All right, good morning.

This is the Clark County Commission redevelopment agency meeting for Wednesday February 18th.

Mr.

Schiller.

We're gonna have the first section set aside for public comment.

This is the first period for public comment.

Anyone wishing to speak?

Seeing no one, we'll close the first period for public comment.

Commissioner's your next items approval of the minutes of the regular meeting on December 17th, 2025.

There's a motion to approve cast your vote.

That motion passes.

Commissioner's your next items approval of the agenda with the inclusion of any emergency items and deletion of any items.

Staff is recommending the deletion of items nine and ten.

Move approval.

Cast your vote.

That motion passes.

Now move to the business section of your agenda.

Your next item is to designate a chair and vice chair for the Clark County Redevelopment Agency Board of Directors.

All right.

Uh thank you.

I'm move for the appointment of Commissioner Jones for chair and Commissioner Sager Bloom for Vice Chair.

All right.

Cast your vote.

And that commit that vote passes.

So Commissioner Jones, you're in charge.

Thank you, uh, Commissioner Sager Bloom for indulging my request for the last uh ten months here on the county commission to chair the redevelopment agency that I care so much about and know you do too.

And uh thank you to Commissioner Kirkpatrick who committed to come to the redevelopment agency meeting.

We appreciate it.

Um turn back over to uh County Manager.

Commissioners, your next items to review current Clark County Redevelopment Agency fund balance and expected FY26 revenue per district.

Commissioners, so current oh next slide.

Current fund balance uh for the agency is forty-seven point seven uh million dollars.

That's actual cash that we have currently in the bank.

Uh current allocations that we um have we have uh commercial center planning, there's still uh roughly ninety-seven thousand dollars.

Uh grease trap.

We have one last grease trap to cover the uh real property improvement grant for commercial center.

We have not had any expenditures that is the original allocation, uh, but it was approved.

Um commercial center um security.

We roughly have three hundred and ninety-one thousand left.

Uh Chinatown improvement grant.

Um that was the original amount that was approved at the last agency board meeting.

Demolition um commercial center, you guys may have seen the building that we owned at nine twenty-five is coming down, and so we are finalizing that.

We have some uh funds remaining.

Um acquisitions, those were these were actually items nine and ten on your agenda.

Uh we are currently in contract, but we will bring those items back.

Um the cultural district enhancements are for uh Chinatown Arts mural project that uh was approved by the board, and then miscellaneous vendor payments.

So with that, there's roughly six point two in actual contracts and obligations that we have, bringing our net cash balance down to about approximately 41.5 million dollars.

And I'm happy to answer any questions.

Any questions on the board?

If none, thank you very much, Director Coleman.

And I'll turn it back over to Mandar Scheller.

Commissioners, your next I asked you whatever that was.

Approve, adopt, and authorize the chair to sign a resolution adopting the inspiring Spring Mountain Redevelopment Plan as the guiding community-driven policy that celebrates the Las Vegas Chinatown, supports small businesses and reimagines the area as a shaded, walkable and sustainable cultural destination for Clark County.

Very good.

This is the formal uh adoption from our last meeting.

Um, a motion.

All right, there's a motion on the floor.

All those in favor motion carries.

Commissioners, the next items to approve and authorize the allocation of 1.5 million to the Chinatown Improvement Grant Program to assist with district enhancements and improvements to real property located within the Chinatown and Korea town districts.

Authorize the executive director or the designee to take other actions as necessary to implement the program.

All right, Director Coleman, you want to just give us a quick update as to the additional request.

So at the last RDA board meeting, we there was an approval by the board to establish an improvement grant, a facade improvement grant for the Chinatown redevelopment area.

Um that approval was for approximately 750,000 dollars.

Um during that time or since that time, we've seen an extreme amount of interest in that program.

Currently to date, we have roughly 73 applications.

And so with the um with the enthusiasm and excitement around it, we wanted to make sure that the best of the best proposals were able to be funded.

So we are requesting some additional funds to go into that program.

Thank you.

And I just gonna give a shout out to Jason Dagger from my team who's done uh many office hours in the corridor and has had um people lined up, uh, property owners, business owners, to talk about this grant.

