Legislation would give federal land to Henderson

Friday, Nov. 19, 2004 | 11:15 a.m.

SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON -- About 547 acres of federal land south of the Henderson Executive Airport would be transferred to Henderson for business development under legislation introduced Thursday by Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and John Ensign, R-Nev.

The bill won't pass this year. The senators released the legislation as Congress is preparing to close this year's session, likely Saturday. Reid and Ensign wanted to give lawmakers a look at the legislation before re-introducing it next year.

The bill would give the land to Henderson, which would divide it up into pieces and sell it at market value to commercial developers. The senators envision an "employment and business center" that would drive new economic growth and create jobs.

It's not yet known exactly what the development would look like, or how the land would be divided up for sale, said John Rinaldi, manager of property management and redevelopment for Henderson. It's also not yet known how many jobs would be created, he said.

The city envisions business or office parks or light industry, he said. The land's proximity to the airport make it perfect for corporate offices or satellite offices, he said.

City officials began considering a land development deal when the BLM parcel was annexed into the city in 2000, Rinaldi said.

"It sounds like a good deal for us, and for the BLM as well," Rinaldi said.

The senators said the project would lead to more business diversity in what Ensign called "one of the up and coming cities in the country."

The Bureau of Land Management owns the land but wants to get rid of it because it is isolated in an urban area and hard to manage. Residential development is unlikely because of overflight noise the airport nearby.

Land sale profits would be divided up under the rules of the 1998 Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act. Eighty-five percent of the money would go back to the BLM for its efforts to buy up environmentally sensitive land; Henderson would get 10 percent for development expenses and infrastructure; and 5 percent would go to Nevada's education fund.

No estimates were available on how much money the land sales could net, Rinaldi said. The sales could take several years after the legislation is passed, Rinaldi said.