LV tries to keep FBI in the city

Las Vegas will offer the federal government 5.3 acres in a redevelopment zone in hopes of keeping the FBI in the city.

The City Council on Wednesday is expected to approve the offer of a site located in the Las Vegas Enterprise Park near Martin Luther King and Lake Mead boulevards.

The offer comes as the local office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation considers relocating from the building on Charleston Boulevard it has called home for 10 years.

"We've outgrown it," FBI special agent Kevin Caudle said. "At least one-third of our people are off site."

Caudle said the other agents are located in at least three commercial buildings throughout the city although the locations of some are not public knowledge.

The proposed site would allow the FBI to construct a $15 million to $20 million Class A office tower of at least 80,000 square feet.

Jeff Maresh, the city's director of business development, said he hopes the FBI and the U.S. General Services Administration -- which has final say on the offer -- agrees to the proposed site.

"This is a great opportunity for the city," Maresh said. "It certainly keeps the FBI in the general downtown area and gives us property taxes."

Since the building and land would be privately owned, the city would stand to take in about $150,000 in property taxes annually.

The city estimates its base costs, including land and infrastructure, is $577,000. The market value of the property is estimated at about $1.03 million, according to Maresh.

The 5.3-acre site is at Lake Mead and Stella Lake Drive, not far from a new U.S. Postal Service office and the Addelair D. Guy III Department of Veterans Affairs Ambulatory Clinic.

Although the GSA in New York will have final approval of the deal, Caudle said, the FBI is "very seriously" considering the offer.

"There is a certain amount of money that can be spent, and the less the land costs, the more that can be done with the building," Caudle said.

Finding a new location near the new federal courthouse under construction was not a priority.

"What's 5 minutes, 10 minutes more?" Caudle asked. "The location in relation to the courthouse isn't that big of a concern."

archive