LOOKING IN ON: CITY HALL

Monday, Sept. 25, 2006 | 7:16 a.m.

Mark Hansel

The stipulation that new projects in the Downtown Centennial Plan area include ground-floor retail space is starting to show positive results.

Scott Adams, the city's director of business development, said the goal of the mixed-use developments is to create the kind of street-level ambiance that will draw people downtown.

"When you look at what some of our traditional uses have been - casinos, government and some of the other things - they don't always create that friendly face along the sidewalk."

Downtown is an attractive option for developers bothered by the height or lot-size limitations imposed in other parts of the valley.

Adams said the arrangement is a mutually beneficial trade-off.

In exchange for being able to build bigger projects, the developers give the city the kind of infrastructure that could make living, working and visiting downtown more appealing.

That, in turn, should benefit the builders by making the spaces more attractive to prospective tenants.

He pointed to the L'Octaine residential development on Las Vegas Boulevard and Gass Avenue as an example of what can be achieved. The 51-unit apartment complex offers housing on the upper floors and 4,000 feet of retail space, including a restaurant, on the ground floor.

Adams said when the combined projects create enough of a critical mass of retailing, the area could be managed and marketed like a mall.

The total amount of retail space for all of the tentatively approved projects downtown is roughly 500,000 square feet - about half of the retail space at the Galleria mall in Henderson.

Adams admits there is no guarantee that all of the planned projects will be built, and that it will take time for the area to take shape, but says he is encouraged by the potential.

"We get there in little steps," he said. "You don't do it all at one time."

Those who passed up Tuesday's Town Hall Meeting sponsored by Vegas Grand Prix organizers missed a chance to voice concerns directly to event President and CEO Jim Freudenberg.

The race will take place along city streets over Easter weekend next year and the meeting at Cashman Center was arranged to answer questions from those whose homes or businesses are located along the route.

The media outnumbered the merchants at the sparsely attended event, but those who showed up got some positive feedback from Freudenberg and city officials.

Shirley Harvey, owner of the Vegas Wedding Chapel on Third Street, was concerned that the April event could disrupt what is traditionally one of her busiest weekends.

Harvey, whose business sits just off the race route, feared that limousine travel would be restricted and that noise from the race might disrupt wedding services. City officials assured her there would be ample access for the limos, and Freudenberg said any noise distractions would be minimal and intermittent.

He further placated Harvey by suggesting the possibility of a cross promotion between the chapel and the race. Harvey agreed that being tied in with the nationally televised event could be a huge promotional coup.

She left the meeting happy with the answers she got but puzzled that people with similar concerns did not attend.

"I don't know why more people didn't show up for this," Harvey said. "I think they really missed a golden opportunity."

The three-day event, which is to take place April 6-8, is scheduled to be the first of the 2007 Champ Car World Series schedule. In addition to racing , a rock concert and boxing are planned.