Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

north las vegas:

Report: Apex Industrial Park could create 57,960 jobs

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North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee poses in his office at city hall Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013.

North Las Vegas has big plans for the 7,000 acre Apex Industrial Park north of the city that could create thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic impact.

But getting the park ready will require up to $150 million in infrastructure investment, city officials said today.

The site, about 20 miles north of downtown Las Vegas on Interstate 15, is mostly vacant, with fewer than 10 businesses there. Most are in shipping and logistics.

Apex’s remote location and lack of infrastructure to supply power, water and gas have limited its appeal.

But North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee said the site offers the biggest potential to boost the sagging economy in North Las Vegas, which is still struggling to recover from the recession.

According to a report by Brookings Mountain West presented today, a full buildout of the Apex site — something that would take years if not decades to complete — would create 57,960 new direct jobs. Fully occupied, Apex would also generate $670 million in new annual tax revenue for state and local governments.

The report predicts Apex could be used for aircraft manufacturing, general manufacturing, warehouses, wholesale trade business and data-hosting services.

Although the numbers in the report represent a best-case scenario, bringing even a fraction of that business to North Las Vegas would be a boon for the city, which as recently as last April teetered near insolvency.

To address the infrastructure problem, Lee said, $150 million in public spending would be needed to build roads, sewers and water lines to open the park to more businesses. City officials didn’t say where the money might come from or how many years such an investment would be spread over.

Today’s meeting included representatives from NV Energy, the Southern Nevada Water Authority, Southwest Gas, developers and Apex landowners to discuss the challenges involved with building out the site.

“We have the ability to change this whole region,” Lee said. “But I can’t do this alone. We have to solve this together.”

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