Henderson City Council approves agreement for $1.5 billion master-planned health village

The Henderson City Council approved a development agreement Tuesday for Union Village, a $1.5 billion project billed as the first integrated health village in the world.

"This is a huge step to show commitment on the developer's part to be moving forward with development of the site," said Eddie Dichter, the city's principal planner.

But Darren Enns, secretary-treasurer of the Southern Nevada Building & Construction Trades Council, addressed the City Council and accused the developer of lying to union members.

"They told us that this project would be built union, and it would be run union," Enns said.

The trades council is made up of 19 craft unions representing 17,000 members.

Enns said the trades council previously supported the project and was negotiating a project labor agreement with the developer, Union Village LLC, but that fell through after the developer teamed up with Dignity Health, formerly known as Catholic Healthcare West.

Dignity, which owns the two St. Rose Dominican hospitals in Henderson, was not willing to enter into the project labor agreement, Enns told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

City Councilman John Marz said he did not "feel comfortable" getting in the middle of the issue. The developer has said the project will generate 17,000 jobs over the next decade.

"We have a lot of unemployed people in our city - both union and nonunion," Marz said.

The City Council approved a land purchase agreement with the developer in June 2011. The deal calls for the city to sell 150.7 acres near U.S. Highway 95 and Galleria Drive for $11.6 million.

David Micheal , a partner in Union Village, said he expects the land purchase to be the next step in the process. Construction could start early next year, he said.

By the time Union Village filed a master plan with the city in June , the site for the project had grown to a total of 228 acres. The project now includes Central Christian Church, which sits on 57 acres at the site.

The environmentally sustainable village will be completed in three phases. Planned for the first phase are portions of the following components:

■ Union Centre, a state-of-the-art hospital and health care complex.

■ Union Plaza, a specialty retail center with medical offices, residential apartments, entertainment and an all-suite hotel.

■ Union Place, a senior care center.

■ And Union Park, the village's cultural center.

Micheal said the developer has been in confidential negotiations with several prospective tenants.

"We are marching very rapidly toward some stuff that I think the city of Henderson is going to be very excited about," Micheal said.

The master plan placed Union Centre on the site's southeast section at Galleria Drive and Gibson Road. The complex will consist of an acute care hospital, a cancer hospital, a continuing care hospital and a children's hospital.

Micheal said he expects construction to start on the acute care hospital by the end of 2013.

After the City Council meeting Tuesday night, David Baker , managing partner of Union Village, said he could not identify the hospital operator because of legal requirements.

But he said the developer wants to provide as many union jobs and as many local jobs as possible .

Plans for the village also include a central park and a series of trails.

Micheal said he hopes the first phase of construction will be completed in the next three to 3½ years, and he hopes the entire project will be built in less than 10 years.

Micheal commended city staff for showing diligence, professionalism and leadership in helping bring the project to Henderson.

"The city, we think, gets it and understands it," he said.

Contact reporter Carri Geer Thevenot at cgeer@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0264.