Huntridge redevelopment stalled by cell-tower dispute; owner says lawsuit, settlement talks underway

Jay Dapper, principal of Dapper Companies, told the Las Vegas Historic Preservation Commission on April 1 that work to restore the Huntridge Theatre at 1208 East Charleston Boulevard is stalled by a dispute over a cell tower at the rear of the property.

Dapper said the tower, installed about 30 years ago under an original lease with AT&T and later managed by Crown Castle, sits roughly 12 feet from the back of the theater and was erected without the environmental assessment required for properties on the National Register of Historic Places. “I would love to say that we’re under construction, but we’re not yet,” Dapper said. He told commissioners he has filed a lawsuit to press the tower managers to relocate the facility and that settlement talks are ongoing.

The theater’s renovation team has paused final plan submittal because the tower’s current siting conflicts with a new lobby and circulation route that connect two planned “black box” theaters behind the historic auditorium. Gensler, the project’s architect, has reached about 90% completion on core-and-shell plans, Dapper said, but cannot finish or submit those plans until the tower issue is resolved.

Dapper said Crown Castle recently produced an environmental assessment that postdates construction by about 12 years, which he said indicates the tower was erected without the earlier required review. He described a proposed settlement that would grant the carrier use of a parcel at the rear of the site for many decades as “not exactly what we need,” and said the carrier has proposed terms that amount to a de facto long-term land grant. Dapper said the current carrier lease expires in early 2029, meaning the tower could be removed at that time if no agreement is reached.

Asked by Acting Chair Jack Levine whether federal officials could help speed negotiations, Dapper said he had reached out to U.S. Rep. Dina Titus’s office and other stakeholders and hoped public attention would encourage a faster resolution. “Crown Castle has no office in Vegas. They don’t know what the Huntridge Theatre is,” he said, adding that the company has been slow to cooperate.

Dapper described a temporary technical solution under discussion: a “cell on wheels” (COW) that would allow the carrier to maintain service while a replacement site is constructed at the back corner of the property. He also said the carrier’s settlement structure, as proposed, would require further negotiation because it would grant long-term rights on a portion of the property.

On programming and financing, Dapper said several nonprofit theater groups have expressed interest in co-locating at the Huntridge as part of a Broadway Stage Collective led by Dr. Keith Bowman, who helped raise funds for the Smith Center. That collaboration prompted a change in one planned performance space from a cabaret to a second black box to accommodate multiple companies. Dapper said the team expects to submit revised plans if the tower is moved and, with expedited permitting, to begin construction in the first quarter of 2026 and finish approximately one year after breaking ground.

Dapper invited commissioners to tour the site and said the team maintains a detailed public website with historic photos and project materials. He also offered to add an update on the Mission Linen project at a future meeting.

Discussion among commissioners touched on next steps and public engagement. Commissioner Perdue asked about scheduling a tour; Dapper said tours are available and urged commissioners to contact staff to arrange visits that avoid creating a quorum. Commissioner Cosgrove asked whether the applicant could assemble a bound record of project reports and images; Dapper said most records are already submitted to the city but that he could provide additional materials. Several commissioners supported focusing on exterior preservation details, accelerating the design review once the tower issue is resolved, and hosting educational outreach for neighbors and potential funders.

No formal action or vote was taken by the commission on the Huntridge presentation during the meeting; Dapper’s report was received for the record.