Ground broken for two downtown projects

Erin Neff

Friday, Dec. 22, 2000 | 10:37 a.m.

The Tom Hom Group's investment in downtown Las Vegas will soon surpass what the developers have in their hometown of San Diego.

On Thursday the group broke ground on two mixed-use housing and retail projects to complement their single-room occupancy residences about a mile away.

L'Octaine, comically named for its location on Gass Avenue, and Kirby Lofts' befitting vacuum cleaner name on Hoover Avenue will add 327 units to downtown's housing mix.

"The total investment of the Tom Hom Group in downtown Las Vegas is over $35 million and more than 650 new units," Tom Hom Group President Will Newbern said at a ceremony Thursday to mark the start of construction on the latest two projects.

Both projects, expected to be completed in about 13 months, will offer unique market-rate housing for downtown professionals.

L'Octaine, a 51-unit complex featuring studios, one and two bedrooms and lofts, will include 4,000 square feet of retail space facing Las Vegas Boulevard.

Kirby Lofts, a 276-unit single-room occupancy complex, will feature three 1,000-square foot lofts to allow a business owner, such as an artist, to live and work in the same location. Kirby will have retail along Las Vegas Boulevard, Hoover Avenue and Fourth Street.

Mayor Oscar Goodman pointed to the new Lloyd D. George Federal Courthouse and construction cranes at both the Pauls Corp. office tower and Regional Justice Center nearby to paint downtown as the place to be.

"This project represents really the beginning of the reinvigoration and revitalization of downtown as we see it," Goodman said.

Newbern said his company has been bolstered by the increasing success of their first project, Campaige Place, on Stewart Avenue at Ninth Street.

"The growth and demand over at Campaige Place has been exponential," Newbern said. "Each month we're getting more referrals."

The Las Vegas Club hotel-casino on Fremont Street has sent numerous employees to Campaige Place for affordable and safe housing within walking distance of their service-income jobs.

Kirby will be similar to Campaige Place in that all units will be fully furnished with a private bath, kitchenette, bed, chairs, television with cable and a telephone. The common area will include a tenants' lounge, a gym and an Internet library.

L'Octaine, a bit more upscale, will feature individual secured parking spaces, private patios and balconies and typical amenities of a suburban apartment project.

Both projects are funded through private activity bonds allocated through the city.

Goodman said he was surprised when he first took office to find a lukewarm reception for The Tom Hom Group.

"When I came on board, there was a reluctance on the council," Goodman said. "I made it my primary goal to get the council to get behind this project."

In addition to the Tom Hom Group projects, the Pauls office tower, City Centre Place, and construction at the Regional Justice Center, the city is anxiously awaiting construction of a high-tech business incubator on 10 vacant acres near the Clark County Government Center.

Goodman said Las Vegas Downtown Team plans to close escrow on property for that incubator next Wednesday, and should break ground 60 days later.

"To me this is really the beginning of a dream," Goodman said at the groundbreaking.

Adding new housing to the city's core can only create more fervor for downtown's success, he said.

"People need to come downtown, work downtown and live downtown for it to work," Goodman said.