City staff seeks preliminary boundaries for Redevelopment Area 3; blight study and community outreach planned

Tracy Reich, identified in the meeting as the city’s redevelopment manager/director, presented draft boundaries for a proposed Redevelopment Area 3 in East Las Vegas and outlined the next procedural steps: planning-commission review, RDA (Redevelopment Agency) and city-council approvals, and a blight study. Reich said the blight study can be done in-house or contracted out and that the city will pursue bilingual outreach materials and targeted meetings to engage property owners and residents.

Why it matters: a redevelopment area enables the city to capture incremental tax revenues to reinvest in the designated boundary for up to the statutory period; establishing a new RDA can direct funds to catalytic commercial and public projects in neighborhoods identified in the East Las Vegas plan.

Key points from staff presentation

- Preliminary boundary: Reich presented a map that includes commercial corridors (notably Bonanza and parts of Lamb Boulevard, Pecos and Nellis) plus pockets of residential areas. Reich said staff will refine the boundary using parcel-level data (APNs) before returning with a final map.

- Process: After the committee approves a preliminary boundary, staff will present to the planning commission, then to the Redevelopment Agency and city council. Reich said the blight study — required to demonstrate redevelopment eligibility — will involve public input and could be completed in-house or by contract.

- Outreach and equity: Reich said staff plans targeted outreach to property owners with parcels in need of investment and bilingual one-pagers explaining that an RDA is not a new tax but redirects a portion of existing property taxes into local improvements.

Committee discussion and concerns

Committee members supported including some residential pockets inside the preliminary boundary so the area has flexibility for future changes; members noted that residential corridors sometimes transition to professional offices or other uses over time. Several members said redevelopment for East Las Vegas should differ from downtown arts-focused redevelopment and emphasized projects that serve working families and community needs (grocers, services and workforce training rather than entertainment-focused uses).

Kelsey West asked whether the city would solicit resident feedback; Reich said the blight-study and subsequent outreach would require public input and staff intends to supply bilingual materials and targeted owner outreach, including one-on-one meetings with large property owners to pursue catalytic projects.

RDA structure and timing

Reich said staff evaluated expanding the existing RDA 2 but determined creating a new Redevelopment Area 3 would be more efficient and allow a longer effective period. She summarized that RDAs have an initial statutory period and may be extended (commonly up to 15 years) and that RDA 2 is already well into its term; a new RDA would allow a longer horizon for East Las Vegas investments.

What happens next

Staff will refine the preliminary map, compile parcel (APN) data, and return with a final boundary for the committee’s review at a future meeting. Reich asked members to drive the area, send notes about parcels they believe should be included, and expect planning-commission review before the RDA and city-council steps.

Sources: presentation and remarks by Tracy Reich, redevelopment manager/director; committee members’ comments and questions.