Goodman sets standards for downtown property

Diana Sahagun

Tuesday, April 17, 2001 | 11:35 a.m.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman has sent a clear message to the future developers of 61 acres downtown: The projects, he said, must include a performing arts center, urban-density residential, office space and an academic medical center.

In the first official statement since the city acquired the land in December and began accepting proposals, Goodman, in a letter dated Monday, said the city would accept only those four options for the site, which is sandwiched between the Clark County Government Center and the Spaghetti Bowl.

He said the city would consider plans for the surrounding area, including "support-related commercial" development, open park space, a hotel with a possible gaming component and a linkage to a "multi-modal transportation center" east of the property. Goodman hopes a monorail will run through downtown to support people who live on both sides of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks.

The priorities mirror those proposed in March by the Urban Land Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.

James Goodell, a Southern California developer who chairs the institute, said this morning that the city is on the right track by telling potential developers exactly what they envision for the 61 acres.

The letter gives bidders until 5 p.m. May 31 to submit plans for developing the property. By that deadline interested parties must disclose the master plan developer, how many jobs will be generated by the project, estimated tax revenue and the developer's estimated land cost for the project. The City Council will ultimately have the final decision.

Although the 10 potential projects included the world's tallest tower and an indoor ski park, Goodman said he would allow developers to redefine their proposals to include the preferred uses.

Goodman said Monday that a residential plan, a performing arts center and an academic medical center are key to downtown's prosperity.

"This will really help us be a city, not just a business and financial district," Goodman said. "I want it to look like a cosmopolitan city -- high rises, a great deal of density, very architecturally dramatic."