Making federal case out of it

The mayor and city manager of North Las Vegas headed for Washington, D.C., today in a city effort to gain greater control of the development of 7,500 acres of federal land.

Mayor Mike Montandon and City Manager Pat Importuna have meetings scheduled with all four members of Nevada's congressional delegation, as well as Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt.

The Bureau of Land Management parcel, within the northern part of the city, is destined for sale and the city wants firm control over how it is subdivided and developed.

City officials wanted the federal government to sell the parcel as one piece to a private developer for a master-planned community. But Babbitt told city officials during his visit here in February that he wanted to maximize the taxpayers' value by chopping up the acreage into smaller parcels.

Babbitt at that time asked city officials to put together a proposal that would reflect the objectives of the BLM and the city. Discussions then took place among city officials and Mike Ford, BLM project manager for the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act. The talks resulted in a document that was sent to Babbitt a week ago.

"The purpose of us going to Washington is to reinforce our position," Importuna said. "We need to ensure the 7,500 acres has a development of integrity, even if it is split up. We don't want the land broken up in very small pieces and sold to the highest bidder with no comprehensive plan."

Babbitt has said he wants to sell the parcels over time to generate more money. A time frame has yet to be determined.

The BLM has estimated the value of the North Las Vegas property at between $100 million and $150 million.

Because Babbitt did not provide the city with any details concerning how the property should be split up, Importuna said that is part of the proposal he and the mayor are presenting during their two-day trip.

"We believe there are alternatives available that can achieve and perhaps exceed his (Babbitt's) expectations," Importuna said.

Importuna said those alternatives include greater city involvement in the release of the land and how it will be auctioned off.

"We believe our proposal could generate somewhere in the neighborhood of three to four times the value that the BLM thinks it could generate," he said. "It also contains a financing vehicle for the city."

City officials hope to get a clear indication of support for the plan during the trip.

The mayor said the city would likely design the community layout and develop design standards, but that would cost the financially strapped city millions of dollars, Importuna said.

"If they (officials in Washington) were to go along with the way we want to go, there will be a way the city can afford it," he said, without offering details.

Under legislation passed by Congress last year, 85 percent of money earned from the sale of federal land in Nevada is returned to the BLM for the purchase of environmentally sensitive land elsewhere in the state. Another 10 percent goes to Southern Nevada water projects and 5 percent to public education.

The North Las Vegas parcel is one of the largest chunks included in the legislation, which calls for the BLM to sell about 27,000 acres in Clark County.

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