The city of Las Vegas lost another case in the years-long legal battle with the would-be developer of the defunct Badlands golf course.
A District Court judge on Wednesday ruled that the city inappropriately took 17 acres it had previously approved for housing development, according to court documents.
An attorney representing EHB Cos., the parent company of the developers, would not set an estimate on how much the city would likely have to pay, but Elizabeth Ghanem said it could be upward of $50 million.
After the ruling, Vickie DeHart, partner at EHB, said the dispute should have never reached this point.
“We are happy with the ruling, but we shouldn’t have been here in the first place,” she wrote in a statement. “This is a seven-year fight over rights that we have always had.”
In a statement, Las Vegas Councilwoman Victoria Seaman, who’s been a proponent of settling with the developers, called for negotiations.
“I have repeatedly pushed to settle the Badlands dispute and stop this madness,” she said. “Now, with a third ruling against the city of Las Vegas and a third judge’s unfavorable decision, I hope that other members of the City Council come to grips with this matter and get back to the table to find a solution.”
The dispute between the city and the developers emerged soon after EHB bought a 250-acre plot of land in 2015 with the intention of developing housing projects.
But the development proposal drew opposition from a coalition of residents of the upscale Queensridge neighborhood, which surrounds the course. They said they feared high density and dwindling property values.
The plans stalled at City Hall over disagreements about whether zoning allowed for housing development.
Talks for the city to possibly settle all litigation for $64 million collapsed this summer. In 2021, the city was ordered to pay $34 million to the developer after losing a separate case on similar grounds. The city is appealing that verdict.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com Follow him on Twitter @rickytwrites.