People are very excited about it, and I think this will be money well spent in the corridor.

Um, and as a refresher, this has a matching requirement to it.

So with that, I'll go ahead and make the motion to approve uh on gender item seven.

Please cash your vote motion carries your next items to approve a memorandum of understanding between the Clark County Redevelopment Agency and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for the reimbursement of cost of purchase, license and/or installed security cameras, license plate reader cameras, and other related hardware and software within area and five and six of the redevelopment area, and authorize the executive director or the designee to sign the MOU and further that the Board of County Commissioners consent to the foregoing approval.

I'll entertain a motion.

There's a motion on the floor.

All those in favor, please cash the vote.

Commissioners, your next item is to approve the rehabilitation or demolition of 900 Liberacci Avenue located at APN number 16210510-029, which consists of 1.14 acre developed parcel with four-story retail office buildings containing a gross building square footage of 72,500 feet, and authorize the executive director or is designated to sign agreements and any other related documents to facilitate and complete the full rehabilitation and restoration of the demolition of the site improvements.

All right.

I'll leave it to Commissioner.

Okay.

All right, then uh there's a motion on the floor, please cast your vote.

Commissioners, your next items to re receive a presentation on commercial center redevelopment area.

Is that I think V is gonna get it.

So when we had the the item on um today, um, with the fact that the building, the big yellow building that's coming down, I thought it would be great to to look back on where we've where we've been and where we've where we're we we've gotten to add commercial center, just so everyone can kind of see that it that it has been a work in progress, but we've actually made a tremendous amount of progress, not just in that uh in commercial center, but in the whole redevelopment area between the Sahara Hotel and Maryland Parkway.

Could we have the slides so if it could you go back to the first slide?

So if you look uh commercial centers on the right uh and the inside the yellow, but you see all those apartments um in the middle of the of the yellow.

That was the most dangerous area in Clark County.

Um and but thanks to the sheriff, thanks to Metro officers, um, they've come in and and with our security officers at the commercial center, it is now uh I won't say crime free, but it's one of the safest areas in Clark County.

So it it really is made a huge difference.

And then uh just so um one of the things we did with public works is we were able to um pave some of the alleyways.

Um some of the apartments have been rehabilitated.

We also had PAL lights, what they call PAL lights attached to the light to the power lines have been installed back, I think in the 80s or 90s, and those had all come down.

I don't know if you if you have them in your districts or not, but it's getting them back on, it's like crazy.

But we we actually worked with Nevada Energy, and uh we were starting to get the PAL lights back on, and that's according to Metro again.

That's that's made a huge difference as far as the crime rate and and uh the security of of the folks in the in um what we call the forest.

And now we have a brief presentation from hi, I'm Maggie from Cosity Luz.

Um I'm the executive director, and uh I've been in commercial center since 2022.

I've seen incredible change since they began the remodel over here, and the county has purchased the property in the beginning.

There was a lot of um break-ins and crime, and it felt really dangerous to myself and the kids and families that we served here.

But the 24-hour security has changed all of that.

So now we can go and we know that our space that we have here in New Orleans Square is safe, and we're bringing the kids back and forth, they're coming from the bus, they can feel safe, and it's really improved immensely.

The security is easy to work with, and we just don't see those uh bad actors around causing trouble.

You can wave.

Thank you.

Anyway, Casa Delus uh is a nonprofit that is based there.

Um and they deal with the kids in the in the forest, um, doing fantastic work with a contract with us at some of our sites too.

But I can't think enough about you, what you do for us and Clark County.

So thank you, and thank you for staying in commercial center.

So this is the big news.

Um, the big yellow building, which we investigated and turned out there's nothing we could do to it.

Lots of asbestos, lots of problems.

Um we contracted it out, and lo and behold, it's actually down.

You can actually see the sphere from commercial center now, which is which is amazing.

But um it's gonna open up a huge vacant piece of property that the county owns that hopefully someday we can put into a cultural center or something there.

But in the meantime, it just it really opens up the space and really shows what the potential is for going forward with concerts and things there in the parking lot.

And as Shawnee mentioned, we we've spent quite a bit of money on the grease traps, which have been a huge beneficial uh effort to the to the restaurants.

