I had to delete the previous thread because gave us problems, sorry about that.

Completely? So no link to the original thread?

Not bad timing actually. A fresh start for Vegas!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8359/8309080001_26bd5ec4d6_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22746515@N02/8309080001/)
Vegas in the desert (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22746515@N02/8309080001/) by Bert Kaufmann (http://www.flickr.com/people/22746515@N02/), on Flickr

6xi7vx9JlxQ

I stayed at the Tropicana last time I was in Vegas and I can definitely confirm that a makeover is LONG overdue. Good news.

Guys, there's an inssue with copying whole articles here. please:

- copy only the first paragraph or an excerpt
- name the source
- link the whole article.

Thanks.

6xi7vx9JlxQ
The weather fenomenal? Is she a tourist visiting Las Vegas in mid-february?:lol:

tjosre are great news !! las vegas babe!

Why is this thread so dead? What happened to other non casino projects that might have kept this thread alive?
Or is it that there is absolutely nothing new going on there? What went wrong?
I remember this thread three years ago and was buzzing with so much activity even if there were cancellations.

Why is this thread so dead? What happened to other non casino projects that might have kept this thread alive?
Or is it that there is absolutely nothing new going on there? What went wrong?
I remember this thread three years ago and was buzzing with so much activity even if there were cancellations.

Can you say "Dead dead DEAD"?!!!

ALL of the architecture firms are IMPLODING - most of the firms that are still standing have only 2 or 4 persons left. Even the firm where I was a Senior Architect at is down from over 160 persons to just under 10 or less now.

There is absolutely NO work here at all - even the Fountainbleu and Echelon were started - and were stopped.

Fountainbleu had a couple storys to enclose near the top with their curtain wall, and it still stands open with all sorts of infiltration of birds and other flying rodents - they only "restarted" to close off the elevator shafts so no further water damage would occur - and that one's 61 or 62 stories. They spent a couple BILLION dollars on it so far, and they will have to spend that much in YESTERDAY'S dollars to finish the whole interior - so it's just a big shell. The new owner says he plans to mothball it for a LEAST TEN YEARS till he can justify it - he got it at a bankruptcy auction.

Echelon managed to get to the first couple floors of raw steel and then stopped - so now we have this nice pile of rusting steel right next to Desert Inn super arterial that crosses the Strip - nice visual. They did manage to enclose the mechanical building so the brand new newly installed AC equipment, etc. wouldn't be totally trashed if and when they restart.

All the casinos have been bought out over the years so now there are only a couple very large casino owners - and NONE of them are doing even any remedial/upkeep work - it's that bad here...

This is the design for a new City Hall for Las Vegas that is LEED-certified.

http://christopherswope.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/las-vegas-city-hall.jpg

Do you have any idea when they will begin construction on the new city hall?

Will it be located in Downtown Las Vegas?

October 2010

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4111/5062028214_88fdee699c_b_d.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tevensso/

There is a rumour that because of problems with its concrete skeleton, The Harmon (of Project CityCenter) will have to be dismantled. If I had a plan to replace that tower, I would propose a 30-storey boutique hotel with 500 rooms and a steel skeleton. Norman Foster will be angered if he found out about what is wrong with the Harmon.

The Harmon rumor is confirmed according to Vegas Today and Tomorrow.
Link (http://blog.vegastodayandtomorrow.com/2010/11/14/rumor-confirmed.aspx).

Such a shame, has such beautiful cladding.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2738/4457921863_8f24e4fbbd.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mschroeter140/4457921863/)
The Harmon Hotel (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mschroeter140/4457921863/) by mschroeter140 (http://www.flickr.com/people/mschroeter140/), on Flickr

Just tear the Harmon Hotel down and rebuild it exactly as it should have been the right way. No implosion needed since there are many good-looking structures that will be damaged if this happens. I said this because many architecture critics would hate to see a building designed by Norman Foster to be dismantled before its time.

Abortion in Vegas. It is like a fetus being pried out of its mother's stomach just two weeks before its birth.

