Oikos Advances 22-Unit Affordable Apartment Complex in Vegas

Oikos Development Nevada has moved forward with plans to build a 22-unit affordable housing complex in west Las Vegas, despite strong pushback from neighbors.

The Henderson-based affordable housing developer was unanimously approved by the Las Vegas Planning Commission to build the four-story building at the northwest corner of Van Buren Avenue and F Street, in the Historic Westside, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Neighbors had turned out to oppose the 51-foot-tall project, raising concerns over lack of parking, increased traffic, lower property values and overcrowding. One woman who lives directly behind the project said it would “result in a loss of privacy.”

Despite the opposition, the project known as Westside Flats was approved and will be heard by the City Council on April 16. It will replace a one-third acre vacant lot owned by the city.

Plans call for 22 one- to three-bedroom apartments from 622 square feet to 1,055 square feet, with a rooftop deck with barbecues, a children’s playground and picnic tables.

The apartments would be for households earning between 30 percent and 50 percent of area median income. Monthly rents would range from $442 to $1,051.

The $6.5 million gray, charcoal and periwinkle project, designed by Nadel Architects, aligns with the city’s Hundred Plan by boosting the number of homes, housing density, affordability and availability, according to the nonprofit developer.

Oikos Development Nevada is a unit of Kansas City-based Oikos Development, founded in 2018 by Michael Snodgrass, according to its website and Clark County meeting records. The firm has developed more than 500 affordable apartments in Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Florida and Nevada.

— Dana Bartholomew