Clark County Lands Bill’s boosters see economic growth, critics see unsustainable urban sprawl

Legislation to open thousands of acres in Clark County for development while conserving environmentally sensitive lands cleared a crucial hurdle in the U.S. Senate Tuesday, prompting mixed reactions from Nevada conservation groups.

Members of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources voted 13-6 to advance the Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act — a critical step to getting the bill in front of the Senate for a full vote. 

The Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, colloquially known as the Clark County Lands Bill, would open 25,000 acres of public land in Southern Nevada to development. In exchange, nearly 2 million acres of land managed by the federal government would be set aside for conservation, outdoor recreation, and cultural preservation.

Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, who first introduced the bill in 2021, called it the largest conservation bill in Nevada history. The bill has gone through several revisions over the years, and now has the support of the Clark County Commission, the non-profit affordable housing developer Nevada HAND, and a few environmental groups.

Much of the proposed expansion would be concentrated south of the Las Vegas Valley along Interstate 15 toward the California border — from Seven Hills to Jean, Nevada.  The bill could significantly expand urban and suburban development around the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area.

A large chunk of public land south of the City of Henderson and bordering the Sloan Canyon Conservation Area would also be opened to development, including about 1,500 acres for public recreation and parks, and about 740 acres for non residential development. 

Thousands of acres would also be opened to development around Lake Las Vegas, a high end 3,600 acre master-planned residential and recreational community, under the lands bill.

More than two-thirds of public land in Nevada is owned by the federal government, meaning the state must work with the federal government to expand the boundaries of population centers.

“It is undeniable that Southern Nevada is growing, and my legislation will ensure that it can grow responsibly. Together, we can help Las Vegas lower housing costs, preserve our great outdoors, and plan for a sustainable future,” said Cortez Masto in a statement after the bill’s passage through committee Tuesday.

No affordable housing guarantees

While the Clark County Lands Bill does not specifically reserve any land for affordable housing, it does allow local governments to submit an application to use land for affordable housing purposes, which the federal land managers would prioritize over other pending land use applications.

However, some advocacy groups criticized Cortez Masto’s messaging that the bill would lower housing costs in Southern Nevada. 

“Urban sprawl will not solve the housing crisis, regardless of how much Governor Lombardo or developers have claimed it will,” said Hector Fong, an advocate with the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada. “If elected officials want to address the housing crisis, it starts with strong tenant protections, prioritizing infill, and holding corporate landlords accountable for rent fixing and buying up single family residences.”

The bill contains no provision mandating low-income housing, defined as housing for households earning up to 80 percent of area median income. Most local housing demand in Southern Nevada is for low-income housing.

Conservation and sprawl

Some environmental groups praised the bill’s conservation measures. The bill sets aside more than a million acres of land for conservation and outdoor recreation, including a 56,000 acres expansion to the Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. 

Under the bill, the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area would also expand by 9,290 acres, and grant full wilderness designations to nearly 1.3 million acres of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge. Another 324,000 additional acres of wilderness would be designated in Clark County, while 359,000 acres of land would be put aside for wildlife habitat preservation.

Revenue generated from the sale of land released to development under the bill fund recreation opportunities, fund capital improvements, conserve wildlife habitat, and reduce the threat of wildfire across the state, as provided for under the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act. The fund has generated over $3.5 billion from the auction of about 18,000 acres of public land in the Las Vegas Valley since SNPLMA was enacted in 1998.

But not all environmental groups support the updated bill. 

Olivia Tanager, the director of the Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter, said while the center supports the new conservation designations in the reintroduced legislation, she believes the legislation will only increase unchecked sprawl in Clark County.

“We strongly believe we need to build in a way that benefits communities and public lands in Southern Nevada, not in a way that expedites developers making millions at the expense of Nevadans,” Tanager said.

Sprawl has high environmental and economic costs.  Residents of sprawling cities generate more carbon emissions than urban dwellers due to the large amounts of driving and the prevalence of bigger, detached buildings that use more energy.

Another top concern for the organization is the urban heat island effect, which causes higher temperatures in cities because of the abundance of blacktop and pavement and is further intensified by rising summer highs and more severe heat waves brought by climate change. 

“There are areas slated for disposal in this bill that currently have no roads, so roads and highways will need to be built,” wrote Tanager in a letter to the Nevada delegation. “Will an estimate of those emissions and their impact on air quality in the Las Vegas Valley be provided?”

Las Vegas is one of the fastest-warming cities in the country, having already experienced 5.7°F of warming in the last 70 years. Yet, nearly 50% of the Las Vegas metro area is covered by superheating surfaces — like buildings, roads, and sidewalks — and only 9% is covered by cooling vegetation like trees, according to a study published by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Tanager criticized a lack of focus on public transportation in the bill, despite the bill’s emphasis on facilitating sprawl. 

Some of Southern Nevada’s fastest growth is in ZIP codes in  at the boundary of the Las Vegas valley, with little to no transit service, according to the RTC. 

“The bill does not create a dedicated funding stream for transit, and additional revenue created by this legislation would need to pay for transit access into the sprawling areas, instead of strengthening the existing system,” Tanger said.

Police, fire stations, and parks

Portions of public lands conveyed as part of the legislation would go to public safety, recreation, and parks.

The City of North Las Vegas would also be the beneficiary of about 10 acres of land for a fire training facility, and about 5 acres for a police substation. The city would receive another 200 acres of public land for public recreation facilities and parks.

Clark County would receive nearly 130 acres of public land for “Metro” training facilities. Another nearly 20 acres would be offered for a “public safety complex” at Mount Charlston and a fire station at Lee Canyon.

Another 200 acres of public land would be transferred to Clark County for an expansion of the Hollywood Regional Park on Nellis and Charlston, which would include a fire station and police station. The bill would also transfer about 1,600 acres of public land to Clark County for public recreation and park facilities.