City Council Attempts To Adopt Ordinance To Jail Property Owners

LAS VEGAS, July 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Las Vegas City Council assigned a bill to the recommending committee, sponsored by City Councilman Steve Seroka, a councilman who is being sued in Federal Court by developer Yohan Lowie for bias. This proposed bill scheduled to be heard July 30, 2018, will severally penalize developers with excessive fines and jail time for not abiding to new standards. The bill is opposed by the Commercial Real Estate Development Association (NAIOP) and others in the building and trades community. The bill NO.2018-24, also known as the "Yohan Lowie bill" is an ordinance to amend LVMC Title 19 (The Unified Development Code) to adopt additional standards and requirements regarding the repurposing of certain golf courses and open spaces. 

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Councilwoman Michelle Fiore, vehemently objected to the ordinance, publically in the city council meeting and at times verbally sparred with the bill sponsor Councilman Seroka, citing that, the ordinance started as 5-page ordinance and FAILED in the Las Vegas Planning Commission by a 5 to 1 vote. Now mysteriously, it has been expanded to a 13-page document and is being considered for approval. Developer Yohan Lowie, stated, "this is typical of the corruption and disingenuous acts of certain members of the city of Las Vegas who have demonstrated for the past 3 years and one of the reasons why I am in litigation with Councilman Seroka and Bob Coffin for the animus they continue to display. They are enacting a law to create criminal penalties for the property no longer being a golf course and no longer being green. All property owners should be concerned."  This bill may be as far reaching as to affect individual homeowners living in a golf course community.    

SECTION 7 in the bill states - Whenever in this ordinance any act is prohibited or is made or declared to be unlawful . . . the doing of such prohibited act or the failure to do any such required act shall constitute a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $1,000.00 or by imprisonment for a term of not more than six months.

Mr. Lowie has hired famed criminal defense lawyer David Chesnoff to represent his interests in possible forthcoming criminal offenses that may arise from this bill. Additionally, along with attorney and Lt. Governor Mark Hutchison the City has been put on notice with the attached letter, which states the City will be in violation of the EX Post Facto Clause and Equal Protection Clause and a Taking by Eminent Domain.

After today's meeting, developer Yohan Lowie stated, "if they want to put me in jail, they can. I will fight to my last breath to prevent the City from EVER taking my property away. I will continue to fight this matter all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to get justice."

For additional information
Contact: Attorney
Elizabeth Ham at EHB Companies
[email protected]
702-940-6936

SOURCE EHB Companies