Sale of North Las Vegas land owned by school district advances

Thursday, Sept. 8, 2005 | 9:51 a.m.

Retail development continues to be a hot ticket in North Las Vegas.

The North Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday voted to pay $6.8 million for an 18.6-acre site owned by the Clark County School District, setting the stage for a large shopping center at the southwest corner of Carey Avenue and Hamilton Street.

The School Board is expected to vote tonight on whether to move forward on selling the property and set a Sept. 22 public hearing. City officials are counting on that happening, thus allowing North Las Vegas to sell the land to a developer who has proposed a shopping center that would extend to a 13-acre site adjacent to it.

Several retail projects are coming before the city at the same time. The Mendendall Family Trust and Nelson Ventures plans a 1.5-million-square-foot retail and entertainment complex with movie theaters and restaurants at the southeast corner of 5th Street and Craig Road.

The city is also considering a similar request for a mixed-used development called Northview that includes a commercial area of 1.7 million square feet. The Binion family project includes a nongaming hotel, movie theaters and five anchor stores at the northwest corner of Centennial Parkway and Losee Road.

Also before the city is a proposal by property owner Wesley D. Adams for creating a commercial center at the northeast corner of Losee Road and Craig Road. The applicant has proposed having Sam's Club as an anchor tenant for the 50-acre site.

City Manager Gregory Rose said Wednesday he doesn't worry that the city will have an overconcentration of retail.

"We believe the market that exists doesn't think there is too much retail," Rose said. "The market has been underserved, and it is trying to catch up."

The proposed sale of the 18.6-acre School District property will come back to the Redevelopment Agency for consideration on Oct. 5, as long as the School Board approves the sale.

The district is selling the land because the city turned down a request for a middle school in 2002. The district paid $2.8 million for the site in 2001.

If it obtains the land, the city will negotiate terms that will require the new owner to develop the property and not sit on the land as an investment, Rose said.

City officials said the sale to a developer would create jobs and add retail stores and restaurants that residents want.

Councilwoman Shari Buck said the project, which would feature a large box retailer yet to be named, would help spur long-awaited redevelopment in the downtown corridor.

Buck said, however, than in order for the sale to go forward with the development group, they must be able to reach an agreement with the Regional Transportation Authority on selling land for a bus transfer center. The city had planned to team up with the RTC on a joint project that would feature a transfer center on the 18-acre site.