Las Vegas Metro Development News

[JMK]

A new parking structure near the arena comes with a big change in how parking is handled on the strip,

MGM RESORTS TO CHARGE FOR PARKING AT LAS VEGAS STRIP CASINOS

MGM Resorts International will break from a long-standing Las Vegas tradition and begin charging customers to park at the company's Strip resorts as part of a $90 million strategy to "expand and enhance" the company's parking infrastructure.

The parking fees will go into effect sometime between April and June the company said in a Friday statement, which also announced plans for a $54-million, 3,000-space parking structure MGM will construct near the northwest corner of the Excalibur.

The parking structure will help serve visitor growth and attendance at the company's nearby resorts and entertainment venues, including the 20,000-seat T-Mobile Arena, The Park retail and restaurant complex, and the new 5,000-seat Theater at Monte Carlo.

Construction of the new parking facility is scheduled to begin later this spring with completion scheduled in the second quarter of 2017. An MGM spokesman said customers using the new garage will be able to access the T-Mobile Arena and other nearby locations via a short walk along Frank Sinatra Drive, which runs underneath Tropicana Boulevard.

As part of the vehicle program, MGM Resorts will charge parking fees at all its Strip resorts. The company operates nine Strip developments, including the CityCenter complex, MGM Grand, Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, and The Mirage. Circus Circus will continue to have free self-parking, but there will be a fee to valet park.

http://m.reviewjournal.com/business/...-strip-casinos

[dragonsky]

Cirque du Soleil plans changes for ‘Believe,’ ‘Love’ and ‘O’

Changes are underway at three Cirque du Soleil shows on the Strip thanks to “Mindfreak” magician Criss Angel and The Beatles widows Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison.

“We’re going to be major overhauling the Criss Angel ‘Believe’ show with him. He’s bringing in all-new illusions, new lighting, new costumes, and we’re probably going to do a name change, too,” Jerry Nadal, Cirque’s senior VP of resident shows, told me.

“We’re going to be major overhauling the Criss Angel ‘Believe’ show with him. He’s bringing in all-new illusions, new lighting, new costumes, and we’re probably going to do a name change, too,” Jerry Nadal, Cirque’s senior VP of resident shows, told me.

“ ‘Love’ is undergoing a major refresh right now. We’ll go down mid-February and come back at the end of February with a whole refreshed version of the show, then have a grand celebration probably in June,” said Jerry in our interview.

The third show that could undergo changes is “O” at Bellagio. Jerry continued: “ ‘Ka’ is in great shape. We haven’t had to touch that. I think if we’re going to look at the next one we may refresh, it’s going to be ‘O.’ We’ve never really touched that.

“There’s a lot of repeat business in there, and even just from the technical standpoint, there is so much other equipment out there that we could do, like the colors of the water making them more vibrant with projections.

http://lasvegassun.com/vegasdeluxe/2...e-love-o-bell/

[JMK]

First park on the Las Vegas Strip to open in April

http://www.lasvegasnow.com/news/firs...-open-in-april

A new outdoor mall off the Las Vegas Strip will debut in April just days before the nearby T-Mobile Arena's opening night.

MGM Resorts International announced Tuesday that its outdoor entertainment development known as the Park will open April 4.

It's located between the New York-New York and Monte Carlo casino-hotels and will feature green spaces, street performers and restaurants.

The walkway will lead to the company's 20,000-seat T-Mobile Arena, which opens April 6 with a concert featuring The Killers band, and a forthcoming 5,300-seat theater at the Monte Carlo.

MGM Resorts announced this month it would build a 3,000-space parking garage at the neighboring Excalibur site for the arena area visitors and begin charging parking fees at most of its properties.

[dragonsky]

Las Vegas Sands Wants Stadium for UNLV, Possibly Raiders

The billionaire owner of the Las Vegas Sands casino company wants to help build a domed stadium on the UNLV campus and is meeting with the owner of the Oakland Raiders, company officials said Thursday.

Sands spokesman Ron Reese said the casino company envisions a public-private partnership to build a $1 billion, 65,000-seat stadium that could be shared by a professional team and UNLV. The Sands would likely partner with other investors and might seek to draw on public revenue sources, such as hotel room tax revenue earmarked for promoting tourism.

Sands owner Sheldon Adelson has scheduled a Friday meeting with Raiders owner Mark Davis. Reese didn't elaborate on the nature of their discussions and the Raiders declined comment.

Adelson's company includes the Venetian and Palazzo hotel-casinos on the Las Vegas Strip as well as casinos in Macau, Singapore and Pennsylvania.

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval commissioned a tourism infrastructure committee to screen ideas to attract more visitors and "nothing will move that needle like a new world-class stadium," Reese said in a statement about the development, which was first reported by Nevada political journalist Jon Ralston.

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireSto...iders-36582434

[dragonsky]

Las Vegas Sands proposes $1B domed stadium

Casino giant Las Vegas Sands Corp. will lead a consortium of investors planning to build a $1 billion domed stadium on 42 acres near the University of Nevada, Las Vegas that would house the school's football team — and possibly a National Football League franchise.

Andy Abboud, Las Vegas Sands' senior vice president of government relations and community development, said Thursday that Las Vegas needs a modern stadium with at least 65,000 seats to drive additional tourism to Southern Nevada.

"We are moving forward with the stadium concept with or without an NFL team," Abboud said Thursday. "We see a lot more opportunities — conference championships, bowl games, NFL exhibition football, boxing, soccer, neutral site games, and music festivals. There is an entire segment out there."

The project, so far only a concept, involves Los Angeles-based Majestic Realty Co. and UNLV, which bought 42 vacant acres along Tropicana Avenue east of Koval Lane earlier this month. UNLV wants to move its football program from the aging Sam Boyd Stadium in the east valley to a new facility closer to campus. A donation through the UNLV Foundation covered the $50 million site purchase.

Abboud said the project would be a "public-private partnership" in which Las Vegas Sands or the Adelson family would contribute an unspecified large portion of the financing. He said the company, which operates The Venetian and Palazzo, as well as casinos in Macau, Singapore and Pennsylvania, also could raise financing for the project.

Abboud said Las Vegas Sands may seek legislative approval for diversion of hotel room tax revenues that now support the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to the project. The company plans to present its idea in February or March to the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee, which is tasked with finding ways to further grow the tourism economy.

"Nothing will move that needle like a new world-class stadium," Abboud said.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/busines...-raiders-owner

[dragonsky]

Public funding would cover two-thirds of UNLV stadium costs

A domed stadium proposed for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas football team has a price tag of $1.2 billion, and developers would seek $780 million in public financing, according to a document provided by Las Vegas Sands Corp., which is leading a consortium behind the project.

Private investors would contribute $420 million toward the planned 65,000-seat stadium, with various tourist-driven tax sources — commercial conveyance on taxicabs, rental car taxes or hotel room taxes — providing the bulk of the funding.

Las Vegas Sands announced plans for the domed stadium on 42 acres near UNLV last week. Andy Abboud, Las Vegas Sands' senior vice president of government relations and community development, said Las Vegas needs a modern stadium to drive additional tourism to Southern Nevada.

The stadium would house the university's football team and possibly a National Football League franchise. Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis met with Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson to discuss the proposed stadium Friday.

According the 22-page presentation, legislative action would be required to establish a budget and funding formula for the public financing. Lawmakers would need to authorize creation of a Stadium Authority Board to oversee the 42-acre site.

Enabling legislation for a “fee”-based source of public revenue is required for the $780 million in public money.

According to the presentation, the domed stadium would open in 2020 if construction were to begin in 2017.

Las Vegas Sands said the domed stadium would provide $600 million to $800 million in total annual economic benefit, including $200 million in direct construction wages and $300 million annually for Las Vegas resort and retail sector.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/busines...-stadium-costs

[dragonsky]

NFL sends memo to teams about Raiders' possible move to Las Vegas

Hours after Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis visited Las Vegas on Friday to explore a new home for his team, the NFL sent a memo to all 32 franchises that said the league has no rules against moving to any particular market.

The memo, first reported by the Los Angeles Daily News, specifically addressed the talk of Las Vegas as a possible destination for an NFL team and addressed Davis' tour of the proposed stadium site along Tropicana Avenue.

Much of the buzz around Las Vegas luring the Raiders has centered on whether the NFL would bar their move because of the state's legalized gambling. However, the memo tells the teams there are no preconceived rules regarding relocation.

