A Clark County District Court lawsuit was recently filed against the planned 900-bed Campus for Hope project at West Charleston and South Jones blvds.
The transitional housing complex is designed to resemble the Haven for Hope campus in San Antonio, Texas. It recently received $100M in State funding. Potential tenants must be referred through nonprofit partners prior to moving in. They are eligible to stay on the campus for four-to-six months.
The $200M project is under development by the State of Nevada and the Campus for Hope Foundation. Overland Partners, Inc. is the design firm. As of BEX’s last correspondence with the Campus for Hope Foundation, the general contractor has yet to be selected. (NVBEX, Jan. 22)
In its entirety, the complex is expected to cost $200M. Operational costs will be covered by Clark County, the City of Las Vegas and the City of North Las Vegas.
The lawsuit lists the State of Nevada, Clark County, Las Vegas, Councilman Brian Knudsen and the nonprofit behind Campus for Hope as co-defendants. James Root and Matthew Wambolt are the plaintiffs.
The plaintiffs allege the development will “substantially lower property values and negatively impact the quality of life for local residents.” They also cite neighborhood character and potential crime. The lawsuit goes on to allege the approval process was not transparent enough.
More specifically, the plaintiffs believe the defendants did not conduct enough studies to determine the impact on traffic, crime and other factors. The complaint alleges the defendants bypassed open meeting laws and zoning procedures.
The lawsuit also cites Assembly Bill 598, which exempts the development from oversight by the Nevada Public Works Division.
The nonprofit responded by arguing it has “met all the state and local requirements for the construction of the facility.”
Clark County and the Nevada Attorney General have yet to comment on the legal proceeding.