Badlands legal battle in Las Vegas may be nearing an end
February 3, 2025 - 2:54 pm
Updated February 3, 2025 - 4:24 pm
The Las Vegas City Council could vote this week to end a yearslong legal battle with the would-be developer of the defunct Badlands golf course.
A discussion of a proposed settlement is listed on the agenda of Wednesday’s City Council meeting.
If taken, a favorable vote would resolve pending lawsuits — filed by EHB Cos. after its CEO Yohan Lowie bought the land in 2015 — with prejudice, meaning the cases would be permanently closed with no chance they could be refiled.
The lawmakers in December tentatively approved a $636 million nonbinding agreement that would cede control of the 250 acres of land to the city. Las Vegas will sell the golf course to Lennar Homes for $350 million, and EHB would get $286 million to settle three remaining lawsuits. That’s $1 million more than courts have already awarded in those cases.
Four lawsuits alleged that the city essentially “took” Lowie’s property by not allowing him to build a planned expansive housing project.
The suits split the land into four plots. The city last year paid $64 million to resolve one of the cases.
Lennar Homes is planning to build 1,480 upscale residential homes.
The Las Vegas Planning Commission last month unanimously approved land-use entitlements, an early step that pushes the proposal forward.
A sizeable group of residents of the adjacent Queensridge community showed up to the meeting to speak out against the development, at least as it was proposed.
EHB, which endorsed the project, signed the applications.
The city placed 25 conditions Lennar must meet set by the departments of planning and public works, and the fire department. That matter next moves to the City Council.
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.