Las Vegas council approves sale and redevelopment plan for Desert Pines golf course

The Las Vegas City Council voted July 16 to approve the sale and an associated package of land-use entitlements for the 95-acre Desert Pines Golf Course, moving forward a multi-phased redevelopment that will include affordable multifamily housing, for-sale homes, parks and an early-learning center.

Dina Babsky, director of Economic and Urban Development for the city, said the proposal would use city-controlled land to expand housing choices in East Las Vegas and advance the city’s East Las Vegas special-area plan. “This is really a great opportunity,” Babsky said during the presentation.

The council approved a resolution authorizing the city to sell the site to Desert Pines Master Development, LLC, and approved related General Plan and zoning entitlements that staff and the Planning Commission had recommended. Councilwoman Pamela Diaz moved the motions to approve the sale (item 43) and to approve the associated land-use items (items 73A–73E); the council voted to post and the items passed.

Under the approved deal, the city will sell the site for $17,450,000, a discounted price the city and developer said was structured so proceeds and later parcel sales can support on-site affordable housing. The developer team is led by McCormick Baron Salazar (51% ownership) with Urban Strategies (49%) as a partner.

City and developer representatives described the projected housing mix and financing plan. The proposal calls for a minimum of 1,566 total units across phases — a mix of affordable multifamily rental, mixed‑use for‑sale townhomes and single-family homes — and at least 593 committed affordable units, with a stated goal to increase that number if financing permits. Vincent Bennett, CEO of McCormick Baron Salazar, described a “quality mixed-income approach” and said the developer would layer private debt and equity with public resources and philanthropic and corporate commitments.

Public and private funding streams identified by city staff and the developer include a $25,000,000 loan approved by the Nevada State Infrastructure Bank for Phase 1 infrastructure; $8,000,000 of Clark County affordable housing funds (an ARPA allocation) set aside for Parcel 1 construction; a $5,000,000 Economic Development Administration grant for a CSN (College of Southern Nevada) East Side training center; $8,000,000 in city ARPA funds toward the training center construction; and a $6,000,000 ARPA allocation the city previously used to buy down and revise the golf course lease to make redevelopment possible. Babsky told the council the developer’s purchase structure will use deeds of trust and parcel‑by‑parcel transactions so the developer can access financing for each parcel when ready.

City staff cautioned that a federal Land and Water Conservation Fund encumbrance currently affects the site; Babsky said the city is working with state and federal partners to relocate that encumbrance and expects that work to be completed by November. Staff said the golf-course operator requires six months’ notice to vacate after the encumbrance is addressed.

The city’s schedule presented to the council calls for initial redevelopment activity to begin after encumbrance removal; staff said the first affordable housing parcel is expected to break ground in late 2027 and that the project will be built in two phases. The developers said the entire project will be phased over many years.

Developers and the city said they intend to use a project labor agreement and have a letter of intent with the Southern Nevada Building Trades Council. The developer team also described plans for on-site property management, partnerships for social services (with Urban Strategies leading service coordination), and an early‑learning center on a later parcel.

Why it matters: The deal converts nearly 100 acres of city‑controlled land into a planned mixed‑income community adjacent to the East Las Vegas CSN training center, with explicit mechanisms to route proceeds and market-rate parcel sales into financing affordable units. The package bundles land disposition, entitlements and infrastructure financing, and the council’s approvals move the project from negotiation to implementation steps.

What council approved (summary of formal actions): The council approved a resolution (R-50-2025) authorizing sale and disposition of Desert Pines Golf Course to Desert Pines Master Development, LLC (item 43), and approved the related land‑use entitlements (items 73A–73E) and the Desert Pines development agreement. Councilwoman Pamela Diaz moved the motions; no roll-call tallies were read on the record.

Next steps and conditions: City staff will continue the process to clear the Land and Water Conservation Fund encumbrance, coordinate required notices to the golf-course operator, finalize the disposition and development agreement documents, and oversee parcel‑by‑parcel map and site‑plan reviews prior to construction. Developers said financing timing for additional affordable units will depend on capital markets and state/federal program guidelines.

Speakers from the meeting who addressed the project included Dina Babsky (Director, Economic and Urban Development), Vincent Bennett (CEO, McCormick Baron Salazar), Dan Falcone (President, Falcone Group), Jennifer Lasovich (legal/land‑use representative for the developer), and Peter Lowenstein (City planning staff).