Lake Mead ‘island’ could be a paradise for developers

Mathis Winkler

Wednesday, March 6, 2002 | 9:13 a.m.

It's still not clear whether land at one of the principal gateways to North Las Vegas will ever be redeveloped, but city officials now know that it would cost about $1.15 million to relocate residents and businesses on "Lake Mead island."

The City Council was to be presented with the study's results today. But the study isn't a sign that city officials are getting closer to helping a developer turn the run-down area on Lake Mead Boulevard just east of Interstate 15 into a showcase project for North Las Vegas.

"We want to make sure that we're ready and able to act," said Jacque Risner, the city's community development director, adding that state law requires governmental bodies to commission such a study before they can begin to talk with developers about a joint project.

A developer might not even need city subsidies to move ahead, Risner said.

"North Las Vegas is becoming more and more desirable" as a location for businesses, she said.

The approximately 6-acre site, trapped between the east- and westbound lanes of Lake Mead Boulevard, could be an attractive location for a developer who wants to build legal or medical offices near downtown Las Vegas, but not pay as much for the land, she said.

"A developer could come in and do the project on his own," Risner said, adding that without city involvement, relocation issues of current residents and businesses would be a matter of negotiation between the parties involved.

A private developer "doesn't have the same restrictions the city has," said Councilman Robert Eliason, who represents the ward that includes the site. "We're hoping to have it all done with a private developer."

Other council members said they had not reviewed the relocation study or could not be reached for comment.

Michael Carroll, a vice president of development at Jackson Shaw Co., which has an interest in pursuing a project on the land, said it could happen without city involvement, but did not want to comment further.

City officials estimate that it would cost between $4.1 million and $5.5 million to buy the land.

Property owners on the site could not be reached for comment, but several have said in the past that they would not sell their land for a private development.