RTKL to Plot the Future of Downtown Las Vegas through New Master Plan

LAS VEGAS - Oct. 28, 2014 - PRLog -- RTKL,  the global architecture and urban design practice, has been selected by the City of Las Vegas to develop a master plan for the reuse and redevelopment of Downtown Las Vegas. Intended to direct the city’s future growth and revitalization efforts, the two year commission will aim to shape a new blueprint for the district. The three-pronged plan will address the downtown master plan, transit, and the potential creation of new business improvement districts.

“Downtown Las Vegas is the legendary center of a major international city,” said Lance Josal, FAIA, CEO of RTKL.  “Beyond the lights, however, are the aspirations of city leaders, business owners, and residents who call the city home. Our team’s mission is to employ creative approaches and prudent solutions that provide meaningful social and cultural benefits to the community, as well as promote sustainable economic development.”

RTKL will recalibrate the city’s existing Downtown Centennial Master Plan, approved by the Las Vegas Planning Commission in 2000. The new master plan will evaluate a dozen downtown districts. To incorporate community feedback into the master plan, RTKL will lead an outreach campaign with diverse stakeholders, including City Hall departments, area business owners and nonprofit leaders. RTKL will engage these partners on issues of long range land use, urban design, economic development, public facilities and infrastructure objectives.

“Project goals for the master plan include: determining the best mix of uses for key available sites; enhancing mass transit and existing linkages between the greater downtown area with other key engines of the Las Vegas economy—including the Strip, the Convention Center, the airport, and the Medical District; promoting resilience in the design and management of the district’s energy and water usage; and creating social equity and economic opportunities, especially for new residents,” said Nate Cherry, FAIA, AICP, LEED AP, BD+C, RTKL Vice President.

As an initial step in the process, City Council members commissioned a feasibility study to measure support for downtown business improvement districts, which would require a coalition of business owners to pay new taxes that would fund location-specific infrastructure improvements. These districts would be an essential part of the master plan’s objectives to foster economic growth.

“A lot has changed since the Centennial Plan was adopted in 2000,” lead city planner Robert Summerfield commented. “There’s been a lot of growth. We want to try and capitalize on that energy. Improvements to a particular district would hopefully provide for increased revenues, and the downtown master plan is mostly about encouraging business participation.”

RTKL is partnering with a team of consultants who will support the overall effort. TischlerBise, an international recognized municipal and real estate finance consulting firm, will lead economic modeling. Transportation engineers Fehr & Peers will bring their national experience with multi-modal traffic engineering to bear to ensure the master plan is seamlessly integrated into the mobility plans of the City of Las Vegas and the surrounding region. Las Vegas firm Kimley-Horn will lead infrastructure planning and, along with the award-winning firm Integral Group, will ensure sustainable development objectives are met. Las Vegas-based public relations firm Faiss Foley & Warren will lead project communication and stakeholder outreach efforts, and local urban planning expert Charles Kubat and form-based coding specialists Lisa Wise Consulting round out the team.

For more information, please contact Misty Holbert at 202-912-8136 or mholbert@rtkl.com.

About RTKL:

RTKL is a worldwide architecture, engineering, planning and creative services organization. Part of the ARCADIS global network since 2007, RTKL specializes in providing its multi-disciplinary services across the full development cycle to create places of distinction and designs of lasting value. RTKL works with commercial, workplace, public and healthcare clients on projects around the globe. Please visit www.rtkl.com.

About ARCADIS:

ARCADIS is the leading global natural and built asset design and consultancy firm working in partnership with our clients to deliver exceptional and sustainable outcomes through the application of design, consultancy, engineering, project and management services. ARCADIS differentiates through its talented and passionate people and its unique combination of capabilities covering the whole asset life cycle, its deep market sector insights and its ability to integrate health & safety and sustainability into the design and delivery of solutions across the globe. We are 22,000 people that generate €2.5 billion in revenues. We support UN-Habitat with knowledge and expertise to improve the quality of life in rapidly growing cities around the world. Please visit www.arcadis.com.