VEGAS VEGAS VEGAS HAPPY NEW YEAR :dance:

What? Are they going to tear it down? :S

Maloofs In Talks To Sell Controlling Stake in Distressed Palms Casino (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-06/leonard-green-tpg-said-in-talks-to-take-controlling-stake-in-palms-casino.html)

So, for us outsiders, what is happening with City Center? How many buildings are stalled? How many are cancelled? And, for the ones open, how is business? Locals, please share, (unbiased of course)...

^^Yes please. I want to know too.

Anyone know about hospitals in Las Vegas? I have some questions.

UNLV had a press conference today regarding the new proposed stadium... http://www.unlvnow.com/

**All Pictures are from UNLVnow.com**

http://www.unlvnow.com/images/Location/roof.jpg

http://www.unlvnow.com/images/Location/ground.jpg

http://www.unlvnow.com/images/Location/residential.jpg

http://www.unlvnow.com/images/Location/upper.jpg

Las Vegas Review Journal (http://www.lvrj.com/sports/new-stadium-proposal-at-odds-with-unlv-stadium-plan-115608974.html)

Three-facility downtown stadium proposal would compete with UNLV dome
Special To The Las Vegas Review-Journal

Mark Anderson
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Feb. 8, 2011 | 5:29 p.m.

The dazzling Feb. 1 presentation by a development group promising to not only build a 40,000-seat domed stadium at UNLV but remake its campus appears to have hit its first significant hurdle.

A separate group, International Development Management LLC, that hopes to construct a three-venue sports complex downtown is lobbying the Board of Regents to vote against approving an exclusivity negotiating agreement for the UNLV venture.

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2011/02/08/Picture2_t653.jpg?214bc4f9d9bd7c08c7d0f6599bb3328710e01e7b


The regents have called a special meeting for Friday to discuss whether to enter into such an agreement with a group led by Southern California billionaire builder Ed Roski and Silverton Casino president Craig Cavileer.

On the face, it appears the two projects have little in common, but the first to build a stadium in the valley probably ends the chances of a second being constructed in the near future.

IDM also hopes to attract UNLV's basketball, football, baseball and soccer teams as tenants for $1 per year plus event expenses. The group plans to construct a 50,000-seat stadium, a 17,500-seat arena and a 9,000-seat ballpark that also could house the Triple-A 51s.

51s executive director Don Logan said previous stadium proposals that fizzled have taught him to temper his enthusiasm before true progress is made.

"You just want to get to the whole root of it," Logan said. "I think everybody (with the 51s) is aware of the talk, but at this point, it's just talk."

IDM says its $1.58 billion project could be ready to begin construction by October and open two years later. Spokeswoman Lee Haney said this project has been in the works for two years and has quietly lined up financing. An IDM document states no tax money is needed.

"We need the regents to be aware we're moving forward and our project is viable," Haney said. "We don't want them to tie their hands and have a situation where they couldn't work with us."

The project, called the Las Vegas National Sports Center, would be on a 70-acre parcel in Symphony Park. City of Las Vegas spokesman Jace Radke noted the city can only discuss an arena project in that location with the Cordish Cos., a Baltimore-based developer that the city has been negotiating with for years.

Radke said the city has not been in talks with IDM CEO Chris Milam "because we have an (exclusive negotiating agreement) with Cordish. We're bound from talking to anybody else."

Haney said IDM is "working in conjunction with Cordish" because they have similar interests. She said IDM is interested in the sports complex and Cordish in the retail side.

"They are having discussions with Cordish," Radke said. "That's our understanding."

IDM clearly is a competitor of the UNLV Now project presented by Roski and Cavileer that not only would build a stadium on campus but create student housing, hotels and parking garages that would almost completely change the face of the university.

Haney pointed out that by the competing group's own admission, it was light on specifics and not far along.

The IDM document also is critical of placing a stadium so close to the airport and of the disruption that would be caused by changes to Swenson Street. IDM also stated Roski and Cavileer's group seeks $100 million from UNLV alumni to get started.

