Editorial: Can this work for downtown?

Friday, July 6, 2001 | 4 a.m.

The Las Vegas City Council's selection of Southwest Sports Group to develop 61 acres of downtown land was odd, to say the least. After all, Southwest Sports Group, which is known for its development of baseball stadiums, had a 12,000-seat baseball park as the centerpiece of its proposal. But after Thursday's 4-0 vote, Mayor Oscar Goodman said he's "not interested in a baseball stadium. I'm interested in high-density residential, a cultural arts center, and an academic medical center. If they're not interested in doing the project without baseball in it, then we'll go to our backup." Huh?

So why did Southwest Sports Group get chosen? Goodman said Southwest Sports Group was selected because of the company's financial backing and experience. But on both of those counts, the choice of Southwest Sports Group leaves more questions than answers. The company certainly has experience, but its expertise is in sports and entertainment. And while it may have the financing to pull off the project, in its proposal the company said it would need some public funding -- unlike one of its competitors, Millennium City LLC, which said it could build a mixed-use project without government funds. The doubts about whether Southwest Sports Group fits into the mayor's criteria shouldn't be construed as a reflection on the company. If the City Council was looking to build a 12,000-seat ballpark, then this would be the kind of company that would be courted, but that isn't the case.

It also was unusual that, other than Goodman, no one else on the City Council made any public remarks before the vote was taken. Developing that 61 acres of prime real estate in the downtown area has been called the key to revitalizing the city's sluggish downtown. So it was strange to not hear a peep from the other council members as to their reasons for supporting Southwest Sports Group.

Now the City Council and Southwest Sports Group will have two months to negotiate a deal on how to use the property. Maybe they can reach an agreement that makes sense. But for now, valley residents will be left scratching their heads as to what transpired at City Hall this past week in what could have been the biggest decision the City Council will ever make regarding downtown's future.