LAS VEGAS | Boom Project Rundown! 2.0

[ScottG]

May 28, 2006

John Katsilometes talks with longtime Klondike Hotel owner John Woodrum about the place closing on June 30

Thirty years ago the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign was out of juice - no power, and thus, no light emanated from the famous landmark welcoming visitors to the Strip. The sign had been dark for two or three years, at least, so John Woodrum did something about it.

"I ran a (power) line to the sign and fired it up," Woodrum said. "It started running then. But someone cut the line - the County Commission didn't like the line running from my place to the sign ¦ there was a big dispute about who would pay for the power to the sign and the meter had been turned off. So I said, 'I'll keep the sign lit and I'll pay the power bill.' "

The dispute has since been settled and the county pays to keep the sign lighted. But there's nothing like an old Vegas tale spun by an old Vegas guy, and Woodrum is one of those. So it is with a tinge of regret that we report Woodrum's Klondike Hotel on the east side of the Strip, just a 9-iron from the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign, will be shuttered on June 30. After running the 153-room hotel-casino since May 12, 1976, Woodrum has finally cashed out - and for a substantial profit. The buyer, Royal Palm Communities of Boca Raton, Fla., paid Woodrum $8 million per acre for his six-acre parcel ($48 million, according to my Casio).

Woodrum, who in 1975 split with Bill Boyd to start his own hotel, paid then-owner Ralph Engelstad $1.2 million for the Klondike. Woodrum said the establishment, already 15 years old in 1976, "was this old motel at the end of the Strip, condemned to be torn down. It's been a family-run operation ever since. Heck, when I came out here you could not see any light east or west of where we are now."

The new project to replace the Klondike, expected to cost $1 billion, will boast 1,200 hotel condominiums and an 80,000-90,000 square-foot casino. The McCarran International Airport height restriction on any project on the site is 25 stories; expect the new resort to touch that height, and construction could to begin in the first quarter of 2007.

Torn down will be the stately, crimson-painted Klondike. Gone will be the four $2 limit blackjack tables, two 10-cent roulette wheels, and the 24-hour restaurant that offers 99-cent breakfast specials (two hotcakes and one egg) around the clock. Between 70 and 80 employees will have to find new jobs.

"We'll take a lot of people out to Sunset," said Woodrum, whose family (principally, son Michael) owns the Klondike Sunset Casino on Sunset Road and Boulder Highway, which has not been sold. "A lot of people have been hanging on just because they didn't want to leave me in a lurch."

And when June 30 rolls around?

"It'll be a sad day for a lot of people," Woodrum said. "But there won't be any big fanfare. That's not us."
.....

The Ivana site is now taking offers to buy the land and zoning rights. They have finally repainted over the Ivana logos on the sales center.

Still zoned for 923 feet as "the summit".



Cross your fingers, and hope someone buys it and builds it, probably Trump himself. I want this tower!

Come on Trump, be the king of the Strip once again, please? I know the 2nd Trump tower isn't even approved yet. (bet you didn't know that) Scrap making another golden tower and do the summit instead. Everything's approved, maybe make some minor chages to add your logo and whatever then away you go.

If you buy it I'll never make anymore jokes about your hair ever again, promise.

On the other hand, if someone buys it and builds a SHORTER tower... That would be an outrage!!

[ScottG]

http://www.vegastripping.com (great site):

Norm: Steve Wynn vs. Dragone - La Reve to be Overhauled
After a year of mixed or bad reviews, endless overhauls and tweaks, it looks like Steve Wynn has finally lost his patience with Franco Dragone's La Reve. Norm at the Review-Journal is reporting that Mr. Wynn has commandeered the faltering stage show and will be instituting major changes in the next 6 months... perhaps in an effort to move the show away from its Cirque du Soleil roots to something more fantasmic. VT isn't surprised by this, we took in this show in August of last year and were quite unimpressed if not straight up bored.

Here's an excerpt of Norm:



The status of "Le Reve" creator-producer Franco Dragone is in question. Sources say Dragone is "stepping back," with Steve Wynn taking control of the creative content of the aquatic production at Wynn Las Vegas. A Wynn front office executive, reached Saturday, said it would be inaccurate to say Dragone is "out," but declined further comment.

Wynn "wants lasers, pyrotechnics ... special effects as the emphasis of the show," according to an insider. All changes will take effect by Jan. 31, said one source.

...

Hints at Coming Harrahs Strip Redevelopment Announcement
Jeff Simpson at the LV Sun interviewed Harrah's CEO Gary Loveman about the coming redevelopment of the 'Harrah's Strip' - the stretch of Harrah's properties that dominate the center strip. We've bullet pointed some of the more interesting revelations, those interested in what the middle of the strip might look like in 5 years should definitely read this article.

- there will not be one giant megamegaresort, instead there will be sub-megaresorts under a Disneyland(ish) 'sense of place' defined by signage.

- the sense of place will also be defined by the Total Rewards card system and other modern technologies - think BlackBerries and cell phones (and hand held gaming devices?) This technology will be used to stay in close touch with guests during their visits. This electronic leash (our words not his) would closely interact with customers, perhaps letting Paris guests know that tickets are available to see Celine Dion at Caesars .

- Strip frontage near Flamingo Road in front of Caesars and Bally's is underutilized and will be repurposed.

- the Horseshoe brand is strong, and available.

- Caesars, Harrah's, Paris and the Flamingo will remain; Imperial Palace won't, and Bally's, with one of its towers less than satisfactory, is a question mark.

