City moves plans forward to make North 5th Street a six-lane arterial

jacob kepler/viewCars drive down the intersection of North 5th Street and Las Vegas Boulevard North. The City of North Las Vegas plans to convert the street into a six-lane arterial starting summer 2008. City of north las vegas/special to viewAn artist?s rendering shows what a typical interchange would look like, with North 5th Street elevated over the cross street. Advertisement

Work will begin in the summer of 2008 to change North 5th Street from a two-lane thoroughfare to a 150-foot, six-lane arterial with bus lanes.

The project will begin at Owens Avenue and eventually connect with the Las Vegas Beltway.

North Las Vegas City Manager Gregory Rose said the first phase of the project would span from Owens to Cheyenne avenues. This phase is projected to be complete by 2010, but that is predicated on the city's ability to acquire all of the land on either side of the street on schedule.

A Nevada Department of Transportation study completed in 2002 recommended widening the centrally located North 5th Street to avoid congestion. Since then, two other studies have been completed, and the city, working with the Regional Transportation Commission, has agreed to the recommendation and developed a plan to carry it out.

Rose explained that an expanded North 5th Street would alleviate traffic woes not just for travel within North Las Vegas, but into downtown Las Vegas, as well.

There is another element to the project besides relieving congestion. Rose spoke of creating an economic corridor along North 5th Street and said that part of the city's plan for expanding the street included zoning the area for higher-density development.

"Our interest certainly is in trying to improve the downtown area, and the North 5th Street expansion will enable us to do that," Rose said.

He added the city would like to make the area more walkable.

The tentative plans for the project do include wide, meandering sidewalks

"We'd like to accommodate light rail in the future, as well," Rose said.

Before any of this can happen, however, the city needs to acquire the land. That process is well under way.

Randy Cagle, manager of real property services for the city of North Las Vegas, said the city had acquired most of the property that is occupied by apartment complexes and multi-family units and is now working to relocate about 150 families who were renting. Dozens have already been relocated.

Cagle noted the majority of residents along North 5th Street are renters.

Once the city acquires the rental property, the residents have 90 days to move. Under the Federal Relocation Assistance Program, they are entitled to moving expenses, help with relocating and a rent differential paid by the city of up $100 a month for 42 months. The differential makes up the difference in rent if the apartment the city helps a family find is beyond their means.

"We have to put them in something decent, safe and sanitary," Cagle said.

So, if a family of six is living in a one-bedroom apartment, they must be moved into a three-bedroom.

But Cagle added many of the renters are not U.S. citizens and as such do not receive benefits under the program.

"They just move," he said.

Business owners are eligible for reestablishment expenses and help with finding a suitable new location, as well. Cagle said just two businesses need to relocate.

Relocating the homeowners should begin in mid-December. Under the relocation act, homeowners are entitled to the appraised fair market value of their home and additional funds to help purchase a new home and to make up for some of the difference if the new mortgage is higher.

Cagle said there were no homeowners who were unwilling to sell, but that there were some unwilling to sell at the appraised-value offered by the city.

"If we can't reach an agreement with them, we would go to eminent domain," Cagle said.

He said he expected to seek city council approval to condemn some properties and ask the district court to grant occupancy to the city.

Overall, Cagle sees the street widening as bringing unexpected help to some homeowners saddled with rising mortgages in a difficult housing market.

"Without this project, a lot of people would have lost their home within a year," Cagle said.

Not everyone considers the project a godsend. Jackie Barker feels the project threatens Vegas View Church of God in Christ, the Pentecostal church at 1906 Glider St. that has been in her family for 40 years.

Her father and former pastor of the church, the late Claude Parson, moved his congregation from Henderson to North Las Vegas when Barker was very young. Located on a side-street adjacent to Jerry's Nugget, 1821 Las Vegas Blvd. North, there are ever-fewer ways to access the church since the casino closed off one end of Glider Street to the church, Barker said.

Barker said the North 5th Street expansion would cut off another point of access from Oxford Street and abut the church's thrift store and food pantry.

This would leave the church at a kind of cul-de-sac with only one awkward entrance from Lake Mead Boulevard.

Stella Mason Parson, Barker's mother, echoed her daughter's concerns.

"Naturally, we would hate to see the church isolated by the things that they are adding," she said.

At a city council meeting on Dec. 5, the North Las Vegas City Council did indeed approve the condemnation of four properties along North 5th Street, though mayor pro-tem William Robinson voted against the items.

The properties included the wholesale muffler shop of Michael Contreras.

Speaking at the meeting, part of Contreras' conflict with the city was that he did not feel its offer was sufficient, while the city did not approve of his own appraisal.

Contreras argued he could not find a sufficient replacement because his location at 1936 N. 5th St., near Lake Mead Boulevard, was so ideal.

"It's almost like an insult, like if somebody put a gun to your head and stole your property. That's how I feel right now," Contreras said.

"We don't go out making plans of stealing people's property. We go out making plans to provide the infrastructure needed in our community," Mayor Michael Montandon replied.