We have several new restaurants that are in commercial center, and the existing restaurants are doing well, including the Bulgarian cafe.

Actually, it's the Balkan Cafe, sorry.

Um we have somebody here from the composer room, but the Comboza room, uh I call Damien the mayor because he knows what's going on over there in the morning.

The old Albertsons.

So that's a huge influence on that commercial on that corner of Maryland Parkway and Sahara.

And we brought we were able to bring them back because of the change in the environment.

And of course, once we have the bus line completed, uh, that's gonna really help with the neighborhood too.

And there's the famous Balkan Cafe, Vicky Steiner, who was a little uh down here, the old White Cross Drugs, um, and then um Cindad, the they have two restaurants, but this is a brand new one they opened uh Cantina there on the corner, and they have great vintage Volkswagens.

And every month I say this, but I do believe it.

I don't know if Derek is here today, but but um he's he's plugging away, and if you go inside there, it's it's it's a huge, it's gonna be fantastic space.

Um we have the Sarah the Sahara Event Center, the Ice Palace, where we're still in negotiations as far as that goes, but that's that's gonna be the big piece that that um thanks to Marilyn's help.

I think we're gonna be able to get that thing up and running and remind her of her old days hanging out at commercial center.

And and then um I'm working with Jeff, our district attorney on how we can utilize the parking lot.

The county, it's not the redevelopment agency, the county actually owns the parking lot, but it it's it's um dedicated to the property owners that surround the parking lot, and somehow or other we need to, as the county and the redevelopment agency figure out a way that we can uh have events there, make everybody happy, and so you that are here that are owners.

Hopefully, you'll work with us to some come up with some type of a plan where we can um utilize the parking lot for events for concerts and and bring people in that can then go to your restaurants and things.

So it'll be it'll be a win-win.

And and that's my quick summary.

Thank you very much.

That was a great presentation update.

Any uh comments or questions from the board seeing none, we'll go on to our next agenda item.

That concludes it's uh second section side aside for public comment.

This is the second uh time set aside for public comment, and we shouldn't provide any public comment with regards to matters before the redevelopment agency.

Please step forward to the microphone, state your name, and please limit your comments to three minutes.

Good morning, commissioners.

For the record, my name is Taylor Avery, and I'm the manager of political affairs for the Vegas Chamber.

Um my comments are related to item 12.

Um, the chamber believes this is a timely and appropriate conversation as the organization has supported redevelopment efforts in the valley for many years.

E Sahara and Commercial Center are important areas for revitalization.

The chamber, on behalf of the Southern Nevada business community, looks forward to additional proposals to revitalize this area, and we look forward to next steps.

And we'd like to thank Commissioner Segar Bloom for bringing this item forward.

Thank you.

Good morning, commissioners.

I'm Monica Gresser, owner of Brazen Architecture.

My office is at 900 Liberacci Avenue.

We are on the south edge of Commercial Center.

Um I'm asking you for your support into revitalizing commercial center.

Would love to see that happen.

Um, you know, when it first was developed, there was a lot of community involved in people coming there to something that was greater than themselves.

Um, and then of course, in the 80s, it declined quite a bit and it kind of stayed there for a while.

And in more recent years, in the last two to three years, things have changed.

Um we've seen a lot of changes there.

My or uh organization I belong to, the American Institute of Architects, Women in Architecture.

We have um we had two we had two events at Balkan Bar and Grill.

Um, and people were safe there.

Um things have just changed immensely since um things since you uh Commissioner Segelblum has started putting his nose into things over there.

Um so we really appreciate that and um hope that um you see the same things that we see there and communities coming together um for commercial center, how commercial center relates to its surrounding neighborhoods um and people in general would love to see um more of a local feel for that whole area.

So thank you very much.

Good afternoon.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Lisa Mayo Doriso.

I'm actually here to read something for my good friend Christian Killiani, who's a doctor's appointment and couldn't be here but knew I was coming down for the meeting.

So I'm gonna read this from Chris G.

I think the building could be repurposed rather than demolished.

When Ron Mechmeny had it and worked out of the second floor, there were many small businesses.

I hired GLA years ago to work with an interview apartment owners and businesses in the redevelopment area.