- Harrah's wants Barbary Coast and current owner Boyd knows he wants it. Options include purchase of the property, an asset trade, or even an outright purchase of Boyd.
...
Cirque Hitches its Future to Elvis at Project CityCenter
Numerous sources on the internet have broke the story about Cirque du Soleil's next big Vegas project - an Elvis show. Now, we love Elvis, but Cirque doing another show that borrows from another artists legend for its material is beginning to smell like opportunism and dried up creativity. Has Cirque du Soleil run aground with a lack of original ideas? We can only see when LOVE debuts in previews on June 2.

The Strip Podcast [podcast] [website] has an interview with Cirque's Creative Director who says that Cirques 6th Vegas show (Elvis) will debut at Project CityCenter.

...

Westward Ho Project Scrapped
Centex has quietly backed away from its "Westward Ho" joint-venture development project on the Las Vegas Strip, TheStreet.com has learned. Last fall, the homebuilder and a private real estate partner purchased the old Westward Ho casino site for $145.5 million, or $9.6 million an acre. The property is located between the Circus Circus casino and the Stardust Resort and Casino, which is being knocked down next year to pave the way for a new casino and resort development called Echelon Place, to be built by Boyd Gaming and Morgans Hotel.

The plan was to build a mixed-use project, possibly including a casino, a hotel and residential condos. But in late March, Centex sold its joint-venture interest in the project back to its partner, says C.J. Julin, vice president of marketing with Centex Destination Properties, the division of the homebuilder that specializes in second homes and resorts.

Julin says he could not disclose whether Centex made or lost money on the deal, but he did say, "We never lose money."

"Vegas is still an exciting place," Julin says, but adds that the company decided to abandon the project to instead focus on its Urban Village project, on the southern end of the Strip, and its development in Lake Las Vegas.

"For us, we have so many resources and we said, you know, we need to make sure that things that we have in the market today, we are successful with," he says.
...
All MGM Mirage Properties To Get Significant Upgrades
MGM Mirage announced late last month that all of their Las Vegas properties will undergo significant upgrades in the coming years. Here's a quick rundown of what's been done and will be done in the coming years:

Mandalay Bay
Upgrading pool and beach area with more cabanas, bars and deck space
Redesign Rumjungle and 3950 Restaurants
Replaced slots with Ticket system

LuXor
Replacing RA nightclub
Replaced slots with ticket system

Excalibur
Replaced slots with Ticket system
Replacing sports book/poker room with restaurant
Building new sports book/poker room

MGM Grand
Upgraded hotel wing
Added Skylofts - high roller suites
Added two Joel Robuchon restaurants
Redesigned poker room

Monte Carlo
Replaced slots with Ticket systems
Upgraded rooms

New York-New York
Gave Rita Rudner the boot to build a night club

Mirage
New Cirque du Soleil Beatles show
New restaurants, tweaked casino layout
Upgraded rooms

Bellagio
Opened Spa Tower

Circus-Circus
$10M budget for upgrades

...
HUGE columna bout encore....
http://www.ratevegas.com/blog/2006/0...at_wynn_4.html

Ok, an Elvis show at citycenter, well although it sounds cheesy, it would be an interesting blend of old vegas and new vegas. Why not have the king himself eh at the $7 billion resort...

Indeed, one of the biggest questions now is really what Harrah's intends to do. Evrything else by now we already know, citycenter, echelon, montreux, etc.. I hope they build something unique...


New agendas for clark county today

Dynasty Tower seems to still be alive.

Lifestyle Las Vegas is getting permission for a sales center - good since it's a nice tower.

A bunch of other towers as well, including a cluster of them down near the Southern Highlands resort. That's gonna be a skyline in itself.

Some citycenter updates as well.

http://dsnet.co.clark.nv.us/dsnetapp...aWeb/nofa.aspx

[BruceH]

Originally Posted by Patrick

The Stratosphere Camera is broken, It is stuck on that view, thats not the World View Site, Thats A construction site near Circus Circus. There used to be a Downtown Camera but it dissapeared.

I'm making a new banner for the front page, since Las Ramblas was cancelled. What projects would you guys like to see on the banner

current banner

How about Sky since it's really being built? It just completed the final floor this week.

[ScottG]

More Montreux Details
The chief architect behind the Frontier. replacement Montreux gave a virtual tour of the planned resort to media types and it looks like despite the fact that it is named after a famous town in Switzerland, this will not be another theme resort. Instead Montreux will be yet another “upscale” hotel with the kind of sleek, contemporary look found in posh Hollywood or Manhattan hot spots.
The hotel will feature 2,750 rooms, a 100,000-square-foot casino, over half a million square feet of retail space, an events arena, a third-floor pool deck overlooking The Strip, and a branch of the super posh Golden Door spa. In a Vegas first, some of the rooms will connect directly to the spa so guests don’t have to schlep past rows of slot machines for their facials.

The front of the hotel facing The Strip will be lined with boutiques, restaurants, and clubs (some Jazz themed to honor the hotel’s namesake festival) while the southern edge of the property along Fashion Show Drive will get a Rodeo Drive strip of high-end stores facing the Fashion Show Mall.

Oh, and don’t forget that giant Ferris wheel sitting right out front of the whole thing. Rising over 450 feet over The Strip, the enclosed, air-conditioned cars will give Vegas visitors a terrific view of the surrounding neighborhood.

The whole thing is expected to cost about $2 billion when you add it all up. There is still no official closing date for The Frontier so therefore no opening date for Montreux but it is sounding like the former will close before the end of 2006 with an opening date for the latter in 2009 or 2010.
...

Wet ‘n Wild Tries for Vegas Return
Lots of people are still wondering why Wet ‘n Wild, the water park on the north end of The Strip near The Sahara, closed in 2004 only to sit there for the better part of two years moldering in the hot desert sun. The short version is that the water park lost its lease, with the land owner making typically Vegas grand pronouncements about a new water themed hotel that was to be built on the property.

