From Las Vegas Review-Journal
Here’s why Las Vegas settlement of Badlands dispute no longer needs vote
The Las Vegas City Council will not vote Wednesday on a settlement with the would-be developer of the defunct Badlands golf course because the terms of a nonbinding agreement affirmed in December have apparently not changed.
Stephanie Gronauer, representing home developer Lennar, speaks before the Las Vegas Planning Commission about a proposed housing development at the former Badlands golf course on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, in Las Vegas.
Under the deal approved unanimously on Dec. 18, the city was set to pay EHB Cos. $636 million to take control of the roughly 250 acres of land and to settle pending lawsuits.
An item on settlement discussions was placed on Wednesday’s City Council meeting agenda in case terms changed.
City Attorney Jeff Dorocak told lawmakers in December that he wasn’t anticipating the deal to flounder, adding that any proposed changes would be brought back to the City Council.
Still, Dorocak recommended the city keep the agenda item “available to council in case we are unable to ultimately get the final agreements done,” Dorocak said.
A city spokesperson said Tuesday that the discussion was being struck from Wednesday’s meeting with no impact to the pre-approved deal, which wasn’t going back for a council vote.
Lawmakers in December agreed to pay CEO Yohan Lowie’s EHB $350 million to take ownership of the golf course and $286 million to drop three pending lawsuits that alleged the city “took” the land by not allowing the developer to build an expansive housing project.
People line up to speak against a proposed housing development at the former Badlands golf course during a meeting of the Las Vegas Planning Commission on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, in Las Vegas.
Multiple courts had ruled against the city, awarding EHB about $285 million.
A settlement caps the city’s settlement losses that were expected to be upward of $450 million if the legal fight continued, Dorocak said.
The suits would be resolved with prejudice, meaning the cases would be permanently closed with no chance they can be refilled.
The city last year paid EHB $64 million to resolve a fourth suit.
Lennar Homes was slated to buy the golf course and clubhouse for $350 million to build 1,480 upscale residential homes.
The Las Vegas Planning Commission last month unanimously approved land-use entitlements for that proposal, an early step that pushes the proposal forward.
EHB said it endorsed the project and signed the applications.
The proposal development was headed to the City Council as early as Feb. 19, the city spokesperson said.
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.
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