Some of the biggest names in Nevada politics joined recently to celebrate a new partnership in downtown Las Vegas. Mayor Oscar B. Goodman and Councilman Ricki Y. Barlow, along with U.S. Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign, gathered at the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute for a news conference to announce a partnership between the institute and one of the best-known medical institutions in the world, the Cleveland Clinic. The new partnership will allow for the Cleveland Clinic to conduct research and clinical operations out of the facility.

The Lou Ruvo Brain Institute, which was designed by architect Frank Gehry, is currently under construction. It is the first development in Union Park, a 61-acre mixed-use urban community located in the heart of downtown Las Vegas. When the institute opens later this year, it will be known as the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.

The institute, which is dedicated to battling Alzheimer’s, Huntington, Parkinson, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and all forms of memory disorders, was founded by Larry Ruvo, whose father Lou suffered from Alzheimer’s.

Union Park is the result of hard work by the city’s Redevelopment Agency. Since 2004, 104 projects have been completed with a value of $2.9 billion within the Redevelopment Area. These projects created 9,711 construction jobs and 7,500 permanent jobs. The tax base within the RDA has tripled within the past five years, and in fiscal year 2009 the RDA is generating $25 million in revenue. Looking forward, the forecast is good as well as there is $16 billion of proposed development in the RDA area.