Downtown Revitalization in Las Vegas (Henderson, Nellis AFB: where to stay, best cities, home)

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This was the topic of discussion on KNPR State of Nevada yesterday or the day before. The transcript and the audio are in the link.


Does Downtown LV's Savior Need A Savior? | Nevada Public Radio

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I like what they had to say about it.

I really believe in the renewal of the LV urban core. I love reading about the downtown project, zappos and all the things happening down there. I loved the Fremont St area back in 2006 when I came for my bachelorette party and I love it still now. It has it's own flair and culture.

I really wish we could have lived down there because I'd love to be part of it, but when I searched I couldn't find anything reasonably priced that was spacious enough, or wasn't already taken, or wasn't in a spotty area.

I agree with what the one person said in the above linked news piece, "That they need more housing options downtown." I think they need more affordable housing options down there for couples, that aren't dumps, and at least one regular grocery store that is not Whole Foods. Though I do love the energy of Whole Foods. With one regular grocery store and some regular housing built up then I suspect it will boom.

I'd prefer the more "this is our village atmosphere" to the high rises. Something proportionate to the times. So 2-4 story apartment units with maybe some businesses below them. Some nice trees planted along there for shade. A section with mixed residential housing and businesses with the ability to walk from local brewery to local brewery along a few street corridors and then be able to walk home. Where you might also see long artistic murals on the sides of old buildings and interactive art sculptures placed through out. I kind of want the feel of the arts district in the downtown area too and I think there is a great opportunity to connect the two areas by focusing on the new residential housing for downtown living and businesses between that stretch along there making it one big long strip to Sahara. Yet from what I've seen all the spaces allotted for new housing and development are East of container park in the spotty, abandoned, sketchy areas.

Most people are priced out of the nicer high rise places and can't afford the local services on top of that. The alternative is to live in a rundown place that may or may not have redone units, and may or may not have lots of abandoned buildings and poverty around it, or share a new place but have smaller space.

None of that is going to happen while huge chunks of downtown are surrounded by "owned by Tony" chain link fence.

He bought all the value properties, and now he's sitting on them, like Carl Icahn and the Fountainbleu. The market doesn't have enough faith in the downtown area to put their capital up -- even though the "apartments above commercial" solution you describe sounds ideal.

The area needs infrastructure first -- schools, certainly. But also medical, emergency services, parks, supermarkets (plural, for competition), normal retail (not just the boutique crap that resides there exclusively). Only then would "apartments above commercial" attract enough people to make it viable.

Everyone wants a better downtown area. But nobody is willing to invest in it. And if the local government (and by extension, the taxpayers) aren't willing, why should investors bother?

You reminded me about the idiots that bought those high-end apartments in downtown Des Moines right next to the railroad tracks then had a conniption fit when the trains went past and blew their horns for the street crossings.

Apparently all those tracks they drove over when they looked at the building were invisible until they moved in.

I like the suggestions and vision of what else it needs.

I think there is one dog park there and then there is Container Park which is unique with retail, restaurants and a place for kids to play. I'm not sure about K-12 schools for the area but where do the families with kids in the area currently go to school? The news piece didn't mention it. I recall reading or hearing something about a charter school that had been started there, but it's been slow going between the downtown communities needs, the schools process, and the city official's requirements.

It's within reasonable proximity to the medical district by taking Bonneville Ave that turns into Alta. Remember CD member droctopus, who works in emergency medicine, rides his skate board there? There is University Medical Center and Valley Hospital right next to each other.

Then there are seven medical clinics that come up in a search for the Downtown area, Adelante, Family Medical Center, Guadalupe Medical Center, Turntable Health, First Person Care Clinic, Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health Las Vegas, Lee's Oriental Medical Clinic, CIMA Medical Centers. In one of the video shorts someone recently posted Turntable Health was funded by the downtown project.

The news piece had the councilman that is in charge of the downtown district on their show and he said there are multiple investors involved that don't get the kind of attention that Tony gets. He said they've each invested 50 million into property downtown so it is bringing in other investors, not including the downtown hotels and casinos. He alluded however that we're not going to see the kind of development projects people have been talking about and projecting for downtown in the last 3 - 4 years. The program is still new. The city official said it's going to be more 10 - 20 years of gradual improvement and renewal.

From what I've seen in the last year with the downtown project layoffs, the Zappos restructuring, Tony moving out of the Ogden and the building looking at selling as condos again instead of leasing, and Tony giving up his spot The Perch in Container Park that Tony is taking a step back. He was in a period of rapid investment and growth and now he's in a period of contraction with restructuring to new ideas and new systems and adjusting to a more proportionate size until there is gains again. They're optimistic still but realistic of the challenges they face after some experience investing, living and working downtown.

