Land deal could raise money for city

Dan Kulin

Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2004 | 9:45 a.m.

City Councilman Mike Pacini thinks he has an answer for all of Boulder City's financial problems.

Pacini on Tuesday proposed selling 1,500 acres of city-owned land on the east side of the McCullough Mountain range to private developers -- a sale he said could bring the city $150 million to $300 million.

That money could pay off debts incurred for the new $22 million Boulder Creek Golf Club and a $32 million second water line, as well as fund a new swimming pool, at $8 million to $10 million, and senior center. The city would be left with $40 million to $60 million for future projects, Pacini said.

Another plus for the proposal is that the land is on the Henderson side of the mountain range, and so can't be seen from the rest of Boulder City.

The proposal would require the approval of Boulder City voters, who must approve any sale of more than 1 acre of city property. The plan also calls for redrawing the boundary lines for Henderson and Boulder City, so the land would become part of Henderson.

Boulder City's strict slow growth rules limit the number of new residential building permits that can be issued to 120 a year, which would make development of the land difficult. Henderson has no such limits on growth.

As many as 15,000 people could live on that land, Pacini said.

Pacini announced his plan during the portion of the Tuesday night council meeting set aside for comments from council members.

"This is a major move to secure the long-term financial situation of the city," Pacini said.

The other council members did not comment on Pacini's proposal during the meeting, but afterward some said the proposal faces many hurdles.

Councilman Roger Tobler said that while there are many variables that could hinder the plan, he said Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson has "shown an interest" in bringing that land into Henderson.

Mayor Bob Ferraro said city residents will be hesitant to approve such a large land sale.

"Anytime you speak of selling land people raise lots of concerns," he said.

Ferraro said one such concern could be air pollution if the property is developed.

Ferraro also said that about five years ago the Howard Hughes Corp. asked him if they could develop that land. But the city turned down the company because the development would have been within Boulder City and created almost a second city within the city, Ferraro said.

Boulder City's population is about 15,000, and development on that land could have doubled the city's population.

But Councilwoman Karla Burton said the land is of no use to Boulder City because the city's slow growth policies make it difficult to develop.

Ferraro said the 1,500 acres is among the roughly 64 square miles the city purchased from the Bureau of Land Management for between $1 million and $2 million about 10 years ago. The purchase, known as the Eldorado Valley purchase, tripled the area of Boulder City.

Much of that land was turned into a Desert Tortoise preserve, and some of it was designated as a renewable energy zone.