Reaching out

Henderson redevelopment efforts trending east

With redevelopment efforts struggling as builders grapple with access to capital, Henderson redevelopment officials are using the downtime to build relationships with redevelopment area residents and businesses to better gauge their future needs. And those efforts are extending far beyond the city's redevelopment anchor known as Water Street.

Reaching out to area residents and businesses is part of an east-side reinvestment strategy adopted by the city in 2006. Broadly, the boundaries for the east-side redevelopment area are: Boulder Highway on the west, Lake Mead Parkway on the east and Russell Road on the north. A smaller section of the redevelopment area also crosses Boulder Highway west to U.S. 95, and south to Warm Springs Road. Another small section also extends eastward from Lake Mead Parkway to Pueblo Boulevard, then south to Burkholder Drive (see map).

Last year saw the city reaching out to redevelopment zone residents to talk about neighborhood improvement grants and other issues, said Michelle Romero, Henderson's redevelopment manager. "We've done stakeholder interviews with residents. We'd like to create opportunities for interaction in an informal environment, so we can gather as much information...and put programs in place that address those needs," she said. "What we have seen is people are eager to see neighborhoods thrive. They're willing to participate."

Business outreach

The redevelopment office also is reaching out to business owners on the east side of the city as well as businesses along the Boulder Highway corridor, an eight-mile stretch running from Russell Road on the north to U.S. 95 on the south. Romero said the current focus for outreach is the stretch of Boulder Highway between Sunset and Warm Springs roads, an area with a lot of individually owned businesses, many of which are automobile-related.

"They've been open to talking to us. ...Since (the east-side area) is so large, we're trying to break it down into quadrants," Romero said of the effort.

Redevelopment officials currently are taking steps to create a downtown business association for merchants on Water Street, allowing them to cross-market and share resources. But it's also an effort they see extending to the eastern areas of town.

"We'd love to be able to get something like that on the east-side area if that's going to meet their needs," Romero added. For now, the goal is to get one business association going, whether it be in the Water Street District or elsewhere, then establishing another in a different quadrant, Romero added.

Boulder Highway

Gloria Elder, Senior Planner for the City of Henderson, oversees the city's Boulder Highway reinvestment strategy, which was adopted by the City Council late last year. Currently, new zoning guidelines are being drafted for much of the Boulder Highway corridor, said Elder, which encourages higher-density residential development and allows for zoning that complements that type of development.

"If we see more dense residential development along the Boulder Highway corridor, you will have more people patronizing businesses along Water Street as well," Elder added, explaining that the two areas can complement and feed one another with the right mix of development between them and along Boulder Highway specifically. In the future, bus "connector" routes from the Boulder Highway corridor to Water Street are envisioned.

Elder also said the city is now modifying its landscaping codes along Boulder Highway. The current guidelines require "a lot of landscaping," she continued. The city is evaluating both drought tolerant options as well as landscaping that can provide shade along the corridor, where a linear park is planned. Even now, most of the corridor's walking and biking trails - from the Boulder Highway and Racetrack Road intersection to Boulder Highway and Lake Mead Parkway and even further north - are completed.

"It's important to get some shade out there right now," Elder said about the landscaping modifications. "These changes are more toward purpose rather than simply beautification. ...We do want the area to be friendlier for pedestrians and bicyclists. But we don't want to take away from the circulation of the corridor."

In 2009, the city also will be upgrading utilities and landscaping along the stretch of Water Street between Lake Mead Parkway and Boulder Highway, approximately $5 million in improvements.

With the landscaping and zoning changes, Elder said the goal is to make changes that work well with the ACE rapid transit system being implemented by the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC). Originally, there were to be nine stations along the Boulder Highway corridor in Henderson. But due to budget constraints, the initial implementation of the system in 2011 will only include three stations; the remaining six will be added at a later time, the planner said.

LandWell

A development that has been greeted with its share of optimism and skepticism, LandWell Development's remediation work of the 2,200-acre site east of Boulder Highway that was once home to Basic Magnesium Inc., an industrial site that produced magnesium for the World War II effort, is moving along as planned. Remediation efforts began in 2007 and continued through 2008. LandWell chief executive officer, Mark Paris, said he hopes to have the site cleaned up by year-end. Some $60 million has been put into the site remediation so far, while another $70 million is expected for this year's efforts.

"As the city continues to march west, people are now starting to circle back and look for infill opportunities," said Bob Cooper, the city's economic development manager. "A really big component of that is LandWell".

Cooper is most excited about some of the mixed-use potential at Cadence, the formal marketing name for the community, which will one day have more than 2,000 houses in it.

The first phase, which will begin construction when the economy turns around, will have 900 housing units as well as a 200,000 to 250,000-square-foot mixed-use "town center" complex, Paris said. The site also will have a locals casino complementing the retail and office spaces that will wrap around existing retail at the northwest corner of Lake Mead Parkway and Boulder Highway. LandWell has been in talks with Boyd Gaming concerning possibly developing the casino site.

The CEO said the current economic climate is not as tough for LandWell, since the land is owned outright. Detailed plans are drawn, and all the entitlements are in place. Once remediation is complete, infrastructure improvements should commence on the site, while the developer keeps a careful eye on consumer sentiment and the economy.

"The fact that we're not encumbered with debt will allow us to respond to the market," Paris said. "We think, before the end of the year, we'll have quite a bit of infrastructure work under way."



