Henderson council briefs

Wednesday, March 7, 2001 | 11 a.m.

City takes over three properties

The Henderson City Council voted itself the new landlord of an exotic-bird shop, a gun shop and an embroidery shop Tuesday night.

The $550,000 purchase of three Water Street business properties from Bill Sheehan was made in the name of redeveloping the old downtown.

The city now owns 20 of 23 commercial and residential properties on a 4-acre parcel at the southwest corner of Water Street and Victory Road.

The redevelopment agency plans to purchase the three remaining residential lots in order to create a "package" for future development.

Bob Wilson, manager of the Redevelopment Agency, said the city will do its best to keep its new tenants working on Water Street even if buildings are torn down and replaced with new construction.

He cannot guarantee, however, that rents in new buildings would remain the same, he said.

The possibility of higher rents concerned at least one shop owner. But another said paying rent is part of doing business.

The city will use money put aside from increased property tax values along Water Street to attract developers with plans for new construction in the old downtown.

Redevelopment area set aside

The Henderson City Council gave final approval Tuesday night for an 850-acre redevelopment area that includes a defunct gravel mine and part of a former city landfill.

More than 320 acres of residential housing are planned for the Tuscany Hills Redevelopment Area, west of Calico Ridge. Another 265 acres will be set aside for public and semi-public use. The rest of the acreage will go toward a public golf course, school and park.

Tuscany Hills is the second redevelopment area to be approved by the city in the past two months. Cornerstone Redevelopment Area, a 310-acre site at the northwest corner of Stephanie Street and Interstate 215, was approved in February.

Those two redevelopment areas join ranks with the old downtown redevelopment area, which was established in 1995, bringing the total acreage to 2,467.

Over 30 years, the city will reinvest the increased property tax collected from the blighted areas to help jumpstart new construction. Much of the money will be used to make construction projects more affordable for builders.

More state funding approved

Despite protests, the City Council approved Tuesday an additional $160,000 in low-income state funding to cover unexpected costs of land acquisition for Ambrosia senior apartments.

The 205-unit, three-story complex at the southwest corner of Gibson Road and Lake Mead Drive is projected to require $15.8 million in state and private funding to build.

A resident of a neighboring housing association argued that the use of land to be acquired for the project would violate association rules on density.

But council members said zoning for the project was approved in November 2000 and the appropriate time to address such issues had passed.

Groundbreaking on the project could begin later this month with construction due to be complete by September.

City planners say the project will "begin to meet the need" for affordable housing for Henderson's low-income senior citizens.

Outstanding fines will be waived

Henderson Municipal Court will waive additional fines added to outstanding violations that are resolved March 5-29.

To reduce paperwork and close out old cases, the court will forfeit additional warrant fees imposed for offenses such as failure to appear for traffic violations and failure to complete work programs.

Residents will have to pay for initial infractions.

In 1999, 184 people cleared 188 warrants through a similar program, court officials said.

Council told of residents' problems

An adult literacy project representative told the Henderson City Council Tuesday that 32 percent of adults in Nevada have trouble filling out job applications and cannot read simple bed-time stories to their children.

Vicki Newell, project coordinator for Nevada Certified Literate Communities Project, said her mostly volunteer organization has been working 2 1/2 years to address the "horrendous problem in our state."

Her group is coordinating municipalities and resources to help adults improve reading skills.

For more information, call the literacy project at 775-356-1007.