The memo directed the teams to not assume that a move to Las Vegas would be vetoed by the league. It said the NFL, which needs 24 yes votes by owners to move a franchise, would take Las Vegas as serious as any other prospective home for relocation.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/...move-las-vegas

[dragonsky]

Beer Park by Budweiser at Paris Las Vegas Opens

http://lasvegassun.com/photos/galler...0/BeerPark/#/1
http://beerpark.com/

[dragonsky]

Raiders owner Mark Davis says 'brand would do well' in Las Vegas

Speaking for the first time since visiting Las Vegas on Friday, Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis said Monday the prospect of moving his team to Nevada is "interesting" but he's not sure how well it would be received by the rest of the NFL.

Davis, speaking on a podcast with San Jose Mercury-News columnist Tim Kawakami, said he had a "great meeting" in Las Vegas, where he toured the 42-acre site near UNLV that Las Vegas Sands Corp. has proposed building a $1.2 billion domed stadium.

Davis said he met with casino giants Sheldon Adelson and Steve Wynn, Ultimate Fighting Championship owner Lorenzo Fertitta, UNLV president Len Jessup and former school president Donald Snyder.

"I think Las Vegas is coming along," he said. "I don't know if the environment is correct for the National Football League or not. That's for the other (31) owners to decide."

However, Davis said the "the Raider brand would do well there." The NFL circulated a memo late Friday that the league would consider all cities as possible relocation sites.

Davis reiterated that he is not interested in moving the team, even temporarily, to Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, current home of the San Francisco 49ers and this week's Super Bowl 50 site.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/...well-las-vegas

[dragonsky]

Wynn Las Vegas plans to build a two-story, 86,502-square-foot shopping center addition with a basement, according to papers published by the county.

The shopping center, intended to have retail outlets and restaurants, will be situated southwest of the Wynn Las Vegas parking garage and north of the resort’s main gate. Plans also include a colored concrete sidewalk along Las Vegas Boulevard South and fabric awnings outdoors.

The building is designed to have a “flat roof with parapet wall and corniced edges at varying heights” as well as facades with “varying geometrical shapes and depth,” according to the county papers.

SLS Las Vegas, meanwhile, intends to open a three-story, 52,000-square-foot building with a pool on top and convention space below, county papers show.

The SLS convention building, meanwhile, follows the announcement last year that Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. would take over management of the Lux tower at SLS and turn it into a W Hotel by the end of September.

The new convention and pool building will be in a courtyard area at the center of the SLS, near the soon-to-be W tower.

The roof will include a bar, bathrooms and back-of-house area to support an “outside bar/nightclub with swimming pool,” according to county papers. A statement from when the W project was announced said the redone hotel tower would feature a an “exclusive outdoor pool and bar” called Wet.

Both plans were approved by the Zoning Commission at its meeting today.

http://vegasinc.com/business/gaming/...521.1416105941

[dragonsky]

• Video Link

[dragonsky]

Will video game arena come to Las Vegas Strip?

The Las Vegas Strip may eventually be home to an arena for competitive video games if one Chinese company gets its way.

Beijing-based Ourgame International Holdings Ltd., the parent company of the World Poker Tour, wants to build multiple arenas for competitive video games, or e-sports, around the globe — and it sees Las Vegas as a prime location. Ourgame already runs such an arena in Beijing, and officials said this week that the company was teaming up with a group of other Chinese businesses to expand to other countries.

Frank Ng, Ourgame’s chief executive, said in an interview that he would like to see at least a dozen e-sports arenas worldwide within the next three to five years. If one came to the Strip, it would probably function similar to the company’s Beijing version, a 14,000-square foot complex comprising a 200-seat arena, a broadcast studio, hundreds of gaming stations and more.

http://vegasinc.com/news/2016/feb/12...-to-the-strip/

[JMK]

Originally Posted by dragonsky

Beer Park by Budweiser at Paris Las Vegas Opens

http://lasvegassun.com/photos/galler...0/BeerPark/#/1
http://beerpark.com/

Went to the beer park SB weekend it was packed but a fun venue

[JMK]

Lucky Dragon Construction Set to Halt Due to Lack of Funds

The plug’s reportedly being pulled on construction at the boutique Lucky Dragon Hotel & Casino on the beleaguered north end of the Las Vegas Strip.

A source with knowledge of the project says a scenario many predicted and dreaded will soon come to pass. Lucky Dragon has burned through its capital, and other potential sources of funding to complete the project have dried up.

We’ve made frequent stops at Lucky Dragon to track its progress, and recently noted the building’s distinctive red windows now cover the entire exterior of the nine-story hotel tower.

Sadly, indications are that work inside Lucky Dragon are about to be put on hold indefinitely.

Serious concerns about the financial state of Lucky Dragon arose in November 2015 when the project’s developers took the drastic step of appealing to the Las Vegas City Council for $25 million in subsidies to keep Lucky Dragon moving forward. The attempt to shake loose public funds was rejected.

At the time, real estate developer Andrew Fonfa and gaming executive William Weidner warned they might have to slow or stop work on the project without the assistance of the city. Approaching the City Council was a Hail Mary pass, as we’ve yet to come across another case in Southern Nevada history where public funds have been used to fund a hotel-casino.

http://vitalvegas.com/lucky-dragon-c...lack-of-funds/

[dragonsky]

Second electric car company plans manufacturing plant in Southern Nevada

A second electric car company is planning to build a manufacturing plant in Southern Nevada, and it's further along in development than Faraday Future — it has two car models it is showing off in Las Vegas this week.

Executives with 2050 Motors, which has a distribution agreement with China's Jiangsu Aoxin New Energy Automobile Co., Ltd., said Friday they are evaluating sites to build a plant in Las Vegas.

The 2050 Motors vehicles are the first electric vehicles manufactured with carbon fiber materials. That makes them lighter and stronger than conventional vehicles, giving them added range. Company officials say their cars will have a range of more than 200 miles on a charge.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/busines...outhern-nevada

[tateyb]

T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to Open Spring 2016

Construction has been steady following the ground breaking in May of 2014. The final steel beam was erected in May 2015, officially topping out the structure. With an opening concert by The Killers scheduled for April 6, 2016, exterior and interior work continues quickly. Two webcams hosted on ArenaLasVegas.com capture this progress. The scoreboard lies on the bowl floor for now, awaiting hoisting, as the seating takes shape on the periphery.

[dragonsky]

The UNLV Campus Improvement Authority, comprised primarily of university regents and casino industry executives, agreed Tuesday to see what a committee that will make recommendations on a variety of tourism infrastructure improvements decides on a stadium proposal before determining what action it will take next.

The authority board, now chaired by Regent Michael Wixom, will wait until late March to determine what it will do next. The Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee will discuss March 24 a $1.2 billion stadium proposal that was pitched last month by Las Vegas Sands.

The Sands proposal includes a 65,000-seat domed stadium that would be built on 42 acres at Tropicana Avenue and Koval Lane. It's far enough away from McCarran's north-south runways that height restrictions wouldn't be an issue.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/busines...hority-revived

[dragonsky]

Monorail exec: One by one, Las Vegas can address all of its troubles

Where do you see the Monorail in five years?

I expect the system will be connected to Mandalay Bay and Sands Expo. I also envision we will have leveraged those connections to further integrate the system into how meeting and convention organizers plan and conduct events.

In 10 years, we will have leveraged our connections to conventions to also be connected to the airport.

What can we do to encourage the use of public transit?

Our bus system is one of the most efficient public transit systems in the United States. Still, we can always improve on what we have. The express routes and high-frequency routes have significantly improved service for thousands of commuters and made transit relevant to many residents who otherwise might not have considered it as a travel mode. We should support expanding those services and augment them with other options, including light rail when and where it makes sense.

http://vegasinc.com/business/2016/fe...of-its-troubl/

[dragonsky]

One month to go: Crews put finishing touches on Strip’s T-Mobile Arena

http://lasvegassun.com/news/2016/mar...e-arena-vegas/

[dragonsky]

The "Bliss Dance" sculpture created by artist Marco Cochrane is seen during an unveiling at The Park, MGM Resorts International's outdoor dining and entertainment district, on Friday, March 4, 2016. The 40-foot statue of a dancing woman weighs 7,500 pounds.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/la...istrict-photos