The Proposed Clark County Heliport
The Clark County Department of Aviation (CCDOA) has been pursuing the development of a Southern Nevada Regional Heliport since late 2001. A site was initially identified in March 2002 but opposed by the City of Henderson. In June 2003, Nevada law required Clark County to designate a preferred site by early 2004 with a location away from the urbanized areas.
On February 3, 2004, the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) designated a preferred non-urban heliport site for commercial helicopter operations approximately two (2) to five (5) miles south of Interstate 15 and the Sloan Interchange (a portion of Assessor's Parcel No. 204-01-000-004). The BOCC requested that the heliport facility be operational as expeditiously as possible, with a target date of not later than 2008.
In May 2004, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada introduced legislation providing for the transfer of the South of Sloan site to Clark County for construction and operation of the Southern Nevada Regional Heliport. In November 2005, legislation was enacted that permitted the transfer. The Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management, transferred the land to Clark County in October 2009.
Before the Clark County Heliport can be constructed, the CCDOA must complete a federally-required environmental review to assess how the proposed facility could impact the environment. In May 2004, the BOCC authorized the CCDOA to conduct an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Southern Nevada Regional Heliport. The EA assessed the Clark County Heliport site (the proposed build alternative) and other alternative sites located throughout southern Nevada. The EA was released for public comment in October 2008 and finalized in December 2008. In February 2009, the Federal Aviation Administration approved a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and Record of Decision (ROD) for the proposed heliport, thus clearing a major hurdle to move forward with the proposed heliport facility.
In February 2009, 35% design of the proposed facility was completed. Final design has been put on hold due to opposition to the CCDOA’s proposed funding plan, loss of traffic demand, and the current state of the nation’s economy. Final design could be awarded and completed within one year, and construction could be completed 17 months thereafter.
Through the end of 2009, approximately $7 million has been invested in planning and designing the Clark County Heliport. Another $8 million is estimated to be needed to finalize design and meet water utility expansion commitments. Construction costs are estimated to be approximately $115 million.