LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Six weeks after Shelley Berkley was elected mayor of Las Vegas, she faces her first big moment as the City Council considers action on the Badlands golf course on Wednesday.
Does Berkley have four votes on the council to end it right now? As recently as September, the council stuck to its guns, refusing to settle with developers. The 2024 election changed the makeup of the council.
Berkley takes over as Las Vegas mayor as a strong voice to settle the dispute, which costs the city more every day as interest accumulates. Her opponent in the election, Victoria Seaman, remains on the council until 2026 and is also a leading voice for settling the dispute. Badlands is in Seaman’s Ward 2, and she has been trying to get a settlement since she joined the council in 2019.
When Badlands closed, developers split it into four chunks, and lawsuits have eaten up millions in attorney fees. The city fought against plans to turn the golf course into residential developments, but courts have sided with developers.
Shondra Summers-Armstrong left the Nevada Assembly to pursue the Ward 5 council seat previously held by Cedric Crear. She won the election, and she doesn’t have a vote on record regarding Badlands. Crear was a staunch opponent of settling with developers.
The remaining votes belong to Olivia Diaz (Ward 3), Brian Knudsen (Ward 1), Francis Allen-Palenske (Ward 4), and Nancy Brune (Ward 6).
Will Berkley chance putting the matter to a vote unless she knows she has the four votes to pass a settlement?
The decision will mark a major turning point in Las Vegas city finances, and it could happen in two parts:
- A settlement with developer Yohan Lowie, expected to cost the city $250 million to $286 million
- The purchase and sale of the land to Greystone Nevada, LLC, a subsidiary of homebuilder Lennar
It’s a complex deal, with the purchase of the land expected to cost the city more than $600 million. Las Vegas is expected to get $350 million from Lennar, with the remainder of the purchase price coming from the city’s Liability Insurance and Property Damage Fund — $286 million.
The Badlands property covers 250 acres in the Queensridge neighborhood near Alta Drive and Rampart Boulevard.
The City Council meets at 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
