Henderson projects aimed at bringing crowds back to Water Street

Joe Yakubik’s family moved to Henderson in the mid-1980s, when he was 3.

He remembers watching parades in the Water Street District as a child. And his wife was born and raised in Henderson.

Water Street used to be the center of town, Yakubik said, but as housing expanded outside the area, “the shops soon followed.”

“When we grew up here, this was hustle and bustle,” Yakubik said July 26 as he gave the Las Vegas Review-Journal a tour of South Water Street.

Parades still happen on Water Street, he said, but “the problem is, the second the parade is over, everyone leaves because there’s no business here.”

Yakubik, who’s president of Assured Development, wants to change that. The company has four mixed-use projects underway in the area and 10 residential projects in the design phase. In total, $20 million in projected projects are slated for the next three years.

The residential projects — with approximately 100 units planned — are phase II of Assured Development’s revitalization effort. Construction is scheduled to begin in October and continue in phases through the end of 2020.

Each three- to four-story residential building will have three to six units, each ranging from 600-1,900 square feet.

Other major projects

Other major projects are also underway in the area, including a new ice arena and Google data center.

In early June, the Golden Knights and city of Henderson held a ceremony to launch their partnership to build a community ice arena, expected to cost at least $25 million. The city will contribute $10.7 million toward that cost.

The facility will occupy the space that previously housed the Henderson Convention Center — which was demolished — at Water Street and Atlantic Avenue.

A project is also underway to construct a Google data center in Henderson, a $600 million project on Warm Springs Road west of Boulder Highway.

And other developers are looking at the Water Street District. One of them, Strada LV, wants to purchase land — but hasn’t received final approval yet — and construct a six-story building near Water Street and Atlantic Avenue. The building would house 120 apartments, as well as office, restaurant and retail space.

Assured Development’s plans

In April 2018, Yakubik was looking to renovate a building in the Water Street District to use as Assured Development’s office. Shortly thereafter, announcements were made about plans for the ice arena and data center.

“It just ended up being a timing thing for us,” Yakubik said.

He walked along Water Street, talked with owners of vacant buildings and negotiated purchase deals with the goal of revitalizing those spaces.

Assured Real Estate — which started more than 30 years ago and focuses on real estate and property management — launched Assured Development in 2018. Now, the company has its office on Idaho Street, within walking distance of its South Water Street projects.

Here are details about Assured Developments’ four mixed-use projects:

31 S. Water St.

Stories: 5

Square footage: 40,000

What’s planned: 24 apartments, 16 one-bedroom flats and eight lofts. The ground level spans 10,000 square feet and will be set up for a restaurant and brewery.

37 S. Water St.

Square footage: 15,000

What’s planned: Retail, office and restaurant space. There are several planned tenants, including a barbershop and a tattoo parlor.

The building used to be the Henderson Town House Motor Lodge. As crews worked July 26, Yakubik said, “The majority of the work here was demolition.” Workers unearthed issues such as asbestos, mold and lead pipes, he said.

The original Henderson Town House Motor Lodge sign will remain hanging. A consideration with the South Water Street renovation projects, Yakubik said, is “how much of the original aspect can we hold on to.”

107 S. Water St.

Square footage: 14,000

What’s planned: Mojave Brewing Co. will be the main tenant. The building will also include 16 boutique hotel rooms.

The former Bank of America building had been vacant for about eight years, Yakubik said. Renovations started four months ago.

Mojave Brewing Co. plans to open in early November, which is ahead of schedule, said John Griffith II, owner and head brewer.

When Griffith II was looking for potential locations for his craft brewery, he wanted to be somewhere like the Las Vegas Arts District that was starting to take off, he said.

With other businesses nearby on South Water Street — such as Lovelady Brewing and Hardway 8 — “that’s a really exciting spirit about development,” he said.

Griffith II has been brewing since 1992 and developed his skill as a homebrewer. When he decided it was time to open a brewery, he did an internship in Colorado.

He recently retired after 22 years as a science and math teacher, and wanted to move forward with his goal of opening a brewery.

“It’s something I’ve always dreamed of doing,” he said.

Mojave Brewing Co.’s space will include front and back patios. Inside the building, an old bank vault will be transformed into a private tasting room.

“It was kind of a neat concept,” Yakubik said.

111 S. Water St.

Square footage: 9,000

What’s planned: Retail and hospitality space that will be home to Anderson Dairy Creamery, which plans to open in early 2020. The ice cream shop will sell treats such as shakes, ice cream sandwiches and hand-dipped cones.

It’s a small business operated by sisters and Henderson residents Jessica Humphries and Julie Tandy. They’re part of the Anderson Dairy family, Tandy said, but their business will operate independently of the dairy.

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on Twitter.