The 18b Las Vegas Arts District, named for its original 18 blocks, is the creative heart of downtown: galleries, studios, vintage shops and bars along Main Street, Casino Center Boulevard and Charleston Boulevard, and the home of the monthly First Friday art walk. The masterplan’s goal was a diverse community and a regional showcase for the arts. That meant building up enough artists, makers and arts businesses to strengthen the district’s identity, while adding affordable housing and protecting the creative uses already there.
The rezoning process
In April 2021 the city started work on moving the district from conventional (Euclidean) zoning to Chapter 19.09, again with Lisa Wise Consulting.
- June 14–18, 2021. A week of design charrettes, held in a hybrid format, with artists, residents, business owners and architects.
- July 14, 2021. In-person focus groups.
- December 27, 2021. A neighbourhood meeting at City Hall for case 21-0765.
- January 26, 2022. A virtual meeting on the draft regulating plan.
- February 2022. A draft summary report from the design charrette.
- March 2, 2022. A meeting with residents of the Newport Lofts on a proposed boundary expansion, the working regulating plan and rules for public art and shade that would apply only in the Arts District.
What was proposed
Case 21-0765 covered about 131 acres, roughly bounded by Gass Avenue to the north, Las Vegas Boulevard and 3rd and 4th Streets to the east, Imperial Avenue to the south, and Commerce Street and the Union Pacific railroad to the west. It had two parts:
- A General Plan Amendment changing the land-use designations from mixed use, commercial, light industry/research and public facilities to Form-Based Code.
- A rezoning from conventional districts (R-4, C-1, C-2, C-M, C-V and M) to seven transect zones: T4 Main Street, T4 Maker, T5 Main Street, T5 Corridor, T6 Urban Core, T6 Urban General and T6 Urban General Limited.
The maker zones are the interesting part. They are meant for the mix of workshops, studios and small production spaces that give the district its character, and that conventional zoning tends to push out once land values rise.
By mid-2022 the city was also discussing expanding the Arts District by around 50 acres.
Current status
We have not been able to confirm whether case 21-0765 was adopted, changed or withdrawn. The city’s public updates stop in early 2022, and its later planning reports are not online. Until we can verify it, this page treats the Arts District rezoning as proposed. For the current zoning of any parcel, check the city’s zoning atlas or its Arts District Plan page.
Sources
- City of Las Vegas, 2021 Planning Annual Report
- City of Las Vegas, Arts District Plan
- KTNV, “Las Vegas city leaders consider expanding Arts District”
- Archived meeting notices from the city’s former formbasedcode.vegas site, 2021–2022