Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021 | 2 a.m.
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I have great expectations for North Las Vegas this year. 2020 was a year unlike any other in our lifetime. COVID-19 has brought tremendous challenges, and the impacts have been devastating. I send my deepest condolences to all who have lost a loved one during this terrible pandemic.
But I also know that North Las Vegas is resilient. Our residents and business owners are hardworking and smart and rise to the challenges presented to them. You know our past — we already weathered dark days before, and we have emerged stronger for it.
You’re going to see the word “extraordinary” pop up several times in this column, and with good reason. There’s simply no better word to describe what’s been happening in North Las Vegas, and what continues to happen every day in our city.
For North Las Vegas, that is the story of this year. Our extraordinary team leading the city has dictated a chapter in North Las Vegas’ history that will be a foundation for the future. The team’s extraordinary efforts during one of our state and nation’s most difficult chapters is compelling and worthy of our community’s greatness. Our city council has gone above and beyond in their service this year, distributing food and masks, connecting residents and business owners to services, sponsoring testing and doing everything they can to keep constituents safe and informed. Our staff worked harder, longer, saw the world differently and went the extra mile; in short, they were extraordinary because they did more than was required. Leadership shines in times of crisis, and North Las Vegas is shining bright.
The city of North Las Vegas, led by our tremendous City Manager Ryann Juden, has been recognized as a model for our response to the pandemic. The Las Vegas Sun and the Las Vegas Review-Journal don’t always agree, but they both point to North Las Vegas as the example for spending federal relief dollars responsibly, efficiently and effectively. Our team took the tax dollars residents and businesses paid to the federal government, and returned them directly back to taxpayers to help residents and businesses survive this crisis, exactly as Congress intended.
As we do everything we can to pull ourselves out of the negative impacts of COVID, it is good to see the fruits of our labor still taking shape. Our efforts over the past seven years to diversify the local economy have delivered the results I promised and, now in a global crisis, are helping our city weather the storm and maintain services for businesses and residents.
Eight of the top 10 grossing businesses in North Las Vegas were not here five years ago. This diversification is the direct result of the work we did to bring infrastructure to the area around the Las Vegas Motor Speedway to build a new tax base, and it highlights the power of diversification — this will help us get through the next phases of COVID-19.
We’re seeing resiliency in the residential market as well. North Las Vegas communities like Valley Vista are carrying the market for the entire valley. Our city had the highest net sales in Southern Nevada both before and after the COVID-19 shutdown.
Investments through the city’s Permit Application Center surpassed $1 billion in assessed value last year. This is an extraordinary milestone, one that we have not seen since the Great Recession. This is without a stadium or a new casino being built. It is new diversification of businesses and opportunities across all sectors.
North Las Vegas reached another major economic development milestone in 2020 that achieved one of my biggest priorities since coming into office. The Southern Nevada Water Authority made the landmark decision to develop 18 miles of new water line and 40 miles of sewer infrastructure at Apex Industrial Park. This is truly a historic achievement for Southern Nevada and lays the groundwork for our region’s future by opening up thousands of acres of developable land for diversification and job creation. This is in addition to another water line that’s being built as part of a developer/city upsizing agreement to southern Apex and is almost completed.
Back in 2014, I set the seemingly impossible goal of bringing 100 million square feet of development to North Las Vegas in eight years. At the start of 2020, we were two-thirds of the way there. I’m proud to say that we are now at 85 million square feet, with 6.5 million square feet of industrial projects in development now.
And there’s more on the horizon. Three new industrial parks that will span 530 acres are planned along the pipeline route at Apex. This will translate into more good jobs and economic diversification, not just for North Las Vegas but for the entire region.
2021 is going to be a great year. I have great expectations for North Las Vegas because of what we already have in place. No doubt there will be challenges, but we are moving forward. North Las Vegas has the vision, the trust, the leadership and the drive to succeed. We are the thinkers and the problem solvers.
Good enough isn’t alright by us — our stakeholders deserve more. Join us, be our partner. I promise you: The results will be extraordinary.
John Lee was elected mayor of North Las Vegas in 2013 after serving in both the Nevada Assembly and Nevada Senate.
