Henderson hasn’t seen a new subdivision in years, and HEDCO wants to change that. Its deal with Brasso Development aims to put new homes priced around $250,000 to $280,000 on Evenside Street. The goal is popular. The deal has been rewritten three times, and the legal footing for an economic development corporation to build housing needs to be on the record.
This story is part of our review of every performance agreement the Henderson Economic Development Corporation has made. A performance agreement is a contract: HEDCO puts up sales tax money, land or work, and a business promises something in return, usually investment and jobs. We are not suggesting anyone did anything wrong. We are asking whether the public can see what was promised and whether anyone checks.
| The deal at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Recipient | Brasso Development & Construction, LLC |
| HEDCO action | Board motion in a recorded meeting; amended January 20, 2026; “new” agreement on the May 12, 2026 agenda; approved August 18, 2026 “with or without paragraph 6 as directed by City Council” |
| City Council approval | November 18, 2025 (item 24) |
| Incentive | $300,000 for site preparation and utilities on 9 acres west of Evenside, plus the land |
| Promised in return | About 24 homes on third-acre lots, priced around $250,000 to $280,000 |
| Agreement text public? | No |
What the record shows
In a recorded HEDCO meeting, the board heard a presentation from builder Courtland Brasso and then voted to provide $300,000 for site preparation and utility work on the 9 acres west of Evenside, with a second lien on the property to enforce performance. The motion also gave Brasso an 18-month exclusive right to develop the roughly 35 acres across the street, and the south half of the 9 acres after the first home is completed and sold. Mr. Gardella said HEDCO is “willing to put the land in pretty much nothing.”
HEDCO bought the Evenside land from Bane Investment Holdings. At the November 18, 2025 council meeting, Mr. Gardella said the homes would be priced at no less than $250,000, below the city’s median home price of about $310,000, and that drainage problems might change the plan. The council approved it.
In the same recorded meeting, the board’s attorney explained that HEDCO’s housing authority does not come from the state’s affordable housing provision. He said the board can act if it decides housing is needed to create or keep primary jobs in industries such as manufacturing, and suggested the board could keep a study on file to support that decision.
What’s missing
What the public record leaves out
- The signed agreement and what “paragraph 6” says, since HEDCO approved it “with or without” that paragraph depending on what the council directs.
- A written board finding, or a study, tying this housing to primary jobs, as the board’s attorney described.
- The value of the land HEDCO is providing, and what HEDCO paid for it.
- What happens to the $300,000 and the land if homes aren’t built or don’t sell.
Our ask
What would make this deal easy to check
- Publish every version of the agreement and the final one.
- Adopt the primary-jobs finding in writing, in open session, with the supporting study.
- Report lots sold, homes built and sale prices to the council every quarter.
Sources: recorded HEDCO board meeting on the Evenside housing project; HEDCO agendas for January 20 and May 12, 2026; HEDCO minutes of August 18, 2026, printed in the September 17, 2026 City Council packet; Henderson City Council meeting, November 18, 2025 (recording).