Help for downtown law firms considered

Erin Neff

Thursday, Dec. 21, 2000 | 10:07 a.m.

The Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency will get a few more weeks to decide whether the city should fork over at least $1.8 million to help several law firms build an office building near the George Federal Building.

The law firm of Barker, Brown, Busby & Sutherland has proposed developing land on the south side of Clark Avenue between Las Vegas Boulevard and Sixth Street.

The plan calls for a 76,000-square-foot office building with 12,000 square feet of ground floor retail or commercial space.

Barker plans to occupy 20 percent of the office space, with the firm Haney, Woloson & Mullins occupying 20 percent, Poulsen/Hi Tech Court Reporting occupying 23 percent and the firm Lorber, Beddoe & Penngilly taking 23 percent.

The Redevelopment Agency owns one acre at the location, worth an appraised $2.1 million. The proposal requires the agency to exchange the acre for about 1/3 acre at Third Street and Hoover Avenue, worth an appraised $301,000.

The net agency contribution would be $1,799,000, which would take 13 years for the developers to repay through tax increments. The possibility also exists for the city to contribute to a parking garage at the location.

The agency unanimously held the proposal until its Jan. 3 meeting to seek additional input from the City Centre Development Corp.