Attempts to reach Cavileer for comment were unsuccessful.

Regent Mark Alden said "unless something changes," he won't vote to give UNLV Now exclusive negotiating rights.

"Anybody who reads the material and does a full analysis would vote no," Alden said. "If they wouldn't, they're not very bright."

Regents chairman James Dean Leavitt said he planned to enter the meeting with an open mind.

"Absolutely, and I always encourage other members to do the same," Leavitt said.

UNLV athletic director Jim Livengood said he was aware of the downtown proposal, but didn't have enough information to comment on it. University president Neal Smatresk did not respond to a text message for comment.

There probably would be concern on the part of UNLV officials about moving four of its sports downtown, but Haney said playing in what would be professional facilities would help recruiting.

She said IDM has talked to different pro leagues about bringing a team to one of the potential new venues. Haney said, however, no agreement is in place and that, contrary to reports, there never was one with an NBA team.
[...]

DesertXpress high-speed rail project rolls forward
Officials say report is a step forward in Obama’s transportation plans
By Richard N. Velotta (contact)
Las Vegas Sun
Friday, March 25, 2011 | 4:22 p.m.

DesertXpress, a proposed $6 billion high-speed rail line that would link Las Vegas with Victorville, Calif., cleared another major hurdle Friday with the Federal Railroad Administration’s release of its final environmental report on the route.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the completion of the environmental impact statement, a document that was reviewed by five federal agencies, during a press conference at UNLV’s Science and Engineering Building.

The announcement also included presentations by Sen. Harry Reid, Nevada Department of Transportation Director Susan Martinovich and UNLV President Neal Smatresk.

DesertXpress officials had expected the environmental report to be completed by the end of 2010 so the fact that was completed was no big surprise. But transportation experts say the announcement is significant because it is one of the first reports involving high-speed rail transportation, an important piece of President Obama’s transportation initiative.

An environmental report was completed for a high-speed rail line between Tampa and Orlando, but that project is in jeopardy because Florida Gov. Rick Scott in February rejected federal money for the line.

Reid, LaHood and Martinovich didn’t answer specific questions about the report because they hadn’t seen the document, which was posted by the FRA earlier today.

One of the key aspects of the report is the location of the Las Vegas train station. Experts familiar with the project say the preferred site for the station is at Russell Road and Interstate 15.

The draft environmental report also considered two sites at Flamingo Road and I-15 and one in downtown Las Vegas, but the Russell Road site is preferred because of the additional cost of continuing the line farther north.

Additional right-of-way would have to be acquired to run the track to Flamingo Road or downtown and tracks would have to be elevated.

The rest of the report outlines preferred routes of the dual tracks that would run 185 miles, primarily along the I-15 corridor between Las Vegas and Victorville. The report analyzed several alternative corridors on portions of the route with the objective of avoiding desert tortoise habitats and other environmentally sensitive areas.

While DesertXpress officials attended the event, they didn’t participate in the conference with LaHood, Reid, Martinovich and Smatresk.

After the conference, Andrew Mack, chief operating officer of DesertXpress Enterprises, explained how important completion of the report is.

“It’s really significant for DesertXpress because it means that the six years of hard work by the federal and state agencies has reached a conclusion and it sets the path forward for final permitting so we can start the project,” Mack said.

Mack said he’s still uncertain when the company will be able to break ground for the project, but Reid said during the press conference that he was hopeful that it would occur before the end of the year.

DesertXpress has applied for a $4.9 billion loan through the Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing program, which provides direct federal loans and loan guarantees to finance development of railroad infrastructure.

Under terms of the program, funding may be used to develop or establish new intermodal or railroad facilities and direct loans can fund up to 100 percent of a railroad project with repayment periods of up to 35 years and interest rates equal to the cost of borrowing to the government.

If approved, the loan would be more than four times the amount the program has loaned to 28 railroad projects that have received loans through RRIF program since 2002.

Since 2002, the program has lent $1.02 billion with the largest loan, $233 million, going to the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad in 2003.