That hotel never happened of course and most analysts doubt it ever will, so what are the chances of Wet ‘n Wild returning to Vegas? Not bad it turns out, but just not on The Strip.

According to a story in the Las Vegas Sun, the water park company is actively looking at a couple of Las Vegas area sites for an all-new place to make a splash although they wouldn’t divulge where they were located. I’m figure somewhere on the outskirts of town near a major freeway so don’t be surprised if you see a big water slide coming up out of the desert near Interstate 15 sometime in the future.

There is no formal timetable or even a formal plan at this point, but it should be of some comfort to fans of the park that they are actively trying to bring it back.
,...

^^^all from http://www.vegas4visitors.com/column/index.htm

..

ALSO - last week i saw on the commisioner channel that THE GREAT MALL OF LAS VEGAS is back!

remember a while back there were planns to build the west coast' largest mall in henderson? then it died out. well now its up in summerlin. and i saw the the site plan was being proposed. There are several buildings, all 3 stories. This place will be pretty large. look for more on this soon! they said it took 2 years to come up with the design - guess thats why its been quiet for a while - makes sense.

[CHAPINM1]

According to Emporis, Trump only invested $300,000,000 for Trump Las Vegas, compare that to $750,000,000 that was put into Trump Tower Chicago, no wonder he's cutting corners in Vegas with the floor plans...

[BruceH]

Originally Posted by CHAPINM1

According to Emporis, Trump only invested $300,000,000 for Trump Las Vegas, compare that to $750,000,000 that was put into Trump Tower Chicago, no wonder he's cutting corners in Vegas with the floor plans...

So why is $300,000,000 compared to $750,000,000 relevant? We don't see the cutting of corners at Trump Las Vegas. In fact, he has already increased the level of quality for the interiors. Demand continues for any Trump product and his branding is strong globally. We have been selling one of his new projects in another country to clients all over the world - unfortunately we cannot publically mention yet what and where it is but the architecture is awesome.

[BruceH]

Originally Posted by ScottG

More Montreux Details
The chief architect behind the Frontier. replacement Montreux gave a virtual tour of the planned resort to media types and it looks like despite the fact that it is named after a famous town in Switzerland, this will not be another theme resort. Instead Montreux will be yet another “upscale” hotel with the kind of sleek, contemporary look found in posh Hollywood or Manhattan hot spots.
The hotel will feature 2,750 rooms, a 100,000-square-foot casino, over half a million square feet of retail space, an events arena, a third-floor pool deck overlooking The Strip, and a branch of the super posh Golden Door spa. In a Vegas first, some of the rooms will connect directly to the spa so guests don’t have to schlep past rows of slot machines for their facials.

The front of the hotel facing The Strip will be lined with boutiques, restaurants, and clubs (some Jazz themed to honor the hotel’s namesake festival) while the southern edge of the property along Fashion Show Drive will get a Rodeo Drive strip of high-end stores facing the Fashion Show Mall.

Oh, and don’t forget that giant Ferris wheel sitting right out front of the whole thing. Rising over 450 feet over The Strip, the enclosed, air-conditioned cars will give Vegas visitors a terrific view of the surrounding neighborhood.

The whole thing is expected to cost about $2 billion when you add it all up. There is still no official closing date for The Frontier so therefore no opening date for Montreux but it is sounding like the former will close before the end of 2006 with an opening date for the latter in 2009 or 2010.
...

Wet ‘n Wild Tries for Vegas Return
Lots of people are still wondering why Wet ‘n Wild, the water park on the north end of The Strip near The Sahara, closed in 2004 only to sit there for the better part of two years moldering in the hot desert sun. The short version is that the water park lost its lease, with the land owner making typically Vegas grand pronouncements about a new water themed hotel that was to be built on the property.

That hotel never happened of course and most analysts doubt it ever will, so what are the chances of Wet ‘n Wild returning to Vegas? Not bad it turns out, but just not on The Strip.

According to a story in the Las Vegas Sun, the water park company is actively looking at a couple of Las Vegas area sites for an all-new place to make a splash although they wouldn’t divulge where they were located. I’m figure somewhere on the outskirts of town near a major freeway so don’t be surprised if you see a big water slide coming up out of the desert near Interstate 15 sometime in the future.

There is no formal timetable or even a formal plan at this point, but it should be of some comfort to fans of the park that they are actively trying to bring it back.
,...

^^^all from http://www.vegas4visitors.com/column/index.htm

..

ALSO - last week i saw on the commisioner channel that THE GREAT MALL OF LAS VEGAS is back!

remember a while back there were planns to build the west coast' largest mall in henderson? then it died out. well now its up in summerlin. and i saw the the site plan was being proposed. There are several buildings, all 3 stories. This place will be pretty large. look for more on this soon! they said it took 2 years to come up with the design - guess thats why its been quiet for a while - makes sense.

Wish the Ferris wheel would go away - we already have Circus Circus!! It belongs on another property if the Montreux is truly as upper scale as described. So now you have Montreux next to a 5 star Trump hotel with a Ferris wheel - bring in the clowns - or at least charge $100 a ride on the Ferris wheel to bring it in line with the adjacent luxury properties.

[illmatic774]

To hell with Montreax, it looks like schitt

[ScottG]

im sure it will be redesigned ALOT more. and maybe the ferris wheel will be a great addition. The london eye in england is not a carney attraction. its a very upscale place for adults to picknic. have a romantic evening in the clouds over looking the city. and that design is just a hallow cart. the montruex design had bathrooms, is taller (i think) has lounge chairs. its basically a lounge, with 50 individual rooms, all revolving vertically. how is that not a great idea for vegas. one could have a bacholar party goin on, while someone is getting marrie din the next cart, while another cart is getting some riskay business goin on- its vegas. putting people in an enclose -private box for 30 minutes (thats how long it'll take to go around) you know it can get freakay- also each cart will have its own full service bar and air conditioning (of course)- you never know til its built- then if its a failure- you can point and laugh.

more articles (vegasTAT has great links!)

