LV officials hail office building

Sito Negron

Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2003 | 11:06 a.m.

Mayor Oscar Goodman and other city officials are hailing a multimillion-dollar office building as a prime example of what Las Vegas needs more of -- "infill" development.

The project, at Sahara Avenue and Rancho Drive close to the geographic center of the valley, also helps the ongoing effort to stem the decline of the inner city, said Goodman, standing in sight of downtown Las Vegas and the landmark Stratosphere Tower on Tuesday at a ceremony celebrating the project.

"Of all the wards, Ward 1 could tip either way," he said. "It could either go down or go up."

The ward includes both his own tony neighborhood, off Charleston Boulevard and Rancho just blocks north of the office park, and portions of central Las Vegas and downtown with problems -- in perception, if not reality -- stemming from dilapidated storefronts and homeless people. It pales in comparison with the brilliant glitz of the Strip.

Downtown is the focus of the city's urban renewal efforts. The nascent Arts District is much-talked about but not completely off the ground, and there are public and private projects under way on and around Main Street, Fremont Street, and Las Vegas Boulevard. But the center of Las Vegas includes an expansive, diverse area that also is key to a successful civic redevelopment.

Infill is the term given by planners for development that occurs in existing sections of the city. It's considered the most efficient type of development because the areas typically already have such key infrastructure as streets and water lines, and puts less of a strain on municipal service providers. It's the antithesis of sprawl.

"In Ward 1 it's rare for us to do any groundbreaking," said Councilwoman Janet Moncrief, who represents the area. Such projects, she said, help "diversify the economy." In other words, they pump money into places other than Summerlin and the city's northwest corridor.

The project is expected to cost up to $9 million by the time construction is done next year, said Dr. Leon Steinberg, who already owns two buildings on the 15-acre plot bounded by Rancho, Sahara, U.S. 15 and Glen Heather.

Steinberg said of his new offices that "we'd be very happy to fill them up with doctors' offices," and Goodman hyped a connection between the project and the planned medical complex a mile away on 61 acres of downtown land.

Current tenants include the High-Tech Institute, which trains health care workers, the state of Nevada, and a title company that Colliers International, the leasing agent, would not name, as well as several private doctors' offices.

The building under construction will have two floors and office space ranging from 3,000 to 70,000 square feet. Steinberg said he plans to place a five-story tower after that in place of one of the two existing buildings on the property. He hopes to subsequently build a 10-story office complex, to include restaurants. Those will cost in the tens of millions, and take five to 10 years, he said.

The fact that it's all in the center of a rapidly growing valley seemed to tickle Steinberg, who said he bought the land in 1965, before I-15 appeared. Rancho and Sahara were relatively remote forays into the undeveloped desert. "See that structure there?" he asked, pointing to the freeway. "Nothing."

Now the spot is at a confluence of major streets, with a freeway exit and the Palace Station across Sahara. On the other side of Rancho is a high-rise U.S. Bank building, and behind Steinberg's complex is a residential neighborhood -- in fact, only blocks south of Goodman's home.

Adjacent to Steinberg's office complex is a row of homes along Glen Heather, a quiet street with a view of the Stratosphere, the sound of the freeway roaring by, and soon, two floors more of office building close to their back yards.

Gloria Lopez, who lives on the street, said she doesn't mind the buildings. "If there was a parking garage there, it would be a problem," she said.

Maryan Defren, who has lived on the street for 33 years, said she's not happy about the project, however. She complained that she never was contacted by the city for her thoughts on a new building close to her back yard.

"How the hell can the city put something up over my back yard and don't ask me," she said. "I don't care how it looks. It's where they put it."

That illustrates the dilemma of infill, where established residents often face the choice between a slow neighborhood decline or new development that can alter views and bring the noise.

Steinberg, who said his complex will be similar to those in Century City in the Los Angeles area, wants to create the best of all possible situations.

"The only thing we want to do is create a situation we're proud of, the city is proud of, and anybody driving by says, 'This is beautiful,' " Steinberg said. "And we get to make money too, so everybody's happy."