The FRA has hired an independent analyst to determine if ridership estimates, $50 one-way fares and other ancillary revenue will be enough to pay back the loan and prevent taxpayers from footing the bill.

The DesertXpress high-speed rail project would travel 185 miles through federal lands, a national preserve and two states.

LaHood and Reid had no update on the status of the loan request.

Mack said his company may not borrow the total amount in the request and has been awaiting the final environmental report to determine which route alternatives would be approved to determine a final cost of the project.

Transportation consultant Tom Skancke, who advises local government officials and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority about transportation matters, said today’s announcement “is a big victory in the transportation world.”

“It’s a big victory for the Obama administration’s vision of high-speed rail in the United States and a big victory for Sen. Reid in helping Nevada get the nation’s first high-speed rail transportation system,” Skancke said.

“This is also a great model as a classic public-private partnership,” he said. “Public-private partnerships often are criticized because companies seek up-front money for their projects. In this case, DesertXpress has invested a lot of their own money to get the environmental reports completed and are now going to the government with this loan request to build the project.”

Reid also said the project is important because of the jobs it would provide. He said DesertXpress would bring 35,000 jobs to Clark County alone with construction, operation as well as suppliers and vendors for the project. Several thousand more jobs are expected to be created in Southern California once the project begins.



Read More: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/mar/25/desertxpress-high-speed-rail-project-rolls-forward/

http://i.bnet.com/blogs/ca-vegas-hsr-map-desertxpress-corridor.jpeg

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2011/04/07/DSC_0465e_t653.jpg?214bc4f9d9bd7c08c7d0f6599bb3328710e01e7b

Henderson unveils plan for $1.5 billion health, retail campus
Estimates include 17,000 initial jobs, billions in tax revenue
By Paul Takahashi (contact)
Las Vegas Sun
Thursday, April 7, 2011 | 2:26 p.m.

For the past nine months, Henderson has kept mum about plans for a 171-acre, city-owned lot at U.S. 95 and Galleria Drive.

On Thursday, city officials and developers unveiled a master plan for an integrated hospital and retail campus called Union Village. It’s an ambitious, privately funded $1.5 billion project that developers say is expected to generate 17,000 jobs, including construction, on-site positions and those created to support Union Village.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Mayor Andy Hafen said. “It’s going to revitalize our community. This is the good news that we’ve been looking for in a really bad economic time … This could be the project that gets us booming again.”

Union Village will be one of the nation’s first integrated health villages, a concept of a mixed-use development anchored by a hospital and senior retirement community. The project will have four components, according to the master plan.

Union Centre will be the focal point of the development, housing a state-of-the-art Rose de Lima Campus operated by St. Rose Dominican Hospitals.

The center will have a rehabilitation hospital, senior wellness centers, specialty care facilities and space for a children’s hospital in the future, said Rod Davis, president and CEO of St. Rose Dominican Hospitals.

Davis said the 214-bed hospital would serve a dual purpose: Replace the more than 60-year-old Rose de Lima Campus at 102 E. Lake Mead Blvd. and help relieve overcrowding at the newer Siena Campus at 3001 St. Rose Parkway.

Union Plaza will be a mixed-used development featuring 300,000 square feet of retail and another 300,000 square feet of medical office space, residential apartments and a midrange hotel. In addition, the European village-style Plaza will include a multiscreen movie theater, a 24-hour fitness and rehabilitation center, restaurants and outdoor cafes. The primary developer of this retail section will be Juliet Cos., developer of the Green Valley Crossings and Lake Mead Crossings in Henderson.

Union Place will offer senior independent and assisted living housing for 1,200 full-time residents. The senior housing complex will be built around a clubhouse with four dining facilities, a spa, theater, several lounges, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and boccie courts.

“This is going to be like Dave and Busters meets Leisure World,” Union Village partner and developer David Baker said. “This is not going to be a place to get warehoused to. This is going to be a place for (seniors) to get connected.”