Our Community History Where We’re Located Design Team News & Events Contact Us Real Estate Opportunities Disclosures & Disclaimers View the Interactive Map Home	Reaching out Henderson redevelopment efforts trending east With redevelopment efforts struggling as builders grapple with access to capital, Henderson redevelopment officials are using the downtime to build relationships with redevelopment area residents and businesses to better gauge their future needs. And those efforts are extending far beyond the city's redevelopment anchor known as Water Street. Reaching out to area residents and businesses is part of an east-side reinvestment strategy adopted by the city in 2006. Broadly, the boundaries for the east-side redevelopment area are: Boulder Highway on the west, Lake Mead Parkway on the east and Russell Road on the north. A smaller section of the redevelopment area also crosses Boulder Highway west to U.S. 95, and south to Warm Springs Road. Another small section also extends eastward from Lake Mead Parkway to Pueblo Boulevard, then south to Burkholder Drive (see map). Last year saw the city reaching out to redevelopment zone residents to talk about neighborhood improvement grants and other issues, said Michelle Romero, Henderson's redevelopment manager. "We've done stakeholder interviews with residents. We'd like to create opportunities for interaction in an informal environment, so we can gather as much information...and put programs in place that address those needs," she said. "What we have seen is people are eager to see neighborhoods thrive. They're willing to participate." Business outreach The redevelopment office also is reaching out to business owners on the east side of the city as well as businesses along the Boulder Highway corridor, an eight-mile stretch running from Russell Road on the north to U.S. 95 on the south. Romero said the current focus for outreach is the stretch of Boulder Highway between Sunset and Warm Springs roads, an area with a lot of individually owned businesses, many of which are automobile-related. "They've been open to talking to us. ...Since (the east-side area) is so large, we're trying to break it down into quadrants," Romero said of the effort. Redevelopment officials currently are taking steps to create a downtown business association for merchants on Water Street, allowing them to cross-market and share resources. But it's also an effort they see extending to the eastern areas of town. "We'd love to be able to get something like that on the east-side area if that's going to meet their needs," Romero added. For now, the goal is to get one business association going, whether it be in the Water Street District or elsewhere, then establishing another in a different quadrant, Romero added. Boulder Highway Gloria Elder, Senior Planner for the City of Henderson, oversees the city's Boulder Highway reinvestment strategy, which was adopted by the City Council late last year. Currently, new zoning guidelines are being drafted for much of the Boulder Highway corridor, said Elder, which encourages higher-density residential development and allows for zoning that complements that type of development. "If we see more dense residential development along the Boulder Highway corridor, you will have more people patronizing businesses along Water Street as well," Elder added, explaining that the two areas can complement and feed one another with the right mix of development between them and along Boulder Highway specifically. In the future, bus "connector" routes from the Boulder Highway corridor to Water Street are envisioned. Elder also said the city is now modifying its landscaping codes along Boulder Highway. The current guidelines require "a lot of landscaping," she continued. The city is evaluating both drought tolerant options as well as landscaping that can provide shade along the corridor, where a linear park is planned. Even now, most of the corridor's walking and biking trails - from the Boulder Highway and Racetrack Road intersection to Boulder Highway and Lake Mead Parkway and even further north - are completed. "It's important to get some shade out there right now," Elder said about the landscaping modifications. "These changes are more toward purpose rather than simply beautification. ...We do want the area to be friendlier for pedestrians and bicyclists. But we don't want to take away from the circulation of the corridor." In 2009, the city also will be upgrading utilities and landscaping along the stretch of Water Street between Lake Mead Parkway and Boulder Highway, approximately $5 million in improvements. With the landscaping and zoning changes, Elder said the goal is to make changes that work well with the ACE rapid transit system being implemented by the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC). Originally, there were to be nine stations along the Boulder Highway corridor in Henderson. But due to budget constraints, the initial implementation of the system in 2011 will only include three stations; the remaining six will be added at a later time, the planner said. LandWell A development that has been greeted with its share of optimism and skepticism, LandWell Development's remediation work of the 2,200-acre site east of Boulder Highway that was once home to Basic Magnesium Inc., an industrial site that produced magnesium for the World War II effort, is moving along as planned. Remediation efforts began in 2007 and continued through 2008. LandWell chief executive officer, Mark Paris, said he hopes to have the site cleaned up by year-end. Some $60 million has been put into the site remediation so far, while another $70 million is expected for this year's efforts. "As the city continues to march west, people are now starting to circle back and look for infill opportunities," said Bob Cooper, the city's economic development manager. "A really big component of that is LandWell". Cooper is most excited about some of the mixed-use potential at Cadence, the formal marketing name for the community, which will one day have more than 2,000 houses in it. The first phase, which will begin construction when the economy turns around, will have 900 housing units as well as a 200,000 to 250,000-square-foot mixed-use "town center" complex, Paris said. The site also will have a locals casino complementing the retail and office spaces that will wrap around existing retail at the northwest corner of Lake Mead Parkway and Boulder Highway. LandWell has been in talks with Boyd Gaming concerning possibly developing the casino site. The CEO said the current economic climate is not as tough for LandWell, since the land is owned outright. Detailed plans are drawn, and all the entitlements are in place. Once remediation is complete, infrastructure improvements should commence on the site, while the developer keeps a careful eye on consumer sentiment and the economy. "The fact that we're not encumbered with debt will allow us to respond to the market," Paris said. "We think, before the end of the year, we'll have quite a bit of infrastructure work under way."