LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A quiet suburban neighborhood in Las Vegas is now at the center of a major legal battle.

Residents have filed a lawsuit against the State of Nevada over the planned construction of the $200 million “Campus for Hope,” a large-scale shelter and service hub for homeless individuals slated to be built in the heart of their long-established community.

The proposed site would be in the 6100 block of West Charleston Boulevard near Jones Boulevard.

The lawsuit, filed this week in Clark County District Court, accuses state officials of violating Nevada’s Open Meeting Law (NRS Chapter 241) by approving the project without providing proper notice or allowing public comment.

“I have a question for the governor. The Strip and the casinos are giving hundreds of millions of dollars for this project, and you’re going to move these people off the Strip to this area?” homeowner Gail Johnson asked.

Homeowners said the facility’s proposed location is just blocks away from single-family homes that have been owned by Las Vegas families for generations, and threatens to permanently alter the fabric of the neighborhood.

The complaint alleges that not even the basic procedural requirements for a fast-food restaurant were followed, let alone the far more rigorous processes expected for a multimillion-dollar government development.

The residents argue that the state’s actions have created what they call an “incurable defect” in the approval process, a breakdown in policy and protocol that cannot be corrected retroactively.  

“That was my biggest concern. Why are they trying to push this $200 million project so secretly into the neighborhood?” homeowner Matthew Wambolt added.

The lawsuit also claims the state failed to conduct any of the environmental, traffic, or impact studies typically required for a project of this scale. Residents fear the facility, designed to include housing, mental health services, and addiction treatment programs, will bring increased traffic, safety concerns, and decreased property values.

Attorneys representing the neighborhood said the Campus for Hope project was served with a lawsuit and now has 60 to 90 days to respond under state law.

As of publication, state officials have not yet issued a public statement in response to the allegations. As legal proceedings move forward, residents said they’ll continue to fight, not just to preserve their neighborhood, but to demand transparency and accountability from their government. 

A spokesperson from Campus for Hope sent the following statement:

The process for developing a true comprehensive solution to homelessness in Nevada has been a long time in coming. It began in 2023, when the legislature passed a bill (AB528) to address the issue and continued up to last January when non-profit Campus for Hope applied and was selected via an open process.

Throughout the application, approval, and implementation of the project enabled under the legislation, Campus for Hope leadership has met all the state and local requirements for the construction of the facility.  We will continue to meet all those requirements, without exception. 

Campus for Hope is a partner to the community in which it is being constructed. We have held meetings, met with local businesses and nonprofits, and will continue to do so.

Similar services have been offered on this very site since the 1960s, but those services have not been comprehensive solutions, and we all know the result. Campus for Hope knows creating a comprehensive solution to homelessness is hard. We also know it is no longer optional. All of us see the problem on our streets and in our neighborhoods every single day. The unhoused in our community deserve and need us all to do better, and we are here to make it, finally and comprehensively, happen.