11:13 a.m.

The Henderson Redevelopment Agency is poised to approve the expansion of the city's redevelopment area by almost 4,000 acres tonight, giving some of the city's sickest lands a chance at new life.

Lands scarred by abandoned industrial ponds and interrupted planned communities frozen by financial problems stretch to the north of downtown Henderson, waiting for the resurrection that redevelopment may bring.

But ongoing negotiations on a critical land exchange for unimproved properties north of the intersection of Boulder Highway and Lake Mead Drive have pushed the final expansion into 2001.

"Everything always looks rosy at the front of a project, but there's always the devil in the details," said Dan Stewart, president of LandWell, the development arm of Henderson's coalition of industrial companies, Basic Management Inc.

The plan's approval has been pushed into next year by continuing negotiations with LandWell for a swap that will open hundreds of acres for the proposed Nevada State College at Henderson while giving LandWell a 135-acre strip to add to its proposed 2,000-acre master-planned community, Bob Wilson, Henderson's acting redevelopment officer, said.

"I think we blew all of our windows to do it in 2000," Wilson said.

Stewart said money was not an issue in the negotiations and that Provenance, the proposed master-planned community that has been on the drawing boards for more than four years, would move forward regardless of the college's success or failure.

The 2001 Legislature will decide whether to fund the new college when it convenes next year.

"We're making sure everyone is happy with what each other is giving up," Stewart said.

Henderson City Attorney Shauna Hughes was unable to be reached Monday or this morning for comment, and John Rinaldi, the city's properties manager, was out of town and unavailable for comment.

The redevelopment boundaries are planned to reach north from Water Street past the Black Mountain Industrial Park as far as Russell Road and east to include the stalled Palm City planned community -- recently purchased for $30 million by Commerce Associates LLC.

All told, the expanded redevelopment zone could include the four-year college, four golf courses and as many as 8,000 new homes.

Along with rolling out the geographic boundaries, the redevelopment plan also allows for more affordable student and senior housing projects in the redevelopment area by amending the Multi-Family Ordinance.

The amended plan must now get approvals from the City Council and planning commission, which will ensure the plan does not conflict with the city's comprehensive plan.

All extra tax revenue generated from redevelopment properties will be poured back into the zone to attract business to the area.

The council, which appointed itself as the redevelopment agency, is also expected to authorize city staff to enter negotiations for design work on a utilities upgrade planned for Water Street.

Following the redevelopment meeting, the City Council will consider an amended special study plan for southwest Henderson that would allow greater densities for developers planning affordable housing for senior citizens; vote on assigning $184,000 for a 22-unit low-income apartment community for people with physical and mental handicaps; and make a final determination on ongoing complaints about bright stadium lights at Foothill High School.