Nearly 1,500 upscale homes coming to Badlands site in Las Vegas

Nearly a decade after plans to build homes on the defunct Badlands golf course devolved into a protracted and costly legal fight, the Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday found itself back where it started: facing angry criticism and a threat of a new lawsuit over another housing development for the property.

This time, they approved it.

The council voted 6-0 with Councilwoman Nancy Brune absent to greenlight a plan by Lennar Homes to build 1,480 upscale homes, townhomes and condominium units on the 250-acre property.

“With great pleasure, I move to approve,” said Councilwoman Victoria Seaman, who until recent months was the lone voice at City Hall calling for a resolution to the Badlands situation, at least publicly.

“I’m just grateful that we’re here, all those months of negotiation and we’ve come together this far,” she added.

Wednesday’s vote was a key step in a process to disentangle the city from an extended legal battle that began after city leaders balked in the face of opposition from the neighboring Queensridge neighborhood and blocked EHB Cos. CEO Yohan Lowie from developing housing on the property.

EHB sued, alleging that the city “took” the land by denying him development rights to his own property. Multiple judges, including the Nevada Supreme Court, ruled in EHB’s favor, and the city and developer reached a settlement that would ultimately cost the city $286 million — less than the upward of $450 million it could have lost if it kept fighting EHB’s lawsuits.

Under a nonbinding agreement approved in December, the city will purchase the 250 acres from EHB for $636 million. Lennar Homes will pay the city $350 million for the property, leaving the remaining $286 million for EHB in exchange for dropping its lawsuits.

On Tuesday, the city outlined how it intends to pay for the settlement. At least 21 employees had accepted voluntary buyout offers, choosing to retire. Their positions will be frozen through fiscal year 2027, the city said.

The settlement funds will come from several budgets, including the city’s general fund reserves and operational cost savings, and a liability fund. The city said it’s delaying capital improvement projects and using $36 million it has from the sale of Cashman Field.

City officials told Nevada lawmakers that Las Vegas wasn’t planning layoffs to offset the settlement cost.

Queensridge neighborhood opposition

Residents of the Queensridge community have spoken out against the new project just as they opposed Lowie’s proposal. They returned to the City Council meeting Wednesday.

Christian Spaulding alleged that the planning commission violated the state’s open-meeting law by not giving residents adequate time to be heard. Therefore, he said, the body’s recommendation should be void.

“The people of Las Vegas, specifically the residents of Queensridge have an inalienable right to have their opinions heard and voice their concerns and objections to this plan,” he said. “In the event this plan is approved, however, that right is significantly diminished.”

He added: “To challenge this plan will require the filing of a lawsuit.”

Spaulding said residents don’t oppose new development on the golf course, but he said they have issues on how the plan, as proposed, was approved. Residents have previously expressed concerns about density, traffic and the number of schools in the area.

“There’s an irrefutable fact that this plan represents a significant risk of harm to the surrounding community,” Spaulding said. “The city can’t dispute this, otherwise the city would not have spent tens of millions of dollars and years litigating against a far less damaging plan.”

City Attorney Jeff Dorocak defended the city’s approval process.

EHB signed the applications for the new proposal. Its attorney, Jim Leavitt, told the council that the requests are “entirely consistent” with the rulings from five District Court judges and Nevada Supreme Court opinions.

Before voting to approve, Mayor Shelley Berkley noted that she has been a Queensridge resident for a quarter-century.

The city ordered the developer to fence and clear the land.

“We will get out there as soon as we can,” said attorney Stephanie Gronauer, who represented Lennar Homes.

She said the company will commission studies, such as those related to drainage and traffic, and seek building permits.

“There’s a ton of work to be done to make sure this property is safe,” Gronauer added.

‘Exciting day’

Gronauer said Lennar cannot build any more homes than those approved Wednesday, and she said the company was actually expecting to construct fewer of them than allowed due to the drainage infrastructure.

Most residences will be single-family homes, she said. The gated master-planned community will also have townhomes and condos, but no structure will stand taller than 45 feet. Lennar’s designs includes 98 acres of open space.

The company has met with concerned residents and agreed to try to blend the aesthetics both neighborhoods while keeping separation, Gronauer said. Homeowners with improvements that “encroach” with the golf course won’t be asked to get rid of them.

She added that the new community would have infrastructure to keep both neighborhoods safe and improve drainage for the area.

“This is an exciting day to see us moving forward with development for the city, for the landowner and of course for Lennar,” Gronauer said.

Lennar Homes hasn’t come up with a name for the community, but Gronauer noted that it wouldn’t be called “Badlands.”

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.