LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Another settlement setback Wednesday as city leaders delay a vote in the seven-year battle over the defunct Badlands golf course.
Reading the council agenda published last week, it seemed a settlement was imminent. On Wednesday, there was still nothing in writing for the council to vote on— so Las Vegas locals will be waiting at least another month to find out how hard their wallets will be hit to pay for the city's illegal taking of a developer's land.
The badlands litigation currently involves three active cases dealing with separate sections of the defunct golf course near Rampart and Alta.
The city has already lost those cases in court, saddling taxpayers with $285 million in judgments owed to landowner Yohan Lowie.
It's already taken a big chunk out of the current Las Vegas city budget, and will have a significant ripple effect.
That comes after multiple judges ruled the city illegally and took Lowie's land by preventing him from building homes on the Badlands property, despite residential zoning.
In September, the council voted to keep fighting the losing battles in court by appealing two of the judgments while also pursuing a possible settlement to resolve all the cases.
Lawyers on both sides told council members Wednesday morning that they've made tremendous progress over the last two weeks, but aren't quite there yet.
"We're continuing to work out the details," said City Attorney Jeff Dorocek.
Right now, we do not have a written settlement agreement for the council to review and take under its consideration for a vote. And that's not to say that we've stalled out in our discussions or the negotiations are flailing in any way.
"We believe at the end of the day we're going to get to an agreement," added Jim Leavitt, an attorney representing the developer's company. "We do need more time to finalize those terms and to memorialize those terms to present to the council. We're grateful and thankful to the mayor and Councilwoman Seaman for their efforts in assisting with that settlement but as stated by the city attorney's office and on behalf of the landowners, we believe we're gonna get there."
The city and the developer have agreed on a range of money that would settle all remaining litigation for between $250 and $286 million. That will be on top of the $64 million court judgment the city has already paid on one parcel. Lowie will be allowed to keep that land as a term of the current negotiations.
This is not the first time both sides have been close to a resolution. The city had a chance to cut its losses in 2022 with a $64 million settlement, but it was scuttled at the eleventh hour after the city changed the terms of the agreement without letting it go to a vote.
The current settlement talks will result in a cost to taxpayers of at least $186 million more than if they'd have worked it out two years ago.
Both sides are confident they'll reach a resolution this time. The new date for the council to vote is December 18.
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