NLV seeks downtown land for City Hall

Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2005 | 8:24 a.m.

North Las Vegas has decided to keep City Hall downtown and has launched a search for at least 20 acres to build a new complex.

Council members opted to develop City Hall as a catalyst for downtown redevelopment instead of building a facility farther north, where the city is growing.

North Las Vegas has budgeted $113 million from existing sales tax revenues to pay for the land and construction, City Manager Gregory Rose said. The search for a site will begin immediately, and the goal is to have a location identified in the next 90 days and a building within three to four years.

Remaining downtown was the best choice, council members said. City Hall has served as a landmark for downtown and will help spur redevelopment, officials said. Henderson and Las Vegas have kept their their facilities downtown.

"What makes downtown is City Hall," Mayor Mike Montandon said.

The lone council member in favor of putting City Hall outside of downtown is Councilwoman Stephanie Smith, who has suggested that with the city growing north, "downtown isn't downtown anymore." In the end, however, Smith said she backed searching for land downtown.

"I personally thinks it makes more sense to center City Hall, but there is not support for that," said Smith, whose ward includes northwestern parts of the city. "It makes sense to be more centralized, but I think the majority have made it clear that they don't want to move."

North Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce officials said the most important factor was that city government be more centralized. City departments are spread out and people have to drive from one to another for services they need, chamber officials said.

Earlier this year, the chamber moved its offices across from City Hall to Craig Road, where there is better parking and accessibility for members. But chamber officials said there's value in City Hall remaining downtown.

"It helps revitalize that area, and maybe from there, it can expand outward and turn that area around," said Sharon Powers, executive director of the chamber. She had previously favored a more centralized location.

What's clear is that a new City Hall won't be built on the existing site at Lake Mead Boulevard and Civic Center Drive. The site isn't large enough, and demolishing the 39-year-old facility, which has 66,000 square feet of space, would be costly and inefficient, city officials said.

That option to build on the existing site would cost $133.7 million and require leasing 82,000 square feet of commercial space for three years -- space that is unlikely to be available, city officials said.

City staff has recommended the city acquire 20 to 30 acres and build a 220,000 square-foot, two- to three-story building. The current City Hall campus is expected to be designated for other uses such as a police headquarters to complement the $30 million justice facility that opened in April.

Finding a suitable downtown location, which includes areas south of Cheyenne Avenue and east of Interstate 15, will be difficult but possible, city officials said. There are downtown properties that are appealing, Rose said.

The search will focus on vacant sites, but the city is willing to entertain offers from property owners with existing buildings. One councilman, Robert Eliason, whose Ward 1 includes City Hall, has even suggested the city consider purchasing a shopping center fronting Lake Mead Boulevard.

Council members are reluctant to use eminent domain authority to obtain the property they need for a City Hall, but that option hasn't been ruled out.

Powers said there's downtown land available for City Hall, but expects a difficult search process.

"I know some of those property owners are asking for an exorbitant amount of money -- outlandish prices," Powers said. "I know nobody wants to talk about eminent domain or see it happen, but on the flip side, what if somebody is being unreasonable and sitting on a parcel of land where nobody would be displaced?"

Brian Wargo can be reached at 259-4011 or at wargo@lasvegassun.com.