North Las Vegas on odyssey

Diana Sahagun

Friday, Jan. 12, 2001 | 10:01 a.m.

With the music from Stanley Kubrick's film "2001: A Space Odyssey" in the background, North Las Vegas Mayor Michael Montandon proclaimed the city on the brink of its own odyssey -- only this time, Hal the computer won't be running the show.

In the fifth annual State of the City address, Montandon likened the future of the city to a new odyssey, telling 400 listeners that the city is redefining its image and has become the "shining star" at the northern end of the Las Vegas Valley.

Thursday's event was held at Texas Station. The location was a treat to guests because last year the address wasn't even held in the city. Instead, it was held at Cashman Center and attended by about 300 people.

Like last year, this year's event saw numerous high-profile officials in attendance, including Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, Las Vegas Councilmen Larry Brown and Michael Mack, Clark County Commissioners Mary Kincaid and Chip Maxfield and Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev.

Those who paid $25 to attend the address were greeted by a massive ice sculpture of the city's seal, and once seated, waiters and waitresses delicately placed cloth napkins in their laps.

In his speech, complete with visuals from the Kubrick film, Montandon boasted that newcomers are choosing North Las Vegas because of the abundance of new housing and thousands of acres of land available to developers. Business opportunities and new jobs are popping up right and left in the northwest, he added.

"The northwest was a place where just a decade ago you were forced to drive down to Oscar's city (referring to Goodman) just to find a place to eat," Montandon said.

Montandon said one reason for the city's success was the City Council's updating of its goals and vision last year, which included planned quality growth, creating a vibrant downtown and safe community, and more parks and recreation.

The city also has become more responsible, helping build a new fire station with a private developer in the northwest and instituting a community policing program, he said.

As in his speech last year, Montandon said the city's future will hinge on the development of 7,500 acres at the northern end of the city. The first parcel of approximately 2,000 acres is set to be auctioned off by the Bureau of Land Management in May.

Montandon took a jab at Goodman, saying that the 61-acre parcel Las Vegas has acquired adjacent to downtown for development is nothing compared to what North Las Vegas has to offer.

"Your 61 acres is an exciting piece of property, but here we are talking about almost 2,000 acres," Montandon said, causing Goodman to make a joking gesture of pretending to leave the address.

In order for the city to continue to thrive, it must attract high-tech companies, said keynote speaker Richard Smith, president and CEO of real estate firm RDS Associates, LLC.

Smith said high-tech firms are looking for cities that have the infrastructure to allow them to operate, such as available fiber optic cables and other energy sources. The companies are also looking for space to "begin in, grow through, and expand around," he said.

Montandon said the city has already been introduced to high-tech industries, such as a 40-acre space campus being developed by Robert Bigelow, who plans to build a rocket to take tourists to the moon.

Goodman, who has secured a high-tech dot.com incubator in Las Vegas, said in order for North Las Vegas to grow, it must welcome high-tech companies with open arms.

"You have to take them by the hand, walk them through the permit process and promise them you'll be supportive," Goodman said. "They've got to feel loved."