Friday, May 26, 2000 | 11:15 a.m.
Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman has no trouble finding professional teams and companies looking to relocate to his city.
The problem is, he hasn't got any land to offer them as part of the deal.
That could change if Goodman is able to convince the owners of a massive 178-acre parcel of vacant land near downtown to sell or trade the site to the city.
"I myself am negotiating with the Lehman Brothers," Goodman said Thursday.
Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. owns 61 acres of the land between the Clark County Government Center and the Spaghetti Bowl, adjacent to downtown. Union Pacific Railroad owns the remaining acreage.
"Without the land, we're in an unfortunate position," Goodman said. "If private development wants to come in, they have no land.
"The No. 1 priority is getting the land."
But Lehman and Union Pacific aren't likely going to give the city anything, whether for a downtown sports arena, a performing arts center or an office complex.
So Goodman has been meeting with city staff to determine what the city can offer "as openers" in any land negotiations.
Tenants in the city's Technology Center have made about $16 million in purchases of city land at the center. That money could be used to sweeten a land-swap offer.
"It could be a mixture of the monies, the tech park property or a trade of land," Goodman said about what he's willing to offer Lehman.
Although the city has numerous small parcels squeezed between other development downtown, the vacant 61-acre site is unusual because of its size and proximity to major highways.
Goodman said the city is currently appraising certain parcels of land it owns that could be traded to Lehman Brothers as part of an overall deal.
Lehman Brothers also is conducting an appraisal of its 61-acre parcel.
Roy Praver of Lehman Brothers could not be reached for more specific information Thursday.
Goodman will next meet with Lehman representatives on June 20.
When Goodman presented his State of the City address earlier this year, he made attracting a professional sports team one of the top priorities of his administration.
However, initial discussions with the National Basketball Association and some individual team owners ran into snags.
For starters, NBA Commissioner David Stern told Goodman he would not allow a franchise to move to Las Vegas because of the legalized sports betting here. Two separate franchise owners told Goodman they would be interested in moving teams here but needed the city's help acquiring land for an arena.
Goodman has repeatedly stated he will not support any taxpayer funding of an arena project. Thursday was the first time he stated any willingness to have the city acquire the Lehman Brothers parcel.
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