Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Apex leaders, county to discuss home project

Developers of the Apex Industrial Park have scheduled a meeting with Clark County administrators next week to discuss the possibility of developing a residential neighborhood in the area designated for manufacturing, county sources said.

It will mark the first time industrial park owners have formally pitched a housing plan in the park, which was developed 15 miles northeast of Las Vegas to keep potentially hazardous industries from homes.

"They are talking to us about the possibility of residential, and I believe they are getting ready to submit a plan to major projects," County Planning Director John Schlegel said Thursday.

Adam Titus, chief operating officer for the park, declined to comment Thursday.

The County Commission's decision Tuesday to modify Apex's real estate acquisitions agreement cleared the way for next week's meeting.

The original agreement prohibited any discussion about the development of "population dense" uses such as homes, motels, hotels, casinos, prisons or sports complexes. The board lifted the restriction to allow proposals.

Before any major project is approved, commissioners must approve zone changes and the plans. Douglas Bell, the county's community resource manager, said extensive studies to ensure residents' safety also would be conducted.

"This (modification) allows discussions so Apex Inc. can make a proposal," Bell said. "We didn't close the door for further discussion. In the spirit of democracy, people should be able to make proposals."

The 21,000-acre Apex swath was approved in 1998 after the Pacific Engineering & Production Co. of Nevada (PEPCON) rocket fuel plant in Henderson exploded, killing two people.

The county purchased the vast desert land from the Bureau of Land Management and created Apex Industrial Park Inc. to manage it. Apex still controls 10,000 acres; the remaining acreage was sold to Silver State Republic Disposal, Georgia Pacific Corp., Chemical Lime Co., Ulysses Corp. and Kerr-McGee.

Any neighborhood approved would be built on the southern end, which is the Las Vegas side, of the 45-square-foot industrial park.

Titus in August said mountain ranges would separate homes from potentially hazardous facilities such as Kerr-McGee's ammonium perchlorate plant. Blast studies at the plant have shown that debris does not rain down beyond the company's 5 square miles.

Titus has said increasingly stringent air-quality laws have hindered the industrial park's growth.

Sixteen investors, including Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, developers Peter and Thomas Thomas and Imperial Palace owner Ralph Englestad have sunk $20 million into the park to conduct environmental and infrastructure studies.

"I think from what Adam Titus and the industrial park people tell us, they have not been as successful in developing the park as they would have liked," Schlegel said. "They're looking at potential land uses to generate some returns for the initial investment they made."

Schlegel and Bell emphasized that the commission's action Tuesday did nothing more than allow for discussion. There are several obstacles to overcome before homes could be built on the land.

"The whole idea was to put it in a spot where it wouldn't affect people if there was another accident," Schlegel said. "We need to make sure nothing or nobody would be in harm's way."

Marta Brown, the county's major projects manager, said no plans have been submitted. County Manager Thom Reilly and Assistant County Manager Rick Holmes are scheduled to meet with Apex representatives.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy