LV hires new leader for redevelopment

Erin Neff

Thursday, July 13, 2000 | 11:11 a.m.

A veteran government planner has been tapped to help secure developers and projects for a prime piece of vacant land downtown and to lead the city of Las Vegas' overall redevelopment efforts.

Lesa Coder, Clark County's assistant director of comprehensive planning, will become director of the recently-reorganized city Office of Business Development.

"She's got the right personality and the right communication skills," Las Vegas City Manager Virginia Valentine said. "She'll be working very closely with the mayor and the council on their vision for downtown."

The city recently heightened the importance of the Office of Business Development, giving it sole responsibility over redevelopment. The private sector City Centre Development Corp. previously had that responsibility and now only offers advice on such matters.

The consolidation of redevelopment efforts is a shift in policy from the previous mayor and council, which placed the City Centre group in charge of redevelopment. Three Office of Business Development employees, including director Jeff Maresh, were asked to resign as part of that reorganization.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman has stressed that the city needs to more closely monitor redevelopment projects and prospects. Coder will lead that charge beginning Sept. 1 when she starts her new job.

"We spent several hours together, and there's no question that she has a very good background in planning and local government," Goodman said. "She's the kind of person who will make a good impression when meeting with the prospective developers who come up and see me."

Courting developers will become crucial in September when the council is expected to approve a land swap to give the city 61.5 acres of downtown property from Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. in exchange for cash and other property.

One of her first responsibilities will be the hiring of an economic development manager to join her team.

Coder has worked for the county since 1990 and became assistant director of comprehensive planning in November 1997.

She has administered a $3.5 million annual budget, helped re-write the county's development code and has overseen a staff of almost 50.

Prior to her work for the county, Coder was a senior city planner in Plano, Texas, and an associate city planner in Richardson, Texas. She has a bachelor's degree in landscape architecture from Texas Tech University.

Coder will make $102,500 plus benefits.