BLM Clears Way for 7,500-Acre Master-Planned Community in North Las Vegas.

Business Editors

NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nevada--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 19, 2000

The City of North Las Vegas and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today detailing how they will cooperate in the sale of approximately 7,500 acres of public land for development of a proposed master-planned community.

This historic document will allow the goals of both the BLM and the City of North Las Vegas to be realized to the fullest extent. Accompanied by North Las Vegas City Councilmembers, North Las Vegas Mayor Michael Montandon and BLM Nevada State Director Bob Abbey enthusiastically signed on behalf of each of the entities during a meeting at the North Las Vegas City Hall.

The 7,500 acres, which is located within the North Las Vegas city limits, is the largest contiguous block of public land identified for sale in the Las Vegas Valley. The property is generally north of Centennial Parkway between Decatur Boulevard and Lamb Boulevard. The planned route of the northern portion of the Beltway bisects the property from east to west.

The lands were identified for privatization in the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998, a law that allows the BLM to sell land in Las Vegas and use the proceeds to acquire environmentally sensitive land anywhere in Nevada.

"This agreement was a long time in the making, and we are very excited that both the City and the Bureau of Land Management have passed the first hurdle in seeing these lands develop," said Mayor Michael Montandon of the City of North Las Vegas. "The auction and development of the first acreage will serve as a catalyst in developing a high-quality master-planned community that will benefit each and every resident of North Las Vegas."

Bob Abbey, BLM Nevada State Director, said the agreement "allows North Las Vegas to grow and ensures that the American public gets the most value from the sale of public land." He added, "The people of Nevada will have a direct benefit as a result of this sale through the acquisition of environmentally sensitive land in Nevada and through enhance recreation opportunities in the Las Vegas area."

Abbey also said, "The school children of Nevada are benefiting greatly from the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act sales. So far, more than $3.4 million has been deposited to the State School Trust Fund, which reflects 5 percent of the funds generated so far from the sale of land under the act. And the sales are just beginning."

The MOU specifies that the sale of parcels within the 7,500 acres will follow the recommendations of a study completed in January that examined the economic, demographic and development trends in the Las Vegas Valley. The first, approximately 1,200 net acre portion, will be developed according to the village concept outlined in the study. The two villages, indicated as Village A and Village B, are located at the far west end of the BLM parcel and will be developed in conjunction with the Decatur Boulevard and Simmons Street interchanges of the future Beltway. The MOU states that the parcel may be sold only to a qualified bidder, capable of developing the property consistent with the City's Master Plan.

The MOU calls for the City and the BLM to time and configure future sales to add villages until the 7,500 acres is fully developed as a master-planned community. Only about 5,000 of the 7,500 acres of the BLM parcel are actually slated for development. The remaining acres have been set aside for construction of the Beltway, flood control projects and open space as well as schools, libraries, parks, and fire and police stations.