Desert Passage To Get Makeover
As the Aladdin gets converted to it’s new Planet Hollywood theme, many had been wondering what was going to happen to the similarly themed Desert Passage mall, which is owned by a different company. Now we know… say goodbye to the Arabian Nights and say hello to the Miracle Mile.
That’s the new name for the mall, which will receive a $50 million makeover to strip out the Middle Eastern detail and replace it with a swanky, upscale Madison Avenue style flavor.

The front entrance is already being torn apart to replace it with a Times Square style entrance with giant jumbo-tron style television screens and water features outside and three new outlets just inside: Urban Outfitters, a remodeled and expanded Sephora, and an outlet of the famed Los Angeles restaurant Trader Vic’s. The latter will get a two-level outdoor dining patio facing The Strip.

The exterior changes are expected to be done by the end of the year to coincide with the Planet Hollywood launch and interior changes will continue throughout 2007.

...
Frontier to be Imploded in December… Maybe
There was an interesting article on Forbes.com last week with the architect who is designing the replacement for The New Frontier. In it he stated, with a great deal of confidence, that the old hotel will be imploded in December to make way for construction of Montreaux, a 2,750-rooom resort with a Swiss village theme based upon the famous Jazz Festival town in Europe.
Here’s the problem with the story… nobody else seems to know that the hotel is going to be imploded in December. In fact, nobody that I spoke to could even confirm when, or even if, the hotel is going to close this year, something you figure would have to happen before they blow the place up.

Calls to the press department were not returned and conversations with other casino employees ranged from “Really? December?” to “No, I heard it wasn’t going to be until 2007.” One phone reservation agent put it quite succinctly by saying “We read about it in the papers just like everyone else.”

Regardless of when the hotel will be closed and torn down, it seems the replacement is fairly well set in stone. Montreaux will reportedly have a 100,000-square-foot casino, a mall that opens up onto the Strip, the typical restaurants and nightclubs (some with a jazz theme to honor the namesake), and the typical spa and pool areas associated with a resort of its size.

The centerpiece of the hotel will be the 465-foot-tall observation wheel out front, sort of a giant Ferris wheel on steroids, patterned after the London Eye next to the Thames.

According to the architect in the Forbes.com report it will cost just under $2 billion to build and will charge room rates of around $200 a night when it opens in early 2009.
...
Stratospheric Nightclub
Now that they have closed and dismantled the roller coaster high atop the Stratosphere Tower you may be wondering what kind of dangerous, heart pounding thrill they plan on putting in its place. Well, if they have their way it will come in the form of a packed dance floor.

Officials with the hotel are planning a 7,000-square foot club at the top of the tower that would include an outdoor, revolving observation deck and skyboxes with what would undoubtedly be the best nightclub views in the city.

This is the just the beginning of a bunch of new projects for the Stratosphere including a remodeled and perhaps expanded casino, more shopping, and even a new hotel tower at some point in the future.

...

The Next Wave of Strip Development
So now that most of the big parcels of land from Mandalay Bay to The Sahara have been spoken for, where is future development of The Strip going to go? It looks like south and west might be the direction as a major deal closed last week involving 63-acres of land on the west side of Interstate 15, directly across from Mandalay Bay. The players involved are heavy-hitters including the owner of the Desert Passage mall at Planet Hollywood, Starwood Resorts (Sheraton, Westin, etc.), and Edge Resort, developers of the upcoming W Hotel and Residences on Harmon Avenue. Nobody is getting specific about what they are planning to put on the land but with 63 acres you could develop a project that could rival the $7 billion Project CityCenter or $4 billion Echelon Place developments going in on The Strip, which will take up 66 and 63 acres respectively. The group says they are not going to rush into anything and will make their decisions when they are darned good and ready (I’m paraphrasing). The total value of the land deal? About $200 million. Yes, that works out to just over $3 million an acre.

And you thought land was expensive where you live.

return to the top

But Wait, There’s More
A little bit further south on Las Vegas Boulevard, near the Silverton Hotel and Las Vegas Outlet Center, is a 65-acre parcel of land that could one day house the largest, privately financed sports complex in the country. A Texas-based company says they have a deal in place to buy the land and will build an 80,000-seat stadium and a 25,000-seat arena for major sporting events.

The big, unanswered question is: what events? Several analysts were quick to point out that there is little, if any, chance that a major sports franchise will be associated with a Las Vegas facility due to skittishness over nearby gambling. Both the NCAA and NFL have resisted any attempt to bring big-time events to the city and other major and college-league sports have remained mum about the town as well.

Full details of the plan for the stadium and arena should be announced soon and may clear up some of the mystery but I’m taking a “believe it when I see it” approach on this one.
....

Golden Nugget Expansion To Break Ground in June
Construction on a fourth hotel tower at Downtown’s Grande Dame the Golden Nugget is expected to begin in June of this year, all part of a massive overhaul of the aging hotel by its new owners. Landry’s Restaurants bought the property last year and has been in the process of a $100 million facelift for months now that includes revising and upgrading the hotel’s dining facilities, remodeling rooms, updating the spa and theater, a new sports book and poker room, a new nightclub, and new décor in the lobby and other public spaces.

The biggest changes will surround the aforementioned new hotel tower, being built across the street to the north, and a dramatic new pool area that will feature a 30-foot-deep aquarium with all manners of undersea life separated from the swimming area by a see-through wall.

The bulk of the upgrades will be done in time for the hotel’s 60th Anniversary at the end of August with the hotel tower coming online sometime in late 2007.
...
More Outlets for Your Shopping Addiction
The hugely popular Las Vegas Premium Outlets near Downtown Las Vegas will undergo a major expansion soon that aims to add nearly 100,000 additional square-feet of retail bliss to the facility. Considered a bit of a risk when it opened in 2003 mostly due to its location in the neglected Downtown area, the shopping center has been drawing big crowds of tourists and locals since day one. Details about the new expansion were not released except to say that the additional outlets would hue closely to the upscale model that fills most of the storefronts in the facility today. Construction could begin as soon as this fall.
...
What’s That Smell?
The Equestrian Center at the South Coast, a large indoor arena with outdoor stockyards designed to host various events of the horsing around variety, opened recently and while it drew praise from the people (and presumably animals) there to use it, it is drawing criticism from some neighbors. Why? Well, think about what a thousand horses and a couple thousand head of cattle smell like. Yeah. Although the animals are not there all the time, large events generate a lot of odor and some residents in the surrounding community are apparently not too happy about it. Officials with the hotel say most events to be held at the arena won’t be as big (or as smelly) as the ones that inaugurated the facility and that they are actively working on odor control methods.

By the way, in case you’re wondering: they load it all on trucks and take it out to a compost site in the desert near the town of Pahrump.
...
“Fremont East” Project Moves Forward
The latest in a string of development projects designed to “rescue” a struggling Downtown Las Vegas appears to moving full-steam ahead with the unveiling of details for “Fremont East,” an eight-block stretch of Fremont Street extending from Las Vegas Boulevard to 8th Street, just east of the Fremont Street Experience.
A redevelopment plan has been in the works for some time, aimed at turning the seedy mixture of gift shops and rundown motels into a hopping nightclub and entertainment scene – sort of a Vegas version of Bourbon Street. Included now in the plans is a major landscaping effort that will redo the entire area with a retro ‘50s theme including neon signs down the middle of the street, gateway arches at both ends of the district, and wider sidewalks to add room for al fresco dining and the anticipated cafes and saloons that may open there.

The El Cortez, the only major hotel-casino in the area, is getting a makeover to coincide with the Fremont East effort. It has already received some much needed sprucing up in the guest rooms and a few of the public areas but more is on the way with revised entrances, new carpet and marble throughout, and updated machines in the casino.

A couple of new nightclubs are already operating in the area including a Vegas version of the popular LA and NY Beauty Bar, but more are on the way according to city officials. As part of the incentive program, potential tavern owners pay about a third of the norm for a liquor license but in return have to promise at least four nights of live entertainment so expect lots of music in the future for Fremont East.

The street improvements are expected to begin in August and be complete in early 2007.
...
Rita Rudner Show To Close
This is getting annoying. A couple of weeks after the announcement of the closure of one of my Vegas favorites, “Avenue Q,” comes the surprise announcement that Rita Rudner’s very popular (and very funny) stand-up stint at New York-New York is over come this June. The hotel will reportedly turn the space into yet another nightclub (just what we need) and Rudner was quoted in the Las Vegas Review Journal as saying that she is in negotiations to move to another property this fall.

But just in case a new home for Rudner doesn’t come through, you should do yourself a favor and catch her show before it closes. It’s one of the funniest, most entertaining experiences in town.
...
Southern Highlands Wins Approval
Southern Highlands, the new “locals” casino hotel planned for the southern part of Las Vegas, won approval from the Clark County Commissioner to bring in the construction crews and get to work. The resort will be built at the intersection of St. Rose Parkway and Interstate 15 about 10 miles south of Mandalay Bay and will feature a 3,200 room hotel (done in phases with the first phase containing about 1,400), a huge casino, restaurants, entertainment facilities, and more. Ground breaking on the first phase is expected this summer with completion anticipated for early 2008.
...
Stratosphere Suicide
A 27-year old man from Bristol, England climbed two security fences and threw himself off the top of the Stratosphere Tower on Saturday, February 3. Authorities have ruled the death of Neil Greg Roberts as a suicide. Sadly this is not the first time that people have chosen this dramatic way out as an exit. Despite alarms, fences, and security personnel three other people have leapt to their deaths from the top of the more than 1,000-foot tall tower.
.....
Lady Luck Closes
A downtown staple for more than 40 years has closed its doors, at least temporarily. The Lady Luck hotel and casino was shuttered on Saturday, February 11 in anticipation of an extreme makeover. The company that runs the joint still isn’t saying what they intend to do with the place but rumors seem to indicate that it will not be as radical as tearing it down and starting over but will be more than just a new coat of paint. Expect major overhauls from the ground up with a new casino, new restaurants, new rooms, and more. There is also no firm opening date but early 2007 is likely.
...
Harrah’s Considering Extreme Makeover
Word out of the Harrah’s corporate offices seems to indicate the company is considering a massive redevelopment of several of its flagship Las Vegas properties that could wind up being the biggest project in the city’s history. This is all just rumor and conjecture so far based on rather opaque comments from the company’s executives, but what they are apparently considering is taking a wrecking ball to everything between Harrah’s and Flamingo Road all the way back to Audrie Lane and beyond. This would include Harrah’s, the Imperial Palace, The Flamingo, O’Shea’s, the now closed Bourbon Street hotel, and Barbary Coast if they decide to buy it from competitor Boyd.
All of this is in addition to consideration being given to revamping or perhaps starting over on the Bally’s property.

Harrah’s is already the biggest casino company in the world in terms of properties and value but they are behind MGM Mirage in the Las Vegas market, which has more hotels and more revenue. Leveling the block would give Harrah’s more than 150 acres to play with, which by way of reference, is about 2 ½ times the size of the lot on which MGM Mirage is building its $5 billion Project CityCenter, a massive development of hotels, a casino, condos, and more between Bellagio and Monte Carlo.

Expect an announcement on the company’s Las Vegas plans in the first half of 2006.
...

THATS ENOUGH FOR NOW

[JonVegas]

Yes, Le Reve stinks. I was bored the whole time. Ave. Q was fantastic.

[ScottG]

Guests Evacuated During Circus Circus Fire

June 21, 2006 07:33 AM PDT




Investigators are looking into what caused a fire at the Circus Circus late Tuesday night.

The two-alarm fire broke out just before midnight between the walls of a building on the east end.

Firefighters quickly put the fire out but it did spread from the first to the third floor. As a precaution, 250 guests were evacuated while firefighters made sure there were no hot spots.

Officials say no injuries were reported.


isnt this the second fire at Circ, over the past 3 years?



....

North Las Vegas Ranks Near Top of List

June 21, 2006 09:41 AM PDT




North Las Vegas is the second-fastest growing city in the nation. That according to the U.S. Census Bureau which cites the population boom as the reason for the ranking.

According to the Census Bureau, North Las Vegas' population grew by 11.4-percent, from 158,540 in July 2004 to 176,635 in July 2005.

North Las Vegas has remained in the top three ranked large cities in the country in terms of growth since 2003.

The fastest-growing city is Elk Grove, California, a new city south of Sacramento.

Three other Nevada cities make it into the top 50-fastest growing. They are Henderson which ranked 20th, Reno which ranked 30tha and Las Vegas which ranked 42nd.

....

BTW

The PINNACLE site is still vacant, BUT driving past it you will see a new billboard, displaying a nice renderings of the towers and a marquee saying 'VISIT OUR SALES OFFICE" (or something like that) with an arrow point across the street. The pinnacle has both side of the billboard, both pointing across the street. i couldnt see any sales office across the street tho.

nice to see it movin along

Westward Ho site could join mixed-use craze

>Well that's nice, now build the thing. I'm sick of people juggling land back and forth.

Westward Ho site could join mixed-use craze

Tharaldson Cos. planning $1.8 billion resort after purchasing 14 acres

By JENNIFER ROBISON
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Just months after it bought the Westward Ho on the Strip, Centex Destination Properties has ceded most of the property to a partner involved in the purchase.

And plans for the site have shifted from a high-rise condominium project to a $1.8 billion mixed-use resort tentatively set to include 1,000 condominium-hotel units, 600 residential condominiums, a 600-room hotel, an 80,000-square-foot casino and 200,000 square feet of retail.
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"It sort of goes along with what everyone else is doing, with what the Stardust is planning next door (with the $4 billion Echelon Place) and what MGM (Mirage) is doing (with the $7 billion Project CityCenter)," said Gary Tharaldson of the Tharaldson Cos., a North Dakota business that is the new majority owner of the Westward Ho site. "It's the only use you can build when you pay the kind of money we paid."

Centex Destination Properties and Tharaldson bought the Westward Ho parcel together for $145.5 million in September, with Centex as the managing partner. Centex Destination Properties is a subsidiary of publicly traded Centex Corp., a Texas home builder with a market capitalization of nearly $6 billion and $14 billion a year in sales.

In March, a separate Tharaldson business shelled out $170 million to buy all but one acre of the 15-acre plot. Centex continues to own the one-acre sliver that Tharaldson didn't buy.

David Atwell, a real estate broker specializing in properties on and around the Strip, said the land's location could boost its prospects.

"It's dynamite. It's between two major hotels," Atwell said. "They're not making any more Strip property. It's like having gold bars in the bank."

Tharaldson said he wasn't sure when construction on the now-vacant Westward Ho site would begin.

However, he said he was readying plans for county approval and preparing for the construction-permitting process. He noted that it took two years to finish planning and development paperwork and begin construction on the Bond, a five-story, 118-unit timeshare a Tharaldson affiliate is building near Russell Road and Interstate 15. The Bond is scheduled to open in 2007.

Tharaldson said he will finance the construction of the Westward Ho land's condominiums through his existing business.

Because he hasn't owned a gaming property before, Tharaldson said he's considering a joint venture on the casino with an experienced industry operator. If he strikes such an agreement, Tharaldson said, he'll seek casino-construction funds from institutional investors and banks on Wall Street.

The 24-year-old Tharaldson Cos. encompasses a multitude of businesses. A development division builds hotels, while a property management entity operates 355 hotels with 6,000 rooms in 36 states under nameplates such as Marriott's Residence Inn, Courtyard and Fairfield Inn brands and Hilton's Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites concepts. Tharaldson has also built and operated Holiday Inn Express and Comfort Inn properties.

In Las Vegas, Tharaldson developed four hotels clustered around Russell and Interstate 15: Las Vegas Courtyard, Las Vegas Fairfield Inn & Suites, Las Vegas Holiday Inn Express and Las Vegas Residence Inn.

On March 31 -- the same day Tharaldson closed on its majority takeover of the Westward Ho property -- Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds bought 130 Tharaldson hotels for $1.2 billion. Tharaldson said Whitehall is under contract to buy 10 more of the company's properties.

Whitehall, a Goldman Sachs-managed real-estate investment firm, has retained Tharaldson as the hotels' property manager.

Tharaldson is also slowly unloading its ownership interest in Urban Village, a mixed-use project that Centex Destination Properties is developing on Las Vegas Boulevard South near Cactus Avenue.

Urban Village will include about 2,700 homes. C.J. Julin, vice president of marketing for Centex Destination Properties, said it will also have a "resort-style amenity and club" and commercial space with restaurants, entertainment and retail. Centex officials haven't yet planned the size and design of Urban Village's commercial space.

"With I-15 right there and a large part of the Las Vegas market being from Southern California, the access point with the Cactus interchange that's going to be put in is exciting," Julin said. "We're not going to have a casino, but casino developers are in that area, and with the proposed airport location (in Ivanpah), the South Strip is really a great place to have a development in Las Vegas. We're excited about the opportunity we have down there."

Tharaldson assembled the 48.6-acre Urban Village site in 2004 for about $71 million, Clark County Assessor records show.

Tharaldson said he has sold about 30 percent of the site to Centex, and will spin off the rest of the property to the home builder as it builds out the land.

Julin said company officials shifted their efforts from the Westward Ho parcel to the Urban Village project because Urban Village is further along in the development process and will enable Centex to sell homes sooner.

The company is already accepting reservations for its four-story brownstones, which will range from 870 square feet to 1,805 square feet and are priced from $375,000 to $795,000. Grading on the site began in May, and residents will move in about two years from now.

By contrast, it could take up to three years to obtain plan approvals and building permits on a high-rise condominium tower, and an additional two years to build the property. That places residential occupancy about half a decade away.

Tharaldson said investors frown on publicly traded companies that hold undeveloped land for several years, and the pressure to "turn their money every four to six months" led Centex officials to approach him about buying most of their share of the Westward Ho acreage so they could focus on Urban Village.

"Wall Street doesn't like the time it takes to build a high-rise," Tharaldson said.

Julin declined to discuss any profit Centex made on flipping its Westward Ho holdings.

But Tharaldson said the $24.5 million difference in the property's purchase and sale prices likely wasn't the quick profit it looks to be on paper.

First, while the Centex purchase closed in September, the sale price was likely negotiated several months earlier, he said. Thus, it took well over six months for the price to jump from $145.5 million to $170 million.

Second, Centex demolished the 700-room Westward Ho.

"Centex tore the building down and incurred some additional costs during that period," Tharaldson said. "It's not all profit."

Atwell agreed.

"Any time you can sell for more than you paid, it's worthwhile, but I think this was more a prearranged deal for (Centex)," Atwell said. "I don't think anyone walked away making a lot of money on it."

Tharaldson said that though he's committed now to building his mixed-use resort, he wouldn't rule out selling the land if its value jumped significantly.

"You've always got to be taking a look at what your best options are," he said. "If prices continue to rise, the nice thing is, you always have the option of exchanging it for something else. I think you've always got to keep your options open. But from the day I bought it, it had casino rights, and I was going to figure out a way to do that part of it."

The Battle Against High Rises

>NIMBYs to the bitter end, this is LAS VEGAS BLVD for crying out loud. Anyone with half a brain would know by now that you wouldn't be able to live your pseudo peaceful life in your house on LAS VEGAS BLVD especially after seeing all the developments over the years.

Council to weigh height proposal

Developers, property owners pitted against neighborhood residents

By DAVID McGRATH SCHWARTZ
REVIEW-JOURNAL

A proposal to limit building height along Las Vegas Boulevard to 60 feet or five stories will come before the City Council on Wednesday, pitting property owners and developers against many residents of the influential John S. Park neighborhood.

Some of downtown's biggest names in development have joined to oppose the plan, hiring a firm to collect signatures from residents in opposition and lobbying the mayor and members of the City Council.
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The proposal has raised concerns about development outside the area, said attorney Frank Schreck, who is representing certain property owners and developers.

"This is a horrible precedent," he said. "Anybody who has some political power can change development standards in whole sub-districts. Who knows where it's going to go?"

Bob Bellis, president of the John S. Park Neighborhood Association, which has vocally pushed the proposal, dismissed the idea that such restrictions could spread.

"This is a unique neighborhood. You can use the slippery slope argument for anything," Bellis said. "The mayor talks about the core of the city being healthy. We are the core. The city came to us and asked us to help. We've done our part."

Bellis and his neighbors worry that high-rises would ruin the historic feel of the neighborhood, while increasing traffic and blocking sunlight.

The proposal would change the Downtown Centennial Plan, which the council passed in 2000 to encourage downtown growth, by loosening restrictions on things such as building height. This proposal would limit the size of buildings on the east side of Las Vegas Boulevard, between Oakey and Charleston boulevards.

The proposal could face a split City Council. Mayor Pro Tem Gary Reese, who represents the area, has pushed the proposal. Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian, who represents the west side of Las Vegas Boulevard, said late last week that though she hasn't reached a final decision, she is concerned about stalling development along that stretch, saying it could hamper the spread of development from the Strip to downtown.

Schreck said developers including Irwin Molasky, Barnet Lieberman and David Mitchell oppose the plan, as do owners of the Stratosphere and Golden Nugget casinos. So too does Pete Eliades, owner of the strip club Olympic Gardens and $60 million worth of adjacent property he has assembled that would be restricted, Schreck said.

But he also contends that the majority of the neighborhood is not backing the proposed plan. He said 210 households have signed a petition that opposes the plan.

Bellis said he has about 200 signatures in favor of the ordinance. Many people have gotten the competing petitions confused, he said, and opponents have nagged residents to the point where he has called police on a signature-gatherer who was "hounding" residents who wouldn't sign his petition.

The neighborhood has killed high-rise projects in the area.

But Bellis said the blanket restriction is needed because "this could go on forever. People coming with more and more proposals, and we're spending our entire lives at Planning Commission meetings, City Council meetings. It's not fair to the neighborhood."

Not all residents are against high-rises.

Mike Ganson, who lives in the neighborhood, said that high-rise development would increase property values and improve the area by getting rid of the seedy bars and strip clubs on that section of Las Vegas Boulevard.

"The government is trying to steal my property rights without just compensation," he said.

Bellis said that if developers had their way, there would be a curtain of buildings abutting houses and blocking out the sun.

Schreck said some developers looking to build retail space across the street are counting on having people living on the east side of Las Vegas Boulevard. The message that the council would send to the development community and the banks who finance these projects would be a backtrack from the council's aggressively development-friendly stance, he said.

