Badlands developer forces council vote, threatens to sell property

A development plan that would convert the Badlands golf course into houses and condominiums might be up in flames after a fiery Las Vegas City Council meeting Wednesday night.

The developer proposing the plan, EHB Cos., forced a vote on a series of four proposals that would permit construction of 61 homes on 34 acres of the closed golf course. Yohan Lowie, CEO of EHB, threatened to withdraw the larger, 250-acre, 2,100-unit plan, stop watering the golf course lands and sell the land if the council delayed a vote.

The council denied the four proposals and delayed voting on the larger development plan for at least a month.

Lowie declined to comment after the meeting about whether he intended to go through with the threats, but the move leaves the nearly two years of development squabbling in limbo.

City attorney Brad Jerbic said he believed that the homeowners and developer were close to finalizing a deal for development on land in the exclusive community in western Las Vegas. Lowie, however, said Wednesday’s meeting and the ensuing votes pushed the two sides further apart than they have been throughout the entire process.

Lowie said he needed the smaller items to be approved so he could show his lenders that progress was being made on the deal. He also said it costs him hundreds of thousands of dollars each month to keep the unused golf course green and hold off on any development.

Mayor Carolyn Goodman urged Lowie to wait until the larger development plan comes, but Lowie scoffed at the idea.

“No, I can’t and I will not,” Lowie said.

“I can no longer trust this council,” he added.

The forced vote came in the final city council meeting for councilmen Bob Beers and Steve Ross, both of whom voted in February for the only development that’s been approved for the course, 435 condominiums at the course’s eastern edge.

One vote would have swung the outcome in the other direction.

Beers lost to Steve Seroka for the Ward 2 seat last week. The race between Beers and Seroka was almost entirely focused on Beers’ position on Badlands development.

Ross is term-limited and couldn’t seek re-election. His wife, Kelli Ross, ran for his seat but lost to Michele Fiore.

Fiore and Seroka are expected to be sworn in on July 19.

Contact Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter.