Las Vegas council briefs for November 4, 2004

Thursday, Nov. 4, 2004 | 9:35 a.m.

Bigger cut from sports to be taken

Las Vegas City Council approved a new fee schedule for private sports tournaments that use city property. The formula, approved Wednesday, requires the organizers to pay the city 10 percent of the number of teams in a tournament times the registration fee.

Barbara Jackson, director of the Leisure Services Department, said private groups make plenty of money organizing tournaments on city property. She said that while the city did not raise any fees this year, "a new fee opportunity was identified."

According to backup material prepared for the City Council meeting, 13 tournaments took place on city property last year. Fees already in place for hourly rental of city facilities bring in about $40,000 annually.

The backup documentation states that in a private tournament with 100 teams, each paying a $100 entry fee, the city would get a $5,000 cut. The major private sports organizers in the city were told of the proposal in an August meeting and plan to adjust their fees accordingly, the backup states.

Residential tower wins approval

The City Council approved a nearly 900-foot residential tower Wednesday, calling it an iconic project that could come to identify the city.

However, the council expressed concern about its height in relation to helicopter flights, which would have to move slightly east to accommodate the tower at Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara Avenue. The issue was brought up by Ben Contine, president of the Beverly-Green Neighborhood Association, a neighborhood bordering the project.

"This corridor (Las Vegas Boulevard north of Sahara) has the potential to be a world-class residential corridor ... or it can be a helicopter flight path. I don't think it can be both," Contine said.

Councilman Gary Reese agreed, and said he had asked his staff to set up a meeting with Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.

The project, for a tower called "The Summit," is organized by Australian developers who also are building Liberty Towers at 1801 Las Vegas Blvd. The Summit would be the tallest residential building in the Western United States. Land use consultant Greg Borgel, who was representing the developers, said construction would start in 2006 and take about two years.