North Las Vegas repurchases 135 acres planned for major medical campus
North Las Vegas has bought back the 135 acres that had been planned for a major medical campus.
The North Las Vegas City Council earlier this month approved plans to repurchase the land for $52.95 million. Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown said the move gives the city more control over the development.
“We have the opportunity to control what goes on out there and so we can ensure our community gets what they want and what they deserve, that’s been needed for a very long time,” Goynes-Brown said at the meeting.
A massive mixed-use medical campus, dubbed Helios, to include a hospital, research space, office buildings, hotel, restaurants and retail had been planned for the 135 acres. Salt Lake City-based Pacific Group’s plans for the property were celebrated at a late 2022 groundbreaking but construction never started. The first buildings on the site had been slated to start construction this year.
Pacific Group had purchased the land from the city of North Las Vegas in early 2022 for nearly $37 million. The city’s repurchase of the land nullifies the development agreement with the developer.
A North Las Vegas spokesperson said the city didn’t receive any information from Pacific Group on why construction never started. Pacific Group didn’t respond to a request for comment by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Despite these plans being scrapped, North Las Vegas still envisions turning these 135 acres into a hub of medical activity. But it is unclear if a new developer would follow the plan developed by Pacific Group.
“The City of North Las Vegas, along with its dedicated city council members, is committed to establishing a vibrant medical district that caters to the needs of its residents,”a North Las Vegas spokesperson said in an emailed statement. The city said the repurchase “will pave the way for planning and development aimed at creating high paying jobs and a cutting-edge medical hub tailored to meet the diverse healthcare needs of North Las Vegas residents.”
In 2022, Pacific Group said it would take 10 years and $5 billion to build the campus. The Helios project was expected to add 10,000 jobs in North Las Vegas.
A North Las Vegas spokesperson said the city repurchased the land below market value. The purchase price was reached as a part of the original development agreement between the city and the developer and covers expenses incurred by the Pacific Group while it owned the land.
North Las Vegas has long envisioned placing a medical campus on the 135 acres as the city council passed a resolution in 2021 calling for a hospital to be built on the site to bring more services to the city. At the time, a North Las Vegas economic development specialist said adding a hospital to the city is “desperately needed” since most residents need to travel outside of North Las Vegas to get medical care.
Contact Sean Hemmersmeier at shemmersmeier@reviewjournal.com. Follow @seanhemmers34 on X.
