City of Henderson auctioning 358.5 acres of land near Interstate 15

Henderson is taking a step toward expanding a planned industrial district near Interstate 15 by auctioning 358 acres of land set aside for nonresidential development.

The federal land is being auctioned by the city as three contiguous but separate parcels of 82 acres, 109 acres and 167 acres south of the Henderson Executive Airport.

The starting bid prices are $7.4 million for the 82 acres, $9.7 million for 109 acres and $16.03 million for 167 acres. The land must go for a minimum bid, or it won’t be sold.

The city has opened bidding on the parcels until May 19 with the public auction at the City Council meeting the next day.

The auction proceeds go to the Bureau of Land Management, but the land is then transferred to the city for economic development. The city will receive tax revenue from whatever is operated on the land. Henderson is acquiring use of the land through a 2009 public land management act, which prevents the land from being used for residential development.

Brian Podmenik, Henderson’s real property agent, said the land is zoned commercial and industrial because of its proximity to the airport.

Barbra Coffee, Henderson’s manager of economic development, said the city approached the federal government in 2005 about receiving the land for an employment center with good access to Interstate 15 and the airport.

“We felt that would be a strong amenity for the community to create a place where we could create jobs,” Coffee said. “There’s a need for large industrial properties and sites for the built-to-suit type of activity that we’re looking to attract.”

The act established about 500 acres for the West Henderson Commerce Centre.

South 15 Partners signed an agreement with Henderson last year to acquire 151 acres of federal land in the Centre area in three phases for $13.6 million.

North Carolina-based SunCap Property Group then acquired 36 acres of the land for $5.3 million from South 15 Partners to develop a FedEx shipping facility.

South 15 Partners is controlled by M.J. Dean Construction founder Michael J. Dean and former homebuilder Terry Manley.

FedEx is building a $50-million, 296,000-square-foot distribution facility on the SunCap land. The facility is scheduled to open in September. It will be near the 1-million-square-foot Levi Strauss distribution center at the corner of Executive Airport Drive and St. Rose Parkway.

Levi Strauss, which has operated in Henderson for nearly 35 years, acquired the current location in 1995. The company recently re-invested $30 million into its facility, according to Gary Ferrone, director of operations for the Levi Strauss facility.

Coffee said the industrial activity in west Henderson shows the developers’ attraction to the area, adding that the location is an hour closer to California than similar land available in northern Clark County.

“We’re very encouraged by the activity we’re seeing on the part of companies looking to find locations in our region,” Coffee said.

“It does bode well for Henderson to have this property available to users looking. And I will tell you, they’re looking.”

Contact reporter Arnold M. Knightly at aknightly@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3882. Follow him on Twitter @KnightlyGrind.