LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A new airstrip near the Clark County and Nye County border could soon provide relief for air travel across southern Nevada.
On Wednesday, Clark County commissioners unanimously approved plans for the airstrip, which will make up 40.2 acres of a 242.2 acre site. That is located at 30750 State Highway 160, which is 4.1 miles east of the Nye, Clark County border.
George Garcia, the founder of G.C. Garcia, a Nevada land planning and development services firm that is working on the project, said it is a good location since it's not close to homes.
"We're so far outside the mainstream of development that we're also outside of where anything can be built currently. This is an area that's essentially the only privately-owned piece surrounded by a lot of [Bureau of Land Management] land," Garcia said. "Part of that BLM land, there's a lot of solar going on the south side of Pahrump. We're outside the ACEC as well. We're not affecting critical environment areas and we're in an area that's under development but not for residential."
In addition to getting approval from the county, developers also need permission from the Federal Aviation Administration, which Garcia said is also in progress.
"We've provided an application to the county to show that we've made that application. That's pending. We've gone through a couple of rounds with them and will complete that effort. We provided an airspace analysis to them as well."
They're also working with the BLM and the Nevada Department of Transportation for permission to access the state highway to connect it to the airstrip.
Commissioner Justin Jones asked for clarification due to the airstrip's proposed connection to a future spaceport.
"For the record, your client is only applying for an airstrip and not a spaceport," Jones questioned.
"That is correct," Garcia replied.
"With that, I'll move for approval," Jones said.
Las Vegas Spaceport officials said the airstrip will be part of the Las Vegas Executive Airport, which will eventually also be the spaceport's home.
"We are thrilled with this week's unanimous decision by the Clark County Commission," said Robert Lauer, CEO of Las Vegas Spaceport. "While we understand this will be a very long process, the development of the Las Vegas Executive Airport marks a notable step forward in realizing the dream of the Las Vegas Spaceport."
According to spaceport officials, the groundbreaking for the Las Vegas Executive Airport is expected to start in three months.
Plans for a Las Vegas Spaceport were unveiled in June 2023 with an SEC filing stating the spaceport would operate its own fleet of space planes, provide travel experiences, include a space pilot school, hangers to park planes, a post-high school STEM Academy, a hotel, restaurant, rooftop. observation deck, and a passenger terminal to facilitate arrivals and departures.
The company is currently looking for investors for the project and you can learn more here.
WATCH: $30,000 to travel from Clark County to space? Las Vegas spaceport discussed
The Las Vegas Executive Airport is not the only facility that could help alleviate pressure on southern Nevada airports.
Last month, Clark County officials discussed plans for a new airport that would be on land about five miles north of Primm. The land for the airport has already been set aside. About 6,000 acres would be for the facility itself while an additional 17,000 acres would be used for a "transportation and utilities corridor", according to county documents.
Experts have previously told Channel 13 the new airport could cost more than $10 billion and could open as soon as 2037.
WATCH: Second southern Nevada commercial airport opening in 2037? Here's what we know
Last year, Harry Reid International Airport set a record with 57.6 million passengers traveling through the airport and the airport could set another record this year.
