Planning commission backs Monument Hills master plan, including military housing and economic parcel

The City of Las Vegas Planning Commission on Oct. 14 voted to approve a package of land‑use entitlements for the Monument Hills master plan, a roughly 940‑acre proposed master planned community near the Tule Springs area that includes a military housing component and a 36‑acre economic parcel intended to attract high‑skilled employers.

Why it matters: The approvals set the city on a path to negotiate development details with the selected master developer and move the agreements to the City Council for final action Nov. 19. The project team and staff emphasized the package’s alignment with the Las Vegas 2050 master plan and the Upper Las Vegas Wash vision plan and said the plan avoids encroachment into Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument and includes buffering next to tribal lands.

The decision: Planning staff recommended approval of multiple related entitlements for the project (abeyance 25‑0286 ZON1, VAC1 and the Monument Hills development agreement and parks agreement). At the hearing, Fred Solis, senior planner, summarized eight years of outreach and interagency coordination. Developer representatives from Olympia Companies and the project team described the plan and its public benefits. After discussion and a motion to approve subject to staff conditions, the commission posted and carried the motion; the item will advance to the City Council on Nov. 19.

What the plan includes: The development team described these headline components:
- A military housing parcel planned for up to 290 units aimed at serving military members and their families, described by the developer as among the first such concepts in the state and nation to be incorporated into a master plan near Creech Air Force Base; the developer said the units would be constructed during the initial phase.
- An Economic Development Parcel of roughly 36 acres intended to attract a private or public employer able to provide a minimum goal of about 1,000 jobs and accommodate up to roughly 250,000 square feet of office space.
- Mixed‑use areas and neighborhood parks, including a roughly 10‑acre city‑owned park with three soccer fields that the developer said it will construct and then turn over to the city for ownership and maintenance.
- Workforce housing components intended to target up to 150% area median income with a range of studio, one‑ and two‑bedroom units; the developer said no direct subsidy is being requested for the workforce units.

Key technical and policy points: Staff said the rezoning to the Traditional Development (TD) district conforms to the existing Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) general plan designation. The staff report and the developer cited coordination with agencies including the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Las Vegas Paiute Tribe and the U.S. Air Force, and noted measures to buffer the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument and tribal lands.

Commissioner comments and conditions: Commissioners praised the military housing as a priority and pressed developers on landscaping and species selection in a transitional buffer adjacent to the monument. Chair Taylor and staff confirmed a developer commitment during the hearing to remove pine trees from the transitional zone that could become invasive adjacent to the monument and to work with staff to tighten tree caliper specifications (i.e., the larger end of 24‑inch container sizing and additional language in the development standards to ensure quality and long‑term canopy growth). Staff also confirmed that the parks agreement and development agreement conform with Nevada statutory requirements cited in the packet.

Next steps: The approved entitlements will move to the City Council on Nov. 19 for final action. The developer said phasing and final design are ongoing and that the first phase will include the military housing and initial residential, with commercial elements to follow.

Sources and evidence: Planning staff report and presentation (abeyance 25‑0286), developer presentation by Bob Groenauer and Chris Armstrong of Olympia Companies, staff remarks by Fred Solis, commissioner questions and developer responses during the Oct. 14 Planning Commission hearing.

The commission’s approval advances a complex master plan that developers say will create housing, recreational amenities and an economic parcel intended to draw employers; the package will next be reviewed by the City Council on Nov. 19.