Visit to SF project sparks enthusiasm for med center

Diana Sahagun

Wednesday, March 20, 2002 | 9:41 a.m.

Las Vegas leaders visited San Francisco on Monday to learn whether a medical complex in that city could be an example for what Las Vegas officials hope to achieve on 61 vacant acres west of downtown.

Mayor Oscar Goodman, city officials and representatives from the University of Nevada School of Medicine toured Mission Bay, the site of a planned second major medical campus for the University of California at San Francisco.

The trip comes one month before the City Council is scheduled to consider an agreement with Southwest Sports Group to develop the 61-acre parcel, which must include an academic medical center, performing arts center, high-density residential and office space.

The San Francisco example is ideal, Goodman said, because the Mission Bay site is similar in size and location -- it is in the downtown area -- to Las Vegas' parcel, formerly owned by Union Pacific Railroad.

Once surrounded by rail yards and abandoned warehouses, the California university system plans to develop the 43-acre medical campus along the eastern waterfront of San Francisco.

Ultimately, the Mission Bay campus will contain about 3 million square feet of space for research, teaching, housing, retail and recreation. About 9,100 people will be employed at the campus, and construction has begun on the first phase.

"It was a very exciting trip because you could see the enthusiasm just grow on the part of those who were attending, seeing it is doable for Las Vegas," Goodman said. "They taught us where our priorities need to be."

Goodman made the trip with 12 other Southern Nevadans, including City Manager Virginia Valentine; Chancellor Jane Nichols of the University and Community College System of Nevada; several members of the Board of Regents; and Robert Miller, former dean of the School of Medicine.

Although the San Francisco site, 300 acres in all, is anchored at one end by Pacific Bell Park -- home of the San Francisco Giants Major League Baseball team -- Goodman said he doesn't favor a proposed minor-league stadium on the 61 acres "unless the Oakland A's want to come to Las Vegas." Southwest Sports has proposed building a stadium to house the Las Vegas 51s.

"If they can convince us that private funds would build it, I don't have a problem with it," Goodman said. "I just know my constituents and they are not going to allow public funds to build a minor-league baseball stadium."

Miller said earlier this month that the school is seeking 22 acres for medical clinics, a hospital, research facilities and administrative offices.

The first two phases, he said, are estimated to cost $110 million. At a full 30-year build-out the center would cost $400 million and include 3.3 million square feet of space.

Goodman considers an academic medical center financially feasible, but said the private sector would have to help. The next step toward the future development, he said, would be for the Board of Regents to vote favorably on the concept.