It was a good planning process.

The SOSA design area was established, then Sahara Hotel shut, which used to generate what little money they had for redevelopment.

I'm now writing as the former commissioner that represented commercial center in 2000 2007.

Commercial center had 56 separate owners.

Over the years I worked with owners when I left.

Over the years I worked with owners when I left, I think there were 22 separate owners.

We the county also and still have a deed restriction that said the parking lot must remain a free public parking in perpetuity.

Eventually the county could or developer could platform residences or workshops over the parking lot so to keep it free public parking.

Things to consider.

Keep the historic building, find local nonprofits that need space and rent to them for a reasonable price.

Build above the parking lot assisted living with caregivers, rooms for elderly and our aging, uh LGBTQ.

I tried to find a developer years ago.

I believe that the old roller rink had been purchased, and many others have tried to use that for different purposes, she says.

Refresh the exterior with facades that make entering the center enter center welcome.

Invite the two sex businesses to move to adult areas.

I was close to getting them to move, but the crash and close of Sahara killed me having any redevelop money to spend, including helping those businesses move.

The parking lot was last striped that I know of by Boy Scouts that Steve Fish brought to me to earn their badges.

County Public Works wasn't supportive of putting any money into the area at that time.

I had to fight for lighting upgrades.

Good luck, but don't dismolish Christian Kiliani, February 17, 2026.

I'll put that in the public record for her.

And as Lisa Mayo, who love redevelopment, I'd love to see you build things there for veterans and veterans housing and some affordable housing.

Thank you very much.

Hi, my name is Curtis Joe Walker, photo bang bang.

Um I was a tenant at commercial center at uh New Orleans Square 900 Liberacci B108 for the past five or six years.

Um I tried to hold on tooth and nail to uh support this new arts district that the McMenomies were trying to support and that the county is paying lip service to um, but what I've witnessed in the past couple of years of the county managing this commercial center project is that they're strangling the small businesses that are trying to survive.

They don't pay respect to the small businesses.

Um first example would be the big concert that happened.

Um that was a big insult to all the businesses in New Orleans Square because they fenced off our business from being a part of the big event that's happening in our parking lot.

Um I tried to support the event.

I had an after-party.

I I championed the event, I went to the event.

I was the only neighbor in the building that really was enthusiastic about it, but in the retrospect, I see now that it damaged the other businesses, and that was a um that's something that's ongoing.

And so when the county took over the building, they wouldn't allow anyone else to move in.

That's a code thing.

And so they told us they were going to re uh rehabilitate the building so that we could all come back and have our arts district and do do our thing.

And we're that's all we're trying to do is a bunch of small business owners.

Um that's been taken away from us one by one to where now we're just a small faction of people who are even left.

And I'm not even one of them.

I'm out, I'm out of the game.

And my business is done.

I'm broke.

I can't open another business.

I can't sign another lease.

I can't come up with all that money.

I've been doing what I could to hold on and be part of this revitalization, and now I've been uh, you know, thrown to the to the wolves.

Okay, so the county just is not doing a good job of protecting the small businesses.

We've lost a lot of art businesses, art galleries.

Now they're paying lip service to a community center, cultural center in the future.

Okay, but what happens to all of us?

That concludes my statements.

Thank you.

Good morning, Chair and Commissioners.

My name is Paula Sadler, 953, well, 711 Auto Moon Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89123, and I'm owner of A.

Harmony Nail Spawn Commercial Center since 2004.

And good morning, Chair and Commissioners.

I'm here as a 34-year resident of Las Vegas and a customer of Commercial Center since I was 16 years old.

Commercial Center isn't an abstract redevelopment area to me.

It's where my life unfolded.

I went to beauty school in 1996 there.

I attended my first 12-step meeting there.

I open opened my beauty salon in 2004.

And my business has been in commercial center for 22 years.

And we're a 12-step recovery community that has served Las Vegas since 1984.

And I've been a part of the group for 23 years.

And we've been located in commercial center for over 30 years, helping thousands of people to recover in the LGBTQ community.

Last March I also founded and opened a new church in Commercial Center, the Universal Rainbow Faith, a spiritual community rooted in inclusion, recovery, and healing.

