Affordable housing project proposed for southwest Las Vegas
A 20-acre affordable housing community could be coming to the southwest valley on the north side of Cactus Avenue between Buffalo Drive and Rainbow Boulevard.
The Southern Nevada District Office of the Bureau of Land Management announced it is seeking public input via a “notice of realty action” that is now open until Aug. 30 regarding a Clark County Department of Social Services proposal. This is the first proposed sale of public land “below fair market value” under a new agreement with the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that took effect July 13.
BLM director Tracy Stone-Manning said in the release that they “recognize the critical need for additional affordable housing in the area, and look forward to valuable feedback on the proposed sale.”
If approved, the land would be offered up for sale in accordance with the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act which was passed in 1998. Multiple stakeholders in the residential and commercial real estate industry in the Las Vegas Valley have pointed the finger directly at the BLM for not releasing land for development in a timely manner.
U.S. Rep. Dina Titus confirmed in a press release the land will be sold at $100 an acre and the project is “the largest-ever sale for affordable housing under the SNPLMA program, which the county estimates will enable the development of nearly 150 affordable homes for households making less than 80 percent of area median income.”
Titus also confirmed the BLM will soon be announcing another sale of below-market land, 18 acres in the city of Henderson, which could have upwards of 300 housing units for rent.
The Biden Administration also announced Tuesday $50 million in grant funding for the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority and for the city of Las Vegas to renovate 235 existing units and also build 400 new units of affordable housing.
“This is a critical step toward addressing the affordable housing crisis in Southern Nevada. Many in Nevada have been priced out of the housing market,” said Titus in the release. “Having a roof over one’s head should be a right, not a privilege.”
Contact Patrick Blennerhassett at pblennerhassett@reviewjournal.com.
