North Las Vegas buys lot from school district for $750K
A dilapidated maintenance yard for the Clark County School District was folded into North Las Vegas’ downtown revitalization plan, under a $750,000 deal approved Wednesday night.
The North Las Vegas City Council, in its capacity as the city’s Redevelopment Agency, voted 4-0 to purchase the 2-acre lot at 1941 Jefferson St. for use as potential commercial or office space. Councilman Richard Cherchio was absent from the meeting.
The Clark County School Board approved the deal in May, despite concerns raised by Trustees Carolyn Edwards and Linda Cavazos that it would cost $3.7 million for the district to relocate the maintenance yard, primarily paid for by government service taxes.
“We’re going to be very good stewards of this property,” said Councilman Isaac Barron, whose Ward 1 includes downtown.
City and school district officials spent several years negotiating a deal to purchase the land, agreeing to a price that’s more than $100,000 above recent appraisals, city officials said.
The school district will be allowed to remain on the property for up to three years after the sale closes, giving them time to relocate.
“I see your vision,” School Board Trustee Kevin Child told the City Council. “Enjoy your piece of property.”
In a related move, the Redevelopment Agency on Wednesday agreed to purchase a .13-acre asphalt lot at 701 Williams Ave. for $85,000 as part of the downtown revitalization plan.
North Las Vegas officials have spent several years purchasing downtown parcels as part of an ongoing redevelopment plan aimed at attracting restaurants and shops to a 160-acre urban core known as Lake Mead Village West.
Improvements are slowly emerging in downtown, where city officials are spending $2.4 million in federal community block grants to convert the shuttered Canyon Electric Building into a two-story library set to open by October 2019, along with a park spanning up to eight blocks.
Across the street from City Hall, the $75 million Maya Entertainment Center, a 14-screen movie theater, is set to open by the end of the year.
City officials also are negotiating with a developer to build a commercial and medical center spanning 10 acres near Lake Mead and Las Vegas boulevards. The city is also working with existing businesses on exterior improvements, while several road improvement projects are planned for the downtown area.
“The future of North Las Vegas is the downtown area,” Mayor John Lee said. “The opportunities and amenities that we’re doing there are going to change the vision of North Las Vegas.”
Contact Art Marroquin at amarroquin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Follow @AMarroquin_LV on Twitter.