I chose to open it there intentionally because commercial center has always been a place where people come to rebuild their lives.

So when I speak about redevelopment, I'm not speaking from theory.

An incredible amount of harm has come to hundreds of businesses over many years.

That harm came from a few bad players and property, a few bad property owners, and also from a lack of consistent care and oversight in the past.

If this neighborhood had simply been supported and maintained all along, we would have over a hundred more open businesses today.

Instead, many perish financially and businesses close, as we just heard.

Livelihoods disrupted, employees displaced, and families affected.

And I want to be clear.

This is not about what I personally want.

This is not about winning or losing.

It's about what's best for everyone and what is best for the community as a whole.

What concerns me most is that there are still business owners like myself and workers hanging in the balance.

Their lives matter now.

Use resources to help the people who are still there, protect them, stabilize them, make sure they are truly okay no matter what direction redevelopment takes.

And regarding New Orleans Square, the agendum item that was um uh set aside, I understand the commission will ultimately decide.

So I'm not here to I'm not here to make friends.

May I finish this one?

Yes, right.

Okay.

I'm not here to make friends or win a popularity contest.

I'm here to tell the truth as someone who has watched this area evolve over three decades.

I've always supported redevelopment as long as it is fair, equitable, and takes care of people.

That must be the priority moving forward.

I ask each of you to look deeply within and seek guidance on what is truly best for this neighborhood, and especially how you'll protect and care for the businesses and families who are there now.

And regards to New Orleans Square.

I vote yes to renovate and to protect the legacy of the heirs and the Norcots, the original builders, from Carriage House to New Orleans Square, and then to Ron McMenemy, who actually built it for his family.

Okay, thank you.

And so protect the legacy and the family businesses.

Thank you.

Good morning.

I'm Carol Carter, 3167 Bel Air Drive.

I have no skin in this game, but I'm a lover of commercial center.

I've lived in Las Vegas since I was three.

I was born in Utah, but as soon as I found out about it, I moved to Las Vegas.

Commercial Center and I grew up together.

I lived on Oki, and I went to JC Fremont School, middle school, and Las Vegas High School, right about the time commercial center was born.

So that was my stomping grounds.

But more important, when I was a young wife with a little girl that lived paycheck to paycheck, I love Bontobles.

The Christmas trees there were 99 cents, I think.

That's a miracle at Christmas.

I've eaten at restaurants there over the years.

I remember a seafood place that you could eat the lobster on the red and white check tablecloth.

My daughter Ronnie Council learned ice skating at the Ice Palace.

I my kids and I went to workshops to improve ourselves in the Orleans building, whatever the name was.

I bought my wedding pink wedding hat at a boutique, and now it's come First Circle.

I have just moved three and a half years ago, a few blocks south of commercial center.

I'm there once a week at least, getting my nails done, getting entertained at the composer's room, eating at the restaurants.

And I am so excited to see what you're doing.

That was for my heart, but now what's my brain say?

I love that you tore down that ugly, scary, creepy yellow building.

I mean, that was awesome.

I can't wait to hear what you're gonna do with it.

I wish you would concentrate on it first before we start tearing down or moving people out of the Orleans building because there's a lot of businesses in there that really need to stay there like that.

Gentlemen, he where do they go?

So I would love you to hear what you're gonna do with the empty lot before you make another empty lot.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thanks, Speaker.

I'll be the short, boring one.

Uh, my name is William Powell, 900 Liberacy Avenue.

I've been in the commercial center for the better part of 20 years uh in my current space, eight years in the Orleans Square total of 12 years.

Uh since 2023, the security and environment has improved.

Um I've been in there all states the last 20 years and all manners of the hours and things like that.

So the 24 hour security does help.

Um, as far as the potential of any of the buildings are, including the one I'm in, it's not really just a theory.

I've been in that square for a long time.

We've done all manner of events.

Uh when we were full, we've had things go on there.

Um it does lend itself structurally to those type of events that you guys are talking about.

Uh, my vote would be like I said, I know that's not on the agenda of the day for to keep it there.

But um I am happy with this the current progress.

I just wish there was more clarity and a little bit more certainty, but I'm pretty sure that situation will uh those wrinkles will um undo themselves.

