18-04-2025
Work begins on affordable housing meant to restore dignity in Historic Westside neighborhood
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — More affordable housing is coming to Southern Nevada. It's not just affordable housing that's needed in the valley. It's quality housing, too.
'We're about 80,000 units short of what's needed to meet the demand for affordable housing in our community,' William McCurdy II, Clark County Commissioner for District D, said Thursday as city and state leaders broke ground on phase II of a housing project that's intended to help meet demand.
'It's so much more than housing,' Lewis Jordan, Executive Director of Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority, said. 'This is a community that's committed to making sure that affordable housing is provided, and communities are built.'
The new development is a part of an affordable community initiative in the Historic Westside just near Martin Luther King Boulevard and Carey Avenue. It's named after the Rev. Marion D. Bennett, Sr. — a former Nevada assemblymember and defender of civil rights. Bennett marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and founded the first Black Methodist church in Las Vegas.
'It is a very significant reminder of how much he loved this community and how much this community loved him back,' former judge Karen Bennett-Haron said, reflecting on her father's impact. 'To be reminded of his work and his legacy is truly a gift I'll treasure forever.'
The latest project will be a 59-unit Spanish villa-style development featuring upgraded amenities, including workout facilities and computer rooms.
'Shelter and housing with a high level of dignity,' Jordan said.
'Just because you are poor or you are working-class, does not mean you have to live in squalor. We've had enough of that,' Las Vegas City Councilwoman Shondra Summers-Armstrong said. 'If we can provide housing and sustain it that is quality, it lifts people's spirit. It gives them a sense of dignity.'
Phase II of the Marion D. Bennett, Sr. Plaza is expected to be completed next summer.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
