5 things to know about the Badlands saga
The protracted Badlands legal fight between the city of Las Vegas and developer Yohan Lowie revolves around Lowie’s plans to turn the failed 250-acre Badlands golf course into an expansive housing project.
Here are five things to know about the Badlands saga.
Lawsuit breakdown
The suits broke the golf course into four plots of land.
A case for 17 acres, in which a court granted more than $80 million to EHB Companies — Lowie is the founder and CEO of EHB — was appealed to the Nevada Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court upheld a judgement of $64 million for 35 acres, which the city has paid.
Another judge awarded $141 million to EHB for 65 acres.
A case for the remaining 133 acres was moving forward, according to EHB attorneys.
Who is Yohan Lowie?
Lowie has three decades of experience as a developer in Las Vegas. He is credited with building One Queensridge Place, which is at the center of the Badlands controversy, and Tivoli Village across the street.
“Mr. Lowie has helped shape the City’s overall growth and expansion,” according to his EHB biography.
According to a magazine profile, Lowie has developed more than 3 million square feet of residential and commercial properties.
City Council turnaround
After November’s election, there are no City Council members on the seven-member board who were in the council when the lawsuits began.
The issue led ex-Councilman Steve Seroka, who ran against the development, to oust former Councilman Bob Beers in 2017. Seroka resigned in 2019 amid a recall effort influenced by the Badlands issue.
City Manager Mike Janssen and City Attorney Dorocak, who are leading negotiations, also weren’t in their positions at the time.
Settlement support?
A settlement would require four votes from the City Council.
Councilwoman Victoria Seaman has long been at the forefront, being the lone voice at City Hall until recently to openly call for an out-of-court settlement.
Seaman lost the mayor’s race to Mayor-elect Shelley Berkley who also called for a settlement during her campaign.
Same for Councilwoman-elect Shondra Summers-Armstrong, who said she was a proponent for a “good settlement as quickly as possible.”
Councilwoman Nancy Brune, along with Seaman, were the only City Council members to vote against a Supreme Court appeal in one of the cases.
The future of Badlands
It wasn’t clear what Lowie would do with the golf course and additional details from negotiations haven’t been released. A ditched 2022 settlement proposal would’ve granted him $64 million and entitlements to develop on the land.
Negotiations broke down shortly before the settlement was discussed publicly.
Under the current proposal, he would keep the 34-acre parcel of land from the previously resolved lawsuit.
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.
