City Council approves agreement with downtown developer

Beautiful landscaped areas, shade structures, walking paths and a meandering stream would all be elements in a proposed development for the downtown Mesquite area. 

By VERNON ROBISON

The Progress

It would be a beautiful green landscaped area with grass, shrubs and trees; surrounded by heritage-themed, mixed-use buildings. And running through the middle of it would be a gentle stream of water where children could play, lined by walking paths and shade structures.

That vision, proposed for the city block directly across Mesquite Blvd to the north of City Hall, was unveiled before the Mesquite City Council during a meeting held Tuesday, Feb. 23.

Representatives of Leavitt Land and Investments presented the proposal, seeking a development agreement with the City that would get the ball rolling on the project.

The agreement would have the developer design, engineer and construct the project. The Leavitt foundation would pay to develop the park and all of its landscaping. Once completed, the public park area would be deeded over to the City to own and manage in perpetuity.

The buildings would be constructed later by the developer. The Leavitt foundation would retain ownership and management of the buildings which would include commercial spaces on the ground floor for offices and shops, and residential apartments on the second floor.

The City would fund the required parking lots for the project and continue to maintain them after construction.

In addition, the agreement would have the City deed a small adjacent parcel to the project. This property, near the southeast corner of the project, is 107 feet long and 60 feet wide and owned by the City.

According to the agreement, the City would also dedicate one full-time employee to maintain the park components.

Dixie Leavitt, founder of Leavitt Land and Investments and the Leavitt trust being used to fund the development, presented the idea to the council last week stating that his motivation in the project was not to make a profit but to benefit the community which means a great deal to him.

“At this stage of life, why would I want to do a project like this?” said Leavitt, who is 91 years-old.

Leavitt answered that it was because he wanted to emphasize the rich pioneer heritage of the Virgin Valley.

“When people ask about Mesquite, they find out it is a great community with a lot of golf courses, hotels and casinos,” Leavitt said. “But that doesn’t tell the history of Virgin Valley. When you consider the sacrifice, the hard labor and the efforts that went into settling this valley, it is a story that needs to be told. That is our primary purpose here.”

Leavitt’s son Dane Leavitt explained that the park area would be designed to feature these heritage principles.

“Our intent is to have interactive features that allow people to come and understand the history of the community and also their relation to it,” Dane Leavitt said. “It is also a place where families and children of all ages could find things of interest.”

Regional developer Tom Pugh, who has been helping the Leavitts plan the development, said that the park area and the parking lots would be built first. Two of the eight proposed mixed-use buildings would likely also be built up front, Pugh said. Then the other buildings would be added later as demand dictated.

“We will be marketing those buildings ahead of time and getting business to lease those spaces,” Pugh said. “Then we will bring the others in as quickly as we can.”

Council member Brian Wursten said that the project was beautiful and well designed. But he was concerned about some last minute changes that had been made to the language of the agreement. The council had been given a red-lined copy just as the meeting began.

“I haven’t really had a chance to go over all of this because we just got it,” Wursten said. “To do due diligence for the people I represent is hard when we get it right before the meeting like this.”

Wursten also wanted to see the itemized costs to the City that the project would bring. “There is nothing in here that talks about our costs,” he said. “How much are we going to pay and a what exactly we are going to do.”

Pugh responded that the developer is still at the very beginning of the process and all of the costs had not yet been determined.

“We wanted to see if you guys wanted to do something like this at all first,” Pugh said. “If you do we will go forward and get the bids and start putting things together to provide those numbers for you. Dixie has donated a lot of land and a lot of money here. And if there isn’t an appetite for it to begin with, we would like to know.”

City Manager Aaron Baker suggested that a clause be added to the agreement which would protect both parties.

“It could be something to the effect that prior to the exchange of property; or the commencement of construction; they will come back and present everything and we will have a chance to make sure we are good to go at that point,” Baker said.

Dixie Leavitt’s son Mark Leavitt, who was also in attendance at the meeting, agreed that such a clause in the agreement would be a good idea.

“Another way to look at it is that this is not a marriage, it is an engagement,” said Mark Leavitt. “So we are seeking tonight to get the first ring. Then we will get the second one once we work together through the process”

Councilmember George Gault said that he was wholly ready to move ahead with the project.

“I think this is going to be the anchor for our downtown and it will trigger other investment,” Gault said. “I appreciate Dixie very much that you have brought this to us. I like your vision and I’m ready to go.”

During public comment, Mesquite resident David Ballweg questioned whether the City actually needs more retail space at this time. He pointed out that a lot of retail buildings are struggling just to fill their lease space now.

“This is a nice anchor project and it is something we need for downtown,” Ballweg said. “But we have to look and see: Is this something that taxpayer dollars should do? I don’t know how owners of existing retail space, who are paying their taxes to the city, are going to feel about using those tax dollars to develop a competitor.”

Jeff Hoyt, who owns commercial property in Mesquite, said that he wanted to see the project happen. “I support going forward with this even though it is competing with me,” Hoyt said. “That is because I think it is good for the community. I think what is good for the community is ultimately going to be good for me.”

Mesquite resident Maggie Calhoun said that the City desperately needs the proposed project. She urged the council to move it forward.

“We need to feed the citizens of this town,” Calhoun said. “They’ll pay. They’ll stay. They’ll visit here because they come by the thousands with their kids to play sports. This project shows history, excitement, newness and it says ‘We’re Mesquite. We welcome you!’”

In the end, council member Sandra Ramaker made a motion to move forward on the agreement, with the changes that had been proposed by Baker.

Wursten suggested that the item be held for two weeks so that the language could be drafted and included into the agreement and so that a clean copy could be reviewed by the council. Despite this suggestion, Ramaker’s motion stood as it was for the vote.

The motion was approved with a 4-1 vote. Wursten was the only dissenting vote.

Click HERE to view a larger map of the proposed development.