But uh that is where I'm at.

Like I said, I started out on State Street in 2006, uh, when Ron Mandami owned that under NAI Horizon, then he purchased the uh New Orleans Square and invited us over there.

Uh and things were going well until obviously COVID happened, and then those two passed away.

So I think the biggest enemy right now would be the um would be the uncertainty, as you've probably heard, but uh the potential is there, and like I said, I have plenty of data, plenty of videos, but if anything you guys need to, if there's ever that part of the decision making process to where you're wondering whether those type of things can be done and they can excel there, just I I'll email anyone who uh needs it.

I thank you.

Thank you very much.

Next speaker.

Hello, I'm Tracy Jones.

I own Get a Haircut Barber Shop with my husband JJ at New Orleans Square.

Um sorry, I'm interested.

I have some family emotional stuff going on.

I apologize.

Due to circumstances beyond our control involving property ownership, we were forced to move from our original downtown location, which placed a significant financial burden on us.

When we found this incredible spot, we instantly fell in love with the uniqueness and charm of New Orleans Square.

As it turns out, being here has actually worked out better for us.

However, if we are forced to move again, we will have to close permanently as we simply cannot afford another relocation.

We have built a great reputation in this location of many loyal regulars from the Hunt Ridge, Paradise Palms, Turnberry Towers, and Country Club neighborhoods.

Additionally, we are roughly two miles from both the Las Vegas Strip and downtown, meaning we bring tourists to this area on a daily basis.

We chose this location over all others because of the rich history of the commercial center and New Orleans Square, and because of its unique aesthetic compared to modern shopping centers.

Get a haircut has one best barber shop four years in a row and brings hundreds of tourists to New Orleans Square monthly.

While they are here, they frequently ask about local restaurants and surrounding businesses.

When New Orleans Square was at full capacity, our customers would visit and shop at neighboring stores, and everyone commented on how great the area is.

We believe it can be even better once it's remodeled and filled with other unique thriving businesses.

Please consider keeping New Orleans Square and revitalizing commercial center.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Next speaker, please.

Good afternoon, good morning, uh, good morning, good afternoon.

Good seeing you all.

It's been a while.

My name is Margaret Ann Coleman, and I'm the chief recovery trustee of Margaret Ann Coleman's estate.

This all started in 1980 when I won the court order 8204984 in order to receive a lump sum of money.

I'm still being discriminated against and receiving, and I've been working on it continuously, and I'm worn out.

I'm 73 now.

And I think it's time that you all give me the proper respect that I'm due and uh supporting you all.

I have problems with finding my children since this episode of uh homelessness being placed into the street by the neighborhood uh committee, uh community, throwing me into the streets to be in courtyard.

An incident happened of being raped, and I haven't dissolved that, and no one, the district of attorney that is up against me, is not trying to represent me.

I'm to be compensated for that.

I'm dying from that, and I can't get them to accommodate me with the pill.

I moved to a resident and they broke into my home and stole the medicine.

I'm needing the respect of the new policy.

I can't go back on Humana because Sherman Well Hughes is representing that, and I can't get the respect the receiving my work must come from her.

So what I'm saying to you, I'm going blind with syphilis or something, and all they're trying to do is give me credit for that.

I need my money to go forward to go to places that I'm needing to get assistance that I don't feel danger.

So if I need your representation, I'm asking for you to call me, please.

I need to talk to you direct.

I know each and last one of you, and I have incidents experience with you.

So my daughter's missing.

I mean, I'm going through a lot of changes because of this.

Trying to be a group team player with the Board of Commissioners.

I did work for you.

I cleaned the water.

I got Catum out of the park.

I let the uh people know that arsenic lab poison is killing the state, a representation of the people playing in gambling establishments.

Even though it had to be told, we all had to find a cure.

And that is all I've been trying to do is represent myself.

So please help me.

I'm glad to see you and happy Black History Day.

I came to get an award, but no one called me.

I know I'm an imposer.

Anyway, have a good one.

Thank you, Ms.

Coleman.

And thank you.

I need your representation.

Thank you.

Third and other speakers.

We'll go ahead and conclude the second public commentary period, and uh, we are adjourned.