LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The developer of the defunct Badlands Golf Course is willing to settle his long-running court battle with the City of Las Vegas.
It's a case 13 Chief Investigator Darcy Spears has reported on for the past five years.
Now a settlement offer is on Wednesday's City Council agenda for discussion.
Councilwoman Victoria Seaman brought the settlement request to City Council.
She provided 13 Investigates the following statement:
"I am hopeful that Wednesday could be the beginning of a settlement. If most of the council approves this settlement offer, we will take all the necessary steps to resolve this quickly. I've been able to take it to this point, and I hope my colleagues realize that a resolution allows us to take this matter back into our hands rather than the courts making this decision. This council can not continue to kick the can down the road any longer and put our taxpayers at risk."
The developer, Yohan Lowie, says he's willing to accept a $49 million payment along with the city's agreement to pay up to $15 million to cover the cost of construction for drainage facilities on the property.
Lowie's attorney, Elizabeth Ghanem, provided the following statement:
"While this deal does not fully compensate the company for the tremendous harm suffered at the hands of the prior City Council, it does benefit all parties involved including the citizens of Las Vegas. The entitlement proposal offered by the City will allow us to proceed with another extraordinary project which will not only benefit the community, but will provide jobs, housing and revenue that will far exceed the cost of settlement."
District court judges have ruled in Lowie's favor finding the city of Las Vegas illegally prevented him from developing the land and that constitutes a government taking without compensation.
The court battles are racking up a big bill for taxpayers. The cost now hovering around $50 miillion. While compensation has yet to be determined following the most recent ruling over a 60 acre section of land.
RELATED: Details about the $50 million+ tab for taxpayers
The city of Las Vegas has appealed at least one ruling to the Nevada Supreme Court.
We reached out to the city today for their response. They told us they don't comment on pending litigation.
