Redevelopment a lame excuse for new City Hall project

Way back in the 1998, before many of you moved here, I was covering Las Vegas City Hall during a time civic leaders swore redevelopment was just around the corner.

Everyone talked about "critical mass" and the boom in government buildings that would help spark private sector growth downtown.

The new courthouse and federal building were seen as beacons to private ships that otherwise might steer clear of the foggy downtown environs, plagued as they were with crime, prostitution and lousy souvenir shops.

Nothing, not even a massive entertainment project, was being undertaken without sizable government tax dollars. You've probably heard of Neonopolis even if you've never been there.

That was supposed to spur everything.

But what we continue to see downtown 10 years later is a redevelopment trickle.

There are successes, to be sure, thanks to the easing of some liquor restrictions that enabled East Fremont to become home to some places locals actually like to go.

But the sheer construction of government buildings such as the hulking federal courthouse and the Regional Justice Center didn't exactly cause the stir. They've been open for years and there's still no mass of residents, not even a damn grocery store.

So it is amusing to hear the city leaders talk last week about how a new City Hall can help spur development.

There may be legitimate reasons to build a new edifice. The old toilet bowl could certainly use a flushing, after all. But sparking private growth isn't one of them.

It sounds to me as if the City Council is trying to squeeze through a "civic center" on the cheap. But don't forget that the $185 million county Regional Justice Center, a poster child for cost overruns, is already looking at a new tower of courtrooms for a cool $200 million.

Sure, there's got to be some space savings for the city and potential revenue generation in renting out the old City Hall, but why? In terms of location, it's a quick walk to the floundering Neonopolis and other forgettable tourist eateries on the Fremont Street Experience.

The new City Hall proposal is basically the council's way of getting in the way of the private-sector plans that have finally emerged for the 61 acres. The mayor and council see their potential new home as a gateway to a city center that includes a well-planned yet reckless collection of parking garages, a performing arts center, condos and a casino.

In fact, the city is trying exactly what the county did with the Regional Justice Center -- just get the thing built and worry later about whether it's suitable.

Of course, it would take a real act of incompetence to mirror the county's failed oversight of the cost overruns at the RJC. And even if the city project came in on time and on budget, that won't be the end of it. There's already talk that there's room to expand on the 2.8-acre parcel between Lewis and Clark avenues.

Westward ho, indeed.

From the new site on First Street, city officials would be able to look at the Clark County Government Center across the railroad tracks with envy. Maybe $150 million can build a tower, but it's unlikely to rival the county's sandstone beauty.

Don't forget, the City Council has long been mired in serious county envy issues. In the late 1990s, the rivalry put any town vs. gown crisis to shame.

And to hear the council and city bureaucrats tell it, City Hall still stinks compared to the plush offices over at the county.

"Yes, we are in an economic crisis," long-term city employee and first-term Councilman Ricki Barlow said. "We're in a position to place ourselves in a beautiful spot."

Redevelopment? Please.

Dreams of a new City Hall are all about having it bigger and better, or to quote Goodman: "gleaming ... a jewel in the desert."

Councilman Larry Brown's out-of-body statements after the board unanimously approved the project last week make it seem as if he's worried about being outdone if he successfully makes a run to move over to the County Commission.

He said the safe thing to do in this economy would be to defer action on the project. "That's the safe way. This council has not taken the safe way."

Nor did Brown, having voted in the affirmative. Maybe he just wants something soothing to look at were he to occupy a new county office on Grand Central Parkway.

It's also amusing that the new limited liability company with which the city has entered its agreement to move the project forward is called Live-Work Las Vegas.

Back in the old days of redevelopment, private-sector companies such as the Tom Hom Group of San Diego led the way with so-called "live-work" space. For the most part, the developer targeted private-sector employees of Fremont Street because there were so few downtown professionals willing to live where they work.

Goodman and company have aptly named their LLC. If all else fails, at least city employees will be able to fill the condos in Union Park.

Contact Erin Neff at eneff@reviewjournal .com or (702) 387-2906.