City, residents have different idea of blight

Longtime North Las Vegas residents Jo Anna Wesley and Raymond Longoria live in nice neighborhoods.

They keep their yards maintained and take pride in their homes. They know their neighbors and their neighbors' children and pets.

What they don't know is why the city's redevelopment agency decided to place their respective homes within its recently approved North Redevelopment Area. The North Las Vegas City Council last week unanimously approved a 30-year redevelopment plan for the city's older areas.

Kerry Lyman, city economic development manager, said the boundaries are determined visually based upon blight.

The plan's goals include the elimination and prevention of blight and deterioration, the control of unplanned growth and encouragement of investment by the private sector.

"We are creating a plan for the good of the mature areas," Mayor Michael Montandon said.

The major public streets within the North Redevelopment Area, which consists of 460 acres, are Civic Center Drive, Cheyenne Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard.

Wesley has lived at 3218 Crawford St., off Cheyenne Avenue in the northeast section of the city, since 1985.

Her initial reaction to the certified letter she received from the city announcing the redevelopment area was confusion.

"They just built a whole lot of new homes on the street next to us," Wesley said. "And a couple of people own custom homes on down the street. How can they say the area is rundown? It's older, but it's kept up."

Longoria lives at 3204 Twining Ave., near Lake Mead Boulevard and Pecos Road.

A lifelong North Las Vegas resident, Longoria said his neighborhood has character and he would like to see it remain that way.

"It seems like you are trying to put a facade on an old town," he told the City Council. "But painting a house with bad plumbing doesn't fix the plumbing."

He added the biggest problem in his neighborhood is code enforcement.

Wesley also worried that the redevelopment agency would try to take her home through eminent domain.

While Lyman described the area as one within which the city can buy and sell land, he assured residents there are no plans at this time to acquire property within the North Redevelopment Area.

Brent Hawkins, an attorney specializing in Nevada's redevelopment laws who was hired by the redevelopment agency as a consultant, added that while the redevelopment plan establishes a process to allow the agency to acquire property, it is his experience that when it comes to acquiring property, eminent domain is not used in residential areas.

Lyman added that if the city acquires even 10 percent of the 460 acres within the redevelopment area, that would be a lot.

Councilwoman Stephanie Smith assured residents that this is only a plan.

"We're spelling out the rules," she said. "The only thing you will get out of this is the benefits. This can only enhance your property value. This is supposed to be a way to give you assurance, not cause unrest."

Redevelopment money comes from taxes generated by new development, specifically new businesses.

"The taxes stay the same," said Jacque Risner, economic development manager, adding that when a new business decided to build somewhere it increases the value of that property. Then a percentage of the taxes from that increase -- about 10 percent -- goes into the redevelopment coffers.

That should be a relief to Wesley, Longoria and other who live within the redevelopment area.

Montandon also assured Wesley during the meeting that her taxes would not change as a result of the redevelopment area.

Lyman said the primary purpose behind establishing redevelopment areas is to attract commercial development.

Councilman John Rhodes said there are a number of factors affecting Las Vegas Boulevard North, including the Las Vegas Speedway. For example, plans call for a hotel to be built on the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Belmont Street.

Rhodes explained that the redevelopment area allows the city to apply for grants and loans to improve the areas to attract commercial development.

Wesley said she feels like the city is using her and her neighbors to help fund its Downtown Redevelopment Area.

Risner said the money that is collected in each redevelopment area stays within that area. She added that while the agency has the ability to loan money from one area to the other, there is no reason to do that.

Risner said if there were any loans it most likely would be from the downtown area to the north redevelopment area for seed money.

"It takes years and years for a redevelopment area to generate money," she said. "Even if someone breaks ground today (on a new business), it takes a couple of years to start generating taxes."

Wesley said she had heard the North Redevelopment Area funds were going to be used for the second phase of Lake Mead and Las Vegas Boulevard landscaping project -- the first to be done with Downtown Redevelopment Area funds.

Risner said, however, that Wesley was misinformed.

"The money generated goes right back into the same area," she said.

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