Downtown Redevelopment Committee Meeting – April 28, 2026
Downtown Redevelopment Committee Meeting – April 28, 2026
The meeting was called to order with a quorum present. Members discussed parking garage progress, the establishment of Redevelopment Area 3, and brainstormed potential redevelopment of city-owned parcels downtown. No formal votes were taken.
Discussion Items
- Parking Update: Maria reported that the new parking garage had its topping off on Friday (April 23, 2026) and is expected to be completed by end of August, with possible opening in fall. It will provide 500 parking spaces and 9,000 square feet of retail space. The 500 South Casino Center lot opened on February 1st with 59 spaces. The Weiss Guys building at 1501 South Main was recently demolished, and an additional 20 parking spaces will be added. Current parking rates are $4 per hour; free lunch parking is offered from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday. Monthly parking in 10-hour spaces costs $50 per month. A reevaluation of parking options and rates is expected to roll out in the next month or two.
- Redevelopment Area 3 (RDA3): Tracy Rich reported that the blight study and draft redevelopment plan are complete. The schedule has been delayed by about one month to allow for adequate public comment. The item will go to the Planning Commission in June and to the RDA and City Council in July. Two to three public meetings will be held in addition to the required notifications.
- City-Owned Properties Downtown: Tracy Rich presented a brainstorming session on the option parcels (approximately 11 acres near Las Vegas Boulevard, Stewart, and the I-11 on-ramp). The city previously had an agreement with Amazon/Zappos, which has since been released. The goal is to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for development. Members discussed potential uses: mixed-use residential (mid-rise, brownstones, high-rise), ground-floor retail, a grocery store, hotel-condo, and open space. Concerns were raised about office space vacancy, the need for more housing to support downtown businesses, and the risk of tying up land without performance. The possibility of relocating Fire Station 1 to the site was discussed but met with skepticism from most members, who preferred using the land for higher-value development. The chair emphasized keeping the RFP flexible and requiring developers to be permit-ready before land transfer.
Key Outcomes
- The parking garage is on track for fall opening; the temporary lots will continue to operate.
- RDA3 will proceed to Planning Commission in June and City Council in July after public meetings.
- Staff will proceed with issuing an RFP for the option parcels, incorporating feedback from the committee. No formal vote was taken.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were made.
Meeting Transcript
There we go. Okay, if we're ready, we can call this meeting to order. Chair Doherty. Excuse Vice Chair West. Present. Member Cherry. Present. Member Schlottman. Here. Member Johnson. President. Member Neldberg. Present. Member Riley. Present. Member Ortiz Thompson. Excuse. Do have a quorum. Wonderful. This time we'll have an announcement regarding the compliance with open meeting law. We are compliant. Okay. Thank you so much. Public comment. Comment during this portion of the agenda must be limited to matters on the agenda for action. If you wish to be heard, come forward and give your name for the record. The amount of discussion as well as the amount of time any single speaker is allowed may be limited. Excuse me, Chair, for the record. If you can close public comment or to move it on to the next agenda item just for the record, thank you. Seeing that we do not have any public comment at this time, we will close public comment for the record. Um, our current update is uh the new parking garage had its topping off on Friday. So we're really excited about the progress that we're making down there. We're hoping that uh the garage should be completed um by the end of August, and we'll be able to start moving parking equipment and infrastructure into the building and hope to have it possibly open by fall. Uh we have 500 parking spaces in there. We have 9,000 square feet of retail space, uh, which we've had some interest in. Uh UD has walked a few um businesses through there looking at it, so we're uh hoping that to have it uh rented uh shortly. Uh the next update is 500 South Casino Center. That lot opened on February 1st. We have 59 parking spaces over there. We opened that parking lot to augment the displaced monthly parkers from the 201 Utah lot, which is currently where the parking garage is being built, and then on 1501 South Main, the Weiss Guys building was recently demoed by the property owner, and we are working diligently with them to clear that space and to add an additional 20 parking spaces to that location. Um they are working on entitlements down there, but it'll probably be several months before something starts. Um, so that will help augment some of the parking frustrations that are down on Main Street, and that's our current updates for parking. Any questions? I I will just make a comment. Thanks for the the update and congratulations on the parking garage and everything that's moving along. Um question I've had from a few few people is is that when the parking garage open, will the temporary lots be not renewed? Will they just fall off? And it sounds like you're working with property owners to actually add some more still. So I think the hope is that you can fill the parking garage and fill those lots, which is fantastic for the business. We have no um plans to close any of those parking lots, they are all leased lots.
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