Goodman lauds move on homeless

Dan Kulin

Friday, Jan. 21, 2005 | 10:01 a.m.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman on Thursday applauded the city's recent efforts to alleviate the number of homeless camped under a downtown bridge and spoke about a proposed change to an agreement with Boyd Gaming Corp. that would settle an 11-year-old agreement over the sale of city land to the company.

The latest proposed amendment to the Boyd deal, if approved, would essentially mean that Boyd was able to buy 3.4 acres next to its Main Street Station for $2 million, which is almost $4 million less than what the Clark County Assessor's office values the land at.

Boyd officials have said the land is not worth close to the $5.9 million the assessor's office estimates its taxable value at. They say the land is hindered by its location next to railroad tracks, is an irregular T-shape, and has the Ogden Avenue underpass running under it.

Goodman would not say whether he will vote for the change to the deal when it comes before council, but did say Boyd has been a good community partner. He acknowledged that Boyd could make out very well on the arrangement.

"It may be a very good deal for them," the mayor said, adding that "cities do business differently than the private sector."

While private companies are out to make a profit, cities are charged with trying to do something good for the community, he said.

Goodman also said the city would not go to court over the matter, and that the city should not try to retake the land, which he said would be a sin.

Additionally, Boyd officials could argue that they've already satisfied the deal because they've created 1,431 parking spaces on other property downtown.

Boyd and the city entered into an agreement in 1994 under which the city agreed to sell the casino company the 3.4 acres for $1, and in return Boyd would build a 900-space parking garage on the property. Boyd had just recently purchased the bankrupt casino.

Over the years, the agreement was amended five times to give Boyd more time to build the parking garage, which was never built. Then in 2002, the agreement was changed again to give Boyd the option of turning over land across Main Street from the casino for a hockey arena and loaning $2 million toward the project, instead of building the parking garage. That 2002 agreement also said that if Boyd spent more than $1.5 million on plans for the arena but the arena didn't come to fruition, then the company could give the city more money, so as to bring the company's total spending to $2 million, and it would no longer be required to build the parking garage.

So far, Boyd has spent $320,000 on plans for the arena that also never happened.

The latest proposed amendment would let Boyd give the city $1.68 million -- $1.18 million of which would be designated for a planned performing arts center -- to close the 1994 deal. Essentially, this means the 3.4 acres would cost Boyd $2 million.

But Boyd officials say that for them the land deal was an important part of their overall plan that included buying the shuttered casino for $16 million.

Goodman's comments came during his weekly press conference on what was his first day back from a U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting he attended in Washington, D.C. this week.

The council was scheduled to vote on an amendment to the agreement with Boyd on Wednesday, but postponed action on the matter until Feb. 2 because Goodman was out of town. City Councilman Gary Reese said the postponement was "a courtesy" for the mayor, so he could vote on something related to downtown redevelopment and the 61 acres, both of which Goodman has been heavily involved with. The performing arts center is planned for the 61 acres.

During his press conference, Goodman also said the city's recent efforts to find housing for some homeless people was a good effort that he said will be repeated in the future.

"It was probably the first time we've really reached out ... it was a worthwhile first try at this," Goodman said about the program that resulted in 47 homeless being given temporary housing.

Last week city officials led an effort to get homeless men and women out from under a bridge on Wilson Avenue and F Street by setting up a temporary office in a trailer around the corner.

City officials were in charge of the weeklong relocation effort, which also involved help from Clark County and state agencies. It was prompted, at least in part, by the County Health District declaring the area around the camp a health hazard in August. People living under the bridge were using the streets and sidewalks behind the Las Vegas Rescue Mission to urinate and defecate.

But despite the program, about 125 people were still living under the bridge when on Tuesday the state Department of Transportation carted away tents, bedrolls and other items then hosed down the area, displacing those who were still there.

The cleaning resulted in some homeless people losing all of their possessions.

City spokesman David Riggleman said the city did not know state workers were going to clean out the area.

He said that in addition to putting 47 people in temporary housing, the program lined up another 26 for housing pending the outcome of criminal background checks.