Las Vegas Homes Construction Potentially Impeded by Two Ongoing Supreme Court Cases
LAS VEGAS, NV – Two cases that are currently before the United States Supreme Court, depending on their outcome, could have a serious impact upon several aspects of the home development industry, mainly when it comes to federally-mandated environmental reviews and how they could affect the overall timeline of construction projects.
Depending on the outcomes of San Francisco v. EPA and Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colo., addressing the housing crisis in Southern Nevada could face significant setbacks, as developers could be required to greatly increase the scope of federally-required environmental reviews and/or studies to gauge the potential impact that their construction projects could have.
The Las Vegas Valley has been experiencing a housing crisis in recent years, due to a shortage of affordable housing units; this can be attributed to several factors, but the main culprit experts say is an overall lack of land to develop, given the fact that much of the land in Southern Nevada is owned by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Critics of BLM have pointed out that the federal agency has been slow to release additional lands for housing development, contributing to the housing crisis that is currently ongoing in the valley.
However, even if additional lands are released for development, builders could face an uphill battle depending on the outcome of the two aforementioned Supreme Court cases. Reviews to ensure that the surrounding environment and wildlife – as well as any federally-protected endangered species – are not harmed by any given construction project can already contribute to a significant amount of time and planning, ranging anywhere from months to years.
These cases could cause environmental impact reviews and studies to become even more stringent, mandating that the review process take into consideration a more diverse array of environmental harm, including potential threats to drinking water and other maladies.
The overall intention of these lawsuits is to ensure the health and well-being of millions of people across the country, a cause that should be lauded; the unfortunate side-effect, however, is that it may take even longer to address Las Vegas’ housing crisis depending on the outcome, according to the National Association of Home Builders.
Both of these cases have the potential to add uncertainty to the development process. And uncertainty translates to added time and money,” the organization said in a statement.
Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.