West Henderson Secures Land for 390-Apartment Project

The City of Henderson completed a federal land transfer for a new affordable housing project, a process Mayor Michelle Romero described as unusually fast. The deal involved selling approximately 18.59 acres of public land to Ovation Development Corporation for about $100 an acre.

The site, located near Las Vegas Boulevard and Larson Lane, has an appraised fair market value of $13.65 million. Ryan Chatterton, the Southern Nevada district manager for the Bureau of Land Management, explained that Section 7B of the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act allows the agency to sell public lands below market value specifically for affordable housing. The city acquired the property at a nominal cost under this legislation.

The development, named Casara at West Henderson, will cost $113 million and provide 390 apartments with one, two, and three bedrooms. Jess Molasky, principal and chief operating officer of Ovation, stated that all homes will be reserved for households at or below 60% of the area median income. Additionally, 42 units will be designated for households at 50% of that figure. Utilities are included in the rent.

The community will feature a pool, courtyards, a fitness center, a play area, a dog park, a food pantry, and on-site resident services. Molasky noted that this is Ovation’s first affordable community with no age restriction. He described the project as workforce housing for the people who staff the city’s hotels, hospitals, stores, and schools.

City staff worked with the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Nevada Housing Division, and the Clark County Community Housing Fund to accelerate the timeline. Romero said the project was first presented to the Henderson City Council in November 2023. She said such land transfers typically take five to eight years, but this one took two and a half. Construction is expected to start soon, with completion estimated in 18 to 24 months.