Project History

In early 2000, the search for a new UNLV campus location began. Cities in the Las Vegas Valley, Clark County, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and Nellis Air Force Base coordinated on this project to meet the higher education needs of Southern Nevada citizens. Together, these entities selected approximately 2,085 acres of open desert land in the City of North Las Vegas (CNLV). This area runs from Clark County Route 215 to the base of the Sheep Mountains, covering about three miles between Lamb Boulevard and Pecos Road.

The transfer of this land was authorized by the Carl Levin and Howard P. “Buck” McKeon National Defense Authorization Act (Pub..113-291 2015) for Fiscal Year 2015. This Act allows the Secretary of the Interior, BLM to make several conveyances of federal land to Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) institutions.

The selected land was once part of the Nellis Small Arms Range Annex. Because it contains contamination from previous military training exercises and military operations, it requires environmental remediation prior to conveyance to NSHE/UNLV. It has been designated for cleanup under the Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) program, which is led by the U.S. Army and executed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on behalf of the Army and the Department of Defense. This remediation is required under the legislation, and is proceeding according to the following timeline.

Project Timeline

Year Action
2027 Estimated ownership transfer of property to NSHE/UNLV from Bureau of Land Management.
2025 Land remediation process continues under the oversight of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
2020 USACE finalized Decision Document.
2016 USACE secured funding for the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) and study began May 2016.
2015 Carl Levin and Howard P. “Buck” McKeon National Defense Authorization Act signed into law by President Obama.
2009 UNLV granted Board of Regents’ approval to enter into Cooperative Interlocal Agreements with the City of North Las Vegas and Nellis Air Force Base for the purpose of establishing neighboring property owner relationships, campus development conditions, and mutual responsibilities.
2007 USACE completed Site Inspection Report for Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) Project No. J09NV051001.
2005 Phase I Environmental Site Assessment completed.
2004 With Board of Regents approval, UNLV and the City of North Las Vegas initiated a partnership to explore development of a plan to reserve property for future public higher education use in the northern section of the Las Vegas Valley.

Learn more about this project on the USACE website.