Editorial: Mayor’s agenda is ambitious

Thursday, Feb. 3, 2000 | 9:01 a.m.

No one has ever accused Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman of thinking small -- and his State of the City address on Tuesday was no exception. Goodman outlined lofty goals he wants met by the end of his first term -- bringing a big-league sports team here, building a performing arts center, turning a downtown post office branch into a museum with a park, and constructing a fixed guideway transportation system to help ease traffic congestion. The mayor even called on the Legislature to raise the existing cap placed on the residential construction tax, so that the additional revenues could be used to build more parks throughout the city.

The focus of Goodman's remarks, though, was on finding ways that government can spark a revitalization of the city's urban core. For the most part Las Vegas is thriving, especially in the growing northwest, but at the same time much of downtown Las Vegas is decaying. In response, Goodman outlined several worthy initiatives to make downtown a place that not only will bring businesses back, but also will create a community where residents want to live. For instance, Goodman wants to establish a $10 million revolving fund to use for land acquisition and clearance of some urban residential areas. He also believes a majority of redevelopment housing program funds and tax credits should be used in the next five years to spur the creation of residential housing and commercial development in downtown. The mayor also wants to speed up the approval process for resid ential and mixed-use projects in urban areas.

One of Goodman's proposals to create affordable housing downtown, though, is certain to stir controversy. Goodman wants to pass an ordinance that would require developers, who get approval to build housing projects in suburban areas with higher densities than the city's general plan currently allows, to help provide affordable housing. This plan does deserve further consideration, but it would need to be crafted carefully. For instance, those already living in suburban areas might be worried that this could create a perverse incentive for the City Council to approve general plan changes -- in order to pay for affordable housing -- that in turn could create another evil, more congestion in their suburban neighborhoods. And while Goodman believes that if a developer gets a break in a zoning request and that residents are due a benefit in return, this plan sh ould be devised so it isn't punitive to developers.

Change won't happen overnight -- and success certainly isn't guaranteed -- but the city has to take steps now if it is serious about the future of downtown Las Vegas. The key for city government is to enter into partnerships with businesses and residents, creating incentives for them to return to downtown. While the devil is in the details, and more specifics will need to be forthcoming, the mayor is off to a promising start that offers a reasonable hope that Las Vegas can join the rank of other major cities that have seen their downtowns revitalized after falling into disrepair.