'Hundred Plan' lays out vision for Las Vegas' Historic Westside

April 19, 2023

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - The Historic Urban Neighborhood Design Redevelopment (HUNDRED) Plan, first adopted by the City of Las Vegas in 2016, has been taken up by Councilman Cedric Crear.

Crear, who Tuesday celebrated five years on the Las Vegas City Council, is one of the voices behind revitalizing the Historic Westside of Las Vegas, taking, in his words, some of the best aspects of the old times on the Westside and bringing them to the present.

Part of that is bringing back jobs.

“Our community experiences 15% unemployment,” Crear explained. “So when I came into office, I made a vow that we’d get people ready and prepared to go to work.”

That’s more difficult to do on the Westside than in other parts of the valley, especially in today’s digital landscape. In Ward 5 of Las Vegas, which encompasses the Westside, more than one-quarter of people don’t have a broadband internet connection at home.

That issue is partially addressed at the Historic Westside School, with career-based help for kids and adults, like Abdual Shabazz, a senior who’s just recently gotten internet-literate.

“You have to be able to bring your skill level up to the virtual world of today,” Shabazz said. “If you don’t have virtual skills, you’re totally left out in the cold.”

The Historic Westside has a long way to go, with the area lagging behind the rest of Las Vegas in household income, educational attainment, home ownership and car ownership.

But Crear says the area is making steps in the right direction.

“It’s definitely working,” Crear said about the HUNDRED Plan. “People know about (it), they are believing in (it), they’re seeing all the work that’s going into (it), and they’re ready to do it themselves.”