Las Vegas City Council candidate Munier on Badlands, short-term rentals

The Las Vegas City Council should wait for a court decision before deciding whether or not to allow development of the Badlands Golf Course. A public-private partnership could provide a rail option for transportation. Restrictions on short-term rentals in Las Vegas are appropriate and need to be enforced more vigorously. That’s all according to Robin Munier, who’s running for the Ward 1 seat on the Las Vegas City Council.

Badlands is “not a question that I have encountered,” Munier said while filming Nevada Politics Today. “Of the twenty weeks I have been walking, I only had one constituent that asked about it.”

Yohan Lowie, who owns Badlands and wants to develop it, has sued the city for $250 million. Munier said she wants that case to make its way through the courts.

“Sooner or later he (Lowie) probably will [be able to build], because the courts will probably rule in some form or fashion, but there’s still lawsuits not even determined by the courts,” she said. “And until they settle all of that it’d be a gross waste of time for the city council — and money” to determine what to do.

“I don’t know where I stand completely on it, because I don’t know what the courts have decided nor was I privileged to all the confidential briefings.”

One of Munier’s priorities is economic development. Asked if the city restricting development at Badlands could have a negative impact on other developers, Munier said it’s something to keep an eye on.

“That does concern me and that’s why I say we have to see what the courts rule,” she said. “Because yes, we are a city that depends on — not only entertainment — but economic development. We have to have even more economic development in the medical district. We have to have it in our outlying areas in the other wards.

“I feel like the people that live in those wards and the person elected to represent them is my guide. I need to go with what information and what they’re thinking. That doesn’t mean I [won’t] do my homework as well. But yes, we have to protect our citizens number one, but we also have to ensure that our developers, once they’re given the go ahead, that they’re able to go ahead and develop.”

Munier said she wants to introduce additional transportation options for people looking to come into downtown Las Vegas.

“There has been talk of doing a private-public partnership with some corporations to do a train rail from out West from like Westcliff or out in that area straight down Charleston to the downtown area or to at least the BTC, the bus terminal there,” she said.

“The amount of cars that take up parking space all-day long downtown that don’t go anywhere for eight to 10 hours at a time, these are places that could be used for development. Instead of a parking garage there could be something developed there that would bring more economic development, more jobs, more opportunities, if the people could ride a train.”

Munier said enforcing the existing law on short-term rentals is a priority.

“Short-term rentals, other than safety, is the No. 1 issue with Ward 1 constituents,” Munier said. “We have been inundated with the party homes since 2008. We have had the problem with them. The genie is out of the bottle now as far as with the platforms like Airbnb and things like that. But there are ways to restrict that.

“I know that my opponent says that when you call there isn’t anyone who will come for the complaint. That is not true. The city spent almost a half-a-million dollars enforcing the regulations on short-term rentals last year. Now, can they come to everyone if there are five calls at one time? Probably not. So that means we need to look for more resources to enforce the rules on the books.”