Friday, March 23, 2001 | 10:36 a.m.
Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman promises -- now that he has called in experts to help him plan 61 acres downtown -- that he will keep his mouth shut and let them do their jobs.
Whether the former attorney, once called the "mouthpiece for the mob," follows through on that commitment remains to be seen.
A joking Goodman made his promise at an expansive, dusty lot bordered by railroad tracks and shadowed by downtown casinos. The vacant lot -- between the Clark County Government Center and the Spaghetti Bowl -- could soon be home to a medical center, the world's tallest tower or an indoor ski park.
Goodman was joined by a team from the Urban Land Institute in Washington, D.C. The group will spend four days in Las Vegas in an effort to help guide the mayor and city staff members toward the best decision regarding development of the downtown land.
The group's work will end Saturday, when it is scheduled to meet with city officials to submit a report and a list of suggested minimum requirements for the 61 acres.
The members of the Washington, D.C.-based think tank won't see the 10 proposals for the land. They will, however, provide the city with criteria based on successful downtown projects they have helped develop across the United States.
"We think our mission here is not to tell you what is going to work but to help create a road map based on our experience ... how to look at these projects, how to evaluate the uses, and what to expect in the negotiation process," said James Goodell, a Southern California developer who chairs the institute.
Ten proposals were submitted to the city earlier this month. The proposals include an academic medical center, performing arts center, shopping malls and condominiums.
In addition to setting criteria, institute members will interview local business leaders and shareholders who have a stake in how the land is developed.
Goodman said he hopes the positive development will trickle down to the older downtown area, by stimulating investment, for example.
"What happens here will have a positive impact across the street," Goodman said. "This is a catalyst project."
Already, 36 acres of nearby Union Pacific Railroad land is being proposed for the first phase of a furniture mart. The initial phase of the million-square-foot furniture mart was approved Thursday by the Planning Commission. It will go before the council next month.
Goodell said key ingredients to making the development prosper include leadership, the market and public-private partnerships.
"If you are an urbanist of any kind ... you'll know that you're at the beginning of what many cities have gone through in countering many decades of neglect," he said.
Once criteria for the projects have been set a review panel, composed of city staff members, will review the proposals and trim the list.
The review panel will screen the revised list and narrow it to a few projects. On April 18 the review panel will submit a short list to the City Council. Presentations will be made to the council May 2, and the final decision will be up to the council.
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