Las Vegas seeks affordable ‘artist housing’ project

Las Vegas’ Arts District has become so popular that artists can no longer afford to live there.

That’s according to Mayor Shelley Berkley, who on Thursday discussed plans by city officials to lure an affordable “artist housing” complex near the area.

As Berkley described it, she often heard, while running for mayor, about the lack of affordable housing in the Arts District, as landlords have boosted rents amid its growing popularity.

The end result is that the kind of people who inspired the district’s name have been priced out of living there.

“That is the problem, yes,” Berkley said at a news conference at City Hall.

On Wednesday, the city announced that it issued a request-for-proposals from developers to plan and build a mixed-use project with artist housing. Officials hope to usher in a mid-rise or high-rise development with at least 100 units.

The 1.23-acre site, owned by the city’s Redevelopment Agency, is on Las Vegas Boulevard about a block north of Wyoming Avenue. The city purchased the property for about $4.3 million combined through two separate transactions, records show.

“If artists cannot afford to live in their community, they will not be able to create there either,” the request-for-proposals declares.

As outlined in the document, the project should include ground-floor commercial uses that are tied to the arts, such as a gallery or supplies shop, or that “complement the artistic vibe,” like a coffee shop.

Rental rates should be targeted at households that earn 80 percent, or below, of the area median income, and units should be “functional live/work spaces for artists.”

Proposals are due March 25 and must include a project description and timeline; financing and construction details; purchase price and terms; and other information.

A dozen or so years ago, the Arts District was a quiet place. It had furniture stores, second-hand clothing shops and other tenants, but also vacant storefronts, empty lots and thin foot traffic.

But in recent years, a surge of restaurants, bars, coffee shops and retailers opened in the area, drawing more people there to eat, drink and shop.

Amid the rising popularity, landlords also have charged higher rents, and developers started building some big apartment complexes in the area.

Contact Eli Segall at esegall@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0342.