"This is beyond belief. The Centennial Plan was meant to encourage development. This guts part of it and causes uncertainty for the rest," Schreck said.

City Attorney Brad Jerbic said that approval of the proposal would not set a legal precedent or cause such restrictions to be more easily instituted by the City Council.

If the update to the Centennial Plan passes, the plan "will be as easy to change as it is today, as it was yesterday."

It would not be the first time that a Las Vegas City Council has imposed a height restriction. About 12 years ago, he said, the City Council put a height restriction on Charleston Boulevard, between Rancho Drive and Valley View Boulevard to limit buildings to two stories or less.

[CHAPINM1]

That height restriction proposal is a crock of shit! That would be like putting a height restriction along 42nd Street in NYC...

[Downtown Joe]

Originally Posted by CHAPINM1

That height restriction proposal is a crock of shit! That would be like putting a height restriction along 42nd Street in NYC...

What's really a crock of shit is the "planning" by the Planning Department and City of Las Vegas. They approve highrise after highrise with absolutely no discussion of parks, amenities, bus pull out lanes, street widening, sidewalk widening or other aspects of building a successful downtown. They want to permit 500 foot tall buildings on tiny lots, with insufficient traffic access, with nothing but ugly concrete for the first 200 feet for the parking garages. They say "yes" to every proposal put before their noses and make no meaningful demands as to aesthetics, amenities for residents, or fit within the city.

If Las Vegas is going to be the Manhattan of the west, we need a Central Park or even 1/4 of a Central Park. And other than Sam Cherry's projects and the furniture joints, most of the existing projects are pure b.s. which will never get built. The City needs to figure out how to identify real developers from those who are trying to make a quick buck by getting site development plan reviews passed, which create building entitlements for two years, based upon nothing more than pretty architect drawings and the empty promise of a representative that they will really try to get financing and a construction company.

Until the City does some actual planning and draws in a mix of office buildings, lowrise and midrise buildings, a grocery store and other amenities, condos and mixed-use buildings that are designed for actual residents rather than weekend visitors, downtown will remain a mess. Other cities actually plan for redevelopment. It's time the City of Las Vegas does the same.

[Kirk_B]

Originally Posted by Downtown Joe

What's really a crock of shit is the "planning" by the Planning Department and City of Las Vegas. They approve highrise after highrise with absolutely no discussion of parks, amenities, bus pull out lanes, street widening, sidewalk widening or other aspects of building a successful downtown. They want to permit 500 foot tall buildings on tiny lots, with insufficient traffic access, with nothing but ugly concrete for the first 200 feet for the parking garages. They say "yes" to every proposal put before their noses and make no meaningful demands as to aesthetics, amenities for residents, or fit within the city.

If Las Vegas is going to be the Manhattan of the west, we need a Central Park or even 1/4 of a Central Park. And other than Sam Cherry's projects and the furniture joints, most of the existing projects are pure b.s. which will never get built. The City needs to figure out how to identify real developers from those who are trying to make a quick buck by getting site development plan reviews passed, which create building entitlements for two years, based upon nothing more than pretty architect drawings and the empty promise of a representative that they will really try to get financing and a construction company.

Until the City does some actual planning and draws in a mix of office buildings, lowrise and midrise buildings, a grocery store and other amenities, condos and mixed-use buildings that are designed for actual residents rather than weekend visitors, downtown will remain a mess. Other cities actually plan for redevelopment. It's time the City of Las Vegas does the same.

AMEN to That!!!

[Bender13]

Downtown Joe, great post. I totally agree with you that downtown needs better planning. I've said it before that downtown needs much more than just high rises for the rich to be successful. The city has done a great job in attracting developers, most cities wish they could have this many proposals. Now they just need to follow up. They have developers interested in downtown. A little better planning can steer those developers into creating a great downtown. More mixed use, more mid and low rise residential for middle class people.

And something I believe strongly about, better public transportation. If everything goes as we hope and most of these projects are built and downtown gets full of people, if it's still auto oriented, traffic will be horrendous, with all those people living there. Light rail here is dead, but hopefully that high speed bus thing that replaced it can work just as well. A street car that just serves downtown and improved bus service can make a huge difference.

I'm going to use Portland OR. as an example for good public transportation. They have a light rail, downtown streetcar and great bus system. and the best part, in a big area of downtown public transportation (streetcar, bus) is free, as long as you stay within that area. There's no need to use a car when your down there. Now I don't expect Las Vegas to get as good a system as Portlands, but it is a good example. If Las Vegas want a successful downtown transportation is a huge part of it, and now is the time to be planning it.

Sky Las Vegas Topped Out

The tower has topped out. A Fir tree was hoisted to the top per tradition.

Estimated six months remaining until occupancy.

The Pinnacle Opens Sales Office

>Nice to see this project's chances of being built increase. The towers are nice and will serve to expand the city skyline westward.

The office has a nice 3d scale model of the towers. The Pinnacle project will cost $850 million.

[ScottG]

Stardust Stops Taking Reservations Past Nov 1
As you most likely know, the Stardust is closing at the end of 2006. The Las Vegas R-J is reporting that they are no longer taking reservations after November 1st, and may possibly move it up to October 1st.

Evidently Boyd Gaming, owners of the Stardust, are concerned that they will not be able to provide a positive customer experience due to employees fleeing the closing property for more stable employment opportunities as closure nears.

"We're hoping to continue operation (unless) employee ranks become a problem," (Boyd Spokesman Rob Stillwell) said.

Stillwell said the company is concerned that it will not be able to maintain customer service standards after Nov. 1 because of employee migration to other properties, retirements and other factors.

Stillwell said the Stardust even could move the date for not accepting reservations forward to Oct. 1 if too many employees leave the property quickly.