Land Conveyed to Clark County for Affordable Apartments for Seniors
A five-acre parcel requested by Clark County for use as affordable apartments for seniors on fixed incomes was conveyed to the County in a special ceremony today.
The land was conveyed to Clark County, represented by Commissioner Michael Naft, by the Bureau of Land Management in a ceremony with U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and officials of the BLM, HUD and others. The project represents one of the first efforts in the County’s groundbreaking “Welcome Home” initiative aimed at creating more affordable housing options for those Las Vegas Valley residents most in need.
The County applied for the parcel through the BLM and provided $11.8 million in funding for the project in Commissioner’s Naft’s district on the northwest corner of Pebble Road and Eastern Avenue. It will be developed by the winner of a County-issued Request for Proposals, Las Vegas-based Ovation Design & Development.
The facility will be operated in partnership with Coordinated Living of Southern Nevada, Inc., a Nevada nonprofit that encourages the development of senior affordable housing and provides low-income seniors with wrap-around services designed to promote health, security, happiness and independent living.
The facility will consist of 195 one- and two-bedroom apartments that will be rented out at below-market rates to seniors whose income falls below 30, 50 and 60 percent of Area Median Income. The apartment complex will feature common space amenities on par with market-rate apartment communities, including a swimming pool and jacuzzi, facilities for meetings and social gatherings, game area, hair salon, wellness center, kitchen and exercise room, outdoor courtyards, community gardens, and carport parking for residents. Individual units will feature open floorplans, chef-inspired kitchens, granite countertops, hard-surface flooring, kitchen appliance packages, luxury bathrooms, accessible showers, key card building entry and monitored cameras in exterior and interior common areas.
“Our community has a dire need for affordable senior housing,” said County Commissioner Naft. “That’s why Clark County is investing significant resources in our Welcome Home initiative to increase the options for individuals in need of assistance. I want to thank our partners in the federal government, Alan and Jess Molasky of Ovation, coordinated Living of Southern Nevada and our staff for helping to make this project a reality for the betterment of our entire community.”
The County funded the project with $10 million in Welcome Home Community Housing Fund dollars and $1.8 million in County HOME funds. The County is being conveyed the land from the BLM after having sought the parcel through the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA) and will in turn transfer the land to Ovation. Seniors eligible to move into the facility would need to have limited means. For instance, based upon 2022 figures, a single senior making 30 percent of AMI could earn no more than $17,190 and her rent for a one-bedroom apartment would not exceed $460/monthly. The apartment complex is expected to start construction in the fall with completion planned for early 2025.
“I’m proud to have helped secure funding for this project to provide quality, affordable housing for hundreds of seniors in Las Vegas,” said U.S. Senator Cortez Masto. “I’m doing everything I can in Congress to create more affordable housing in the state, and I’ll continue working to make sure all Nevada seniors can retire with dignity.”
“The Bureau of Land Management is proud to help create affordable housing for seniors in Las Vegas,” said BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning. “Tough issues in cities that neighbor our public lands are easier to solve when local, state and federal partners roll up their sleeves and work together, and I look forward to continuing those partnerships.”
"This is a great accomplishment not only for BLM Nevada, but for our communities across this area," said Jon Raby, Bureau of Land Management - Nevada State Director. "This is a demonstration of what can happen when government agencies, community members, and private industry recognize a need in local communities and collaborate to advance solutions on behalf of the American people."
“At last, quality affordable housing projects will be able to move forward under the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act,” said HUD Region IX Administrator Jason Pu. “We hope that projects like this will bring Southern Nevada some much-needed affordable housing that will make their residents and their neighbors proud.”
“This project is unique for Nevada under the SNPLMA Program, which allows two federal organizations to partner with local governments, housing advocates, and developers to build affordable housing,” said HUD Nevada Field Office Director Adrienne Babbitt. “This project is such a community triumph adding more affordable housing stock to our senior community.”
"This effort is a tangible example of what happens when communities, industry, and the federal government identify a need and work hand-in-hand to provide solutions for communities across America,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary-Land and Minerals Management Laura Daniel-Davis. “This is also another example of the significant achievements accomplished through the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act.”
“This project well demonstrates how the private sector can work with state and local governments and financial institutions to develop high-quality, affordable homes that strengthen individuals, families, and communities,” said Alan Molasky, Ovation company founder. “At Ovation, we have long held the belief that everyone deserves quality of life and our commitment to building affordable housing bears that out. We are pleased to work with the BLM on our newest senior affordable housing community, and we are grateful to have the support of Senator Cortez Masto, the federal government and Clark County.”
On April 5, 2022, Welcome Home, Clark County’s Community Housing Fund (CHF), was created to address the urgent need for housing for low-income residents – families, seniors, and those who are employed but unable to find affordable housing.
Then on Sept. 6, the County Commission approved funding of nearly $120 million to fund multiple developments across our community, both in new construction and rehabilitation, to ensure that residents have safe, modern and, most importantly, affordable options to call home. Clark County’s website has a map of each funded development with specific information about who will be served, the amount of funding, and the location.
These initial Welcome Home funds were the first of their kind by a local government in Nevada and will help build or maintain 3,106 units of rental housing for low-income residents. Due to the growing need for housing, coupled with rising construction costs and interest rates, these Welcome Home CHF funds were provided to projects that needed gap financing to supplement Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and other financing sources.
Welcome Home funds are also being used to create a community land trust. The land trust will provide homeownership opportunities to more than 150 moderate-income households who are currently priced out of the housing market. Along with annual investments in affordable rental housing, the County is also planning a future funding round for permanent supportive housing projects and is assessing opportunities for affordable housing development on County-owned land.
County officials believe there is currently a shortage of more than 85,000 homes for residents considered extremely low-income and very low-income, which means they earn less than 50 percent of area median income. (For example, a very low-income family of four would earn less than $37,500 a year.) The lack of affordable housing in Southern Nevada greatly affects residents who are working to escape homelessness and those at risk of becoming homeless.
Clark County has planning and development incentives in place for affordable housing, including a density bonus for senior housing and a waiver of certain development fees for affordable housing construction.
The County also distributes HUD HOME Investment Partnership funds, and for Fiscal Year 2022-2023, the County has allocated $5.6 million to seven developers, which will provide 602 new affordable housing units once completed. Many of these units will also be supported with CHF funds. Through the Clark County HOME Consortium, the County is also responsible for distributing HOME Program funds for unincorporated Clark County and the City of North Las Vegas. The Clark County HOME Consortium is developing an allocation plan for HUD HOME-ARP (American Rescue Plan) funds. Clark County and North Las Vegas will be receiving about $14 million for the development of affordable rental housing and supportive services. An RFP is slated to be released in the coming months.
Video: Brief interviews with two residents -- Carmen Campione and Teresa Skidell -- of a similar apartment complex operated by Ovation.
Added Info: Information about Clark County’s ‘Welcome Home’ initiative, including renderings of this project.
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Clark County is a dynamic and innovative organization dedicated to providing top-quality service with integrity, respect and accountability. With jurisdiction over the world-famous Las Vegas Strip and covering an area the size of New Jersey, Clark is the nation’s 11th-largest county and provides extensive regional services to 2.3 million citizens and 45.6 million visitors a year (2019). Included are the nation’s 8th-busiest airport, air quality compliance, social services and the state’s largest public hospital, University Medical Center. The County also provides municipal services that are traditionally provided by cities to 1 million residents in the unincorporated area. Those include fire protection, roads and other public works, parks and recreation, and planning and development.