Raiders practice center not only spark for west Henderson growth

Developers are flooding the west Henderson area with dozens of projects, but one is getting more attention than most: the Raiders’ practice center.

The much-hyped football facility near Henderson Executive Airport is slated to include indoor and outdoor fields, a gym, a sand pit and offices, city records show. A Henderson official called it a “catalyst project,” though developers with projects in the area gave mixed responses as to whether the team’s arrival has sparked any other construction nearby.

“It has to have an impact,” Nigro Development President Todd Nigro said, but the “question is how much.”

The Raiders bought a 55.6-acre plot from Henderson last year for around $6 million — half the appraised value — and held a ceremonial groundbreaking for their new headquarters and practice center in January. The team, which is also building the 65,000-seat Allegiant Stadium a mile or so west of the Strip, is scheduled to move here from Oakland, California, next year.

In the west Henderson area at the southern tip of the Las Vegas Valley, developers are building, have finished in the past few years or have drawn up plans for at least 36 projects, including warehouses, apartment complexes, housing tracts and retail centers, the Las Vegas Review-Journal found. It’s become a heated spot for development, and real estate pros gave several reasons why construction has taken off that have nothing to do with the Raiders.

They cited the area’s proximity to Interstate 15, the Strip and communities such as Inspirada. It’s also closer to Southern California than the warehouses of North Las Vegas, improving the odds that inbound truckers can drop off their products and get back before they have to take a rest period.

Moreover, the area’s infrastructure is expanding, and as other parts of the valley get built out and more congested, west Henderson still has land, something any developer needs.

“That’s really probably a big part of it,” Curt Allsop, a commercial real estate broker at Newmark Knight Frank, said of the available dirt.

Henderson economic development manager Ken Chapa said when the city made its investment in the Raiders, it “really was a catalyst project” for the entire area.

Panattoni Development Co. partner Doug Roberts, who has been building industrial projects in west Henderson, said the Raiders facility is “nice to have” but does not directly affect him.

“It’s more of a cachet issue,” he said.

Developer Jeff LaPour, who built an industrial project next to the Henderson airport and plans to build another a few miles away, said the football project off St. Rose Parkway is “more of a landmark than anything” but “not a huge generator” of other construction in the area.

Matter Real Estate Group partner Jim Stuart, whose firm is developing an industrial project next to the Raiders’ facility, said the team brings prestige to the area but doesn’t stimulate additional investment.

He pointed to machine tool maker Haas Automation’s proposed industrial complex south of the Henderson airport, saying that project will “absolutely” spur more activity than the Raiders.

Haas owner Gene Haas unveiled plans to develop a 2.3 million-square-foot manufacturing facility for his company, as well as buildings that would be leased or sold to others.

“That has a significant long-term impact on business growth in that area,” Stuart said.

Contact Eli Segall at esegall@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0342. Follow @eli_segall on Twitter.