Editorial: Downtown housing is just the ticket

Monday, April 1, 2002 | 8:37 a.m.

Traffic studies and air pollution reports often point to the need for reducing commuter traffic in the Las Vegas Valley. Certainly more Citizen Area Transit routes, monorails, and car pooling are all worthy solutions. But another solution is even better -- make the commute unnecessary. For hundreds of workers in downtown Las Vegas, this could be a real solution if more nearby housing were available. This week the city takes a step toward more downtown housing as groundbreaking gets under way for City Center Apartments, which will have 300 units and 2,000 square feet of retail space. The apartment complex was made possible through a funding package arranged by the city.

The city-assisted, 320-unit Campaige Place opened in 2000 and has consistently experienced an occupancy rate of about 90 percent. The success of this apartment complex showed the way, and we hope City Center Apartments will inspire more downtown housing. With the Neonopolis urban entertainment center on the verge of opening, and with more retail outlets downtown, people now have an incentive to work there. Housing will give them an opportunity to live there. The combination sounds like the surest way to move toward the goal that Mayor Oscar Goodman has been working toward for the past three years -- an economically vibrant central city.