Cleveland Clinic pullout won’t slow downtown plans

Thursday, July 15, 2004 | 9:09 a.m.

The pullout of the Cleveland Clinic from the 61-acre project in downtown Las Vegas is not a death knell for plans for an urban village or other project on the site, local and national urban planning and business experts say.

Experts say Las Vegas' driving economy, solid Southwest growth and similar factors are sure to attract some other group -- perhaps not in the medical field -- to fill the 18 acres the Cleveland Clinic turned down Tuesday after nearly two years of being courted by Mayor Oscar Goodman.

"You would be hard-pressed to find any major project where the original vision became the final reality," said Linda Dalton, vice provost for institutional planning at California Polytechnic State University.

"The idea is not to look for a blueprint, but rather a concept -- is what is being planned the best idea for creating jobs or adding to a tax base? Las Vegas may have to look at a broader goal without the Cleveland Clinic and shift as circumstances change."

Indeed, concepts for the former Union Pacific Railroad yard site that was acquired by the city in 2000 have been proposed since the late 1980s. They have included plans for posh casinos and a major pro sports stadium in addition to an academic medical center.

Las Vegas is not alone when it comes to such ideas piling up in a heap of broken dreams, Keith Schwer, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said.

"We know that economic development is done poorly all over the United States, as there are far more failures than successes," Schwer said.

He warned, "Just because this group (Cleveland Clinic) turned us down doesn't mean that we should immediately accept any screwball idea that comes along."

It is important for Las Vegas city officials to study similar public relations disasters and remain patient, Sy Adler, professor of urban studies and planning at Portland State University in Oregon, said.

Adler said with Las Vegas' strong economy, "it seems to me that this loss will be absorbed."

Dalton said that the Cleveland Clinic's sudden exit after showing an interest for so long will "not necessarily send up a red flag that something is wrong" with the 61-acre site.

Dalton said the reason for the pullout could be something as simple as the project not being right for the Cleveland Clinic to something as complex as the site not being right for medical centers in general.

Other experts, such as UNLV economics professor Bill Robinson, say Las Vegas may need to face a harsh reality that "downtown is a tough sell" and that government-driven projects may not be the answer to building out that property.

"It's just not the Nevada way," he said. "The Nevada way is for a bright person -- a Kirk Kerkorian, a Steve Wynn, etc. -- to have vision and go out and build it. Traditionally projects of this size are not government-driven."

Still, Robinson said, he believes the 61 acres can be developed. Perhaps, he said, the city should look at how Baltimore and Denver had success with building major professional sports stadiums to redevelop areas.

Dalton said that while she does not feel the city has to go back to square one it "needs to go back a couple of steps and at least look at its business plan for other options."

Goodman says the city expects to go on business as usual with the project and hire a master contractor within 90 days to build the urban village.

Schewr said he, too, is not convinced that the loss of the Cleveland Clinic will cause a significant delay in plans for the site.

"I would think that to do anything but put something out there would be a disaster," Schwer said. "It is better to think big and fail than try something easy and fizzle. There are still windows of opportunity. "