I wonder if that 200 million that they allotted for the residential development of the downtown project is enough to cover the properties he's holding for it. I suspect it isn't currently and they're waiting on some return on investments. It will be slower growth than anticipated. He's lost some money on a couple start up companies that left to go to greener pasture or that had to close.

They also talked about "lawyer row" down there. Where lawyers came in and converted houses into their offices all along certain streets. I saw some of that driving around down there looking at places. It's behind Container Park heading South. That was where I was inspired and could see the mixed residential with businesses where it's like a village. The local breweries could get together to form a Las Vegas brewing community and setting up in there among the lawyer row area. Lawyers love to drink. There's lots of old trees in there. The vacant lots and area east of container park could use the "residential housing above commercial property" development. Then they could walk one - two blocks south in lawyer row and go drinking among the local brewery community, similar to exploring the Art District. They'd probably even form a route of streets and alleyways and call it the 'legal brew mile' or 'Route I-LV brews' something only locals 'coin' like a scavenger hunt.

Another guest works for the preservation committee and she said that to give Downtown the old city feel in the future they're working to preserve structures in order to keep the culture and individual feel of the area. I appreciated that as well because you don't want the urban core to became all new homogenized developments by doing away with everything every 40 -50 years and building new like they do with exploding casinos on the Strip. Many of the new residential areas downtown for living are retrofitted which is quaint, but it seems to be a lot more of the "like new stuff" than "the new stuff". My theory is people do want to live down there as it is currently and have that downtown living experience, but the area really needs places that are affordable and offer more space. I looked at the Freemont Apartments. It's a converted motel and that place was packed crowded like a can of sardines. The rooms were 600 sq ft and ran around $500 a month. Same with another apartment structure behind Container Park but it was even less space for a higher price.

If there were new construction that had 2 bedrooms at 1000 sq ft with balcony's and laundry rooms in each facility and was priced $800 - $1000 a month down there occupancy would be full all the time. They could have 2-3 stories of apartments on top of businesses below so they could walk down there in the morning and get a latte, and some fresh flowers from the florist, and a baked good at the bakery. Then go to work.

I could also see that by sitting on the undeveloped property for now that it's easier to keep buying up surrounding available properties at lower prices due to perceived lack of development before beginning new developments while they whittle away at all the properties they're renewing first. However, the city official said downtown property isn't cheap either so that could be part of it too.

What you describe is where my daughter lived in San Francisco:




It was a 106 year old 3rd floor walk-up. A 2 bedroom apartment where someone converted the dining room into a 3rd bedroom. A tiny single bathroom with a 20 gallon water heater (I didn't know they made them that small).

It had the vibe you describe. The rent: $5,800.00 per month.

Yeah that sounds like what I'm talking about.

I was also thinking of the Queen Anne neighborhood in Seattle. If you look at the LINK it shows converted houses with places to eat and drink and go to the movies.

And also I liked the Whiteaker district in Eugene, OR that has more residential housing and local businesses and breweries. It's made up of several main business streets that intersect surrounded by homes.

I liked all the local breweries in the neighborhood among the houses.



It also expands the length of Blair Blvd.



I could see something like that happening in that area of Container Park and Lawyers Row because it gives me that same vibe of possibility, and maybe even on a larger scale like the Queen Anne neighborhood in Seattle or the place you describe in San Francisco. Where it expands the length of Las Vegas Blvd to the Arts District.

Right now the LV Downtown renewal gave me the feeling of still being in the seedling stage though it has several projects and a large mid-rise residential building.

Ok, so I looked up Banger's Brew, one of LV local craft brews downtown, to get a reference point. You could even include the Main Street Station and Brewery and the Triple 7 Restaurant and Microbrewery in the Downtown Brewery scavenger hunt tour and have two - three places to start with and then expand down the Blvd.

I included the medical district in the downtown map because the city official said the other investors are buying property just west of the highway downtown at 50 million a piece. I think lvoc said that Tony bought the Mayan Plaza Apartments behind the police station there, but he wasn't sure.



This is a closer look at the medical district. As you can see there's several hospitals and I believe where the new UNLV medical school is going that is opening in 2017. The UNLV medical school eventually wants to build a 100 Million research hospital. I think that has to be in or near the medical district area because of it's central location. I don't know if that will go on the old Mayan Plaza Apartment property behind the LV Police Department or if they're going to put it over there by the Premium Outlets.

Now that I look at it closer I'm reminded of all that empty space near there. That would be the perfect spot to start with for the new 'commercial below and residential above' housing I was mentioning. Right between the Smith's Center, the Arts District, the Premium outlets and the Bonneville Transit station.

It does look a lot better, but the casinos ruin it because of all the greedy spirits roaming around, taking peoples' money and destroying our joy.