Union Park will be the cultural center and house the expected $63 million Henderson Space and Science Center, a performing arts center and future education research centers for fields such as nursing. The $1.5 billion cost does not include the space and science museum, which will have its own developers.

Union Village developers said they chose Henderson because Southern Nevada is ground zero for the economic recession and because Nevada faces a health care crisis. Baker quoted a Commonwealth Fund study that found Nevada to be 47th in the nation for the quality of its health system and 50th in children’s health care.

The project will bring better quality health care to the valley, developers said, in addition to changing the perception of hospital centers by adding retail, commercial and residential facilities.

“I personally don’t know of any other project of this magnitude in the country,” Hafen said. “We really do believe this is going to be the model for the future.”

Project developers expect Union Village to attract 15,000 to 30,000 people daily to its campus in one of Henderson’s redevelopment districts. Construction is expected to take four to eight years. Thursday’s announcement marks the beginning of the public input process for the sale and development of Union Village. Henderson City Council will hear the developer’s proposal at its April 19 meeting.

David Baker, a partner and developer of Union Village, unveils the master plan for one of the first health care and mixed-used developments in the country on Thursday, April 7, 2011 at the Henderson City Hall.

City Financial Manager Mark Calhoun said he didn’t know how much the land would sell for, but estimated it could be as high as $20 million. The land was purchased by Henderson in the early 1990s for a sports complex that never materialized.

“We were hanging on to it for the right project,” Calhoun said. “This is an excellent project for this piece of land.”

If the sale and financing goes according to plan, developers said they expect to begin to finish the city’s efforts to fill in the gravel pit on the property and start grading the land for groundbreaking by the end of the year. The three-phase project is expected to bring in 4,000 to 6,000 construction jobs and an estimated 5,000 permanent jobs.

“We know this is just the beginning of our process, not the end of it,” Baker said, adding there is still a lot of work to be done. “This is not a press pronouncement, but a press announcement.”

Henderson has seen a number of mixed-used developments fail in the recession, and Baker said he couldn’t guarantee the success of the project.

He did, however, say he was confident in his project partners, which include HKS Architects, Hammes Co. health care consultants, the Haskell Co. design builders, the local Penta construction and the Nevada AFL-CIO.

“We think this is a great team and a great project,” Baker said. “This is the right project in the right place by the right people at the right time.” It’s also an investment that will pay for itself multiple times over during its 80- to 100-year life span, Baker said, adding he expects the project to generate $10 billion in tax revenue over its first 25 years.

Hafen said the hospital being the anchor of Union Village would set this mixed-use development apart from other failed projects throughout the valley.

“With that unique twist, it’s going to be farther removed from some of these other commercial developments that may be having a little bit more of a difficult time,” he said. “This will succeed.”



Read More: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/apr/07/henderson-announces-plans-works-15-billion-health-/

Let's get this thing goin'!

http://image1.masterfile.com/getImage/NjAwLTAxMTk1MDU3bi4wMDAwMDAwMA=AMm$AW/600-01195057n.jpg


full article for this one:
Las Vegas Review Journal (http://www.lvrj.com/business/sports-complex-developer-has-eye-on-site-sought-by-desertxpress-122280379.html)

Sports complex developer has eye on site sought by DesertXpress

By Howard Stutz
© 2011, LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: May 19, 2011
Updated: May 20, 2011

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2011/02/08/Picture2_t600.jpg?42b0fb247f69dabe2ae440581a34634cbc5420f3

Two multibillion-dollar Las Vegas developments appear to be targeted for the same piece of vacant desert, though no one appears to know how -- or even if -- the two can coexist.

Earlier this month, the 63-acre site west of Interstate 15 across from Mandalay Bay was revealed as the proposed home of a $1.95 billion, three-stadium sports complex.

The developer said he would ask lawmakers to make it a special taxing district to help finance construction of the venues, which would include a new home for the Las Vegas 51s Triple-A baseball team he plans to buy.

What Texas developer Christopher Milam hasn't said in various presentations and public statements: The same 63 acres were identified in March as the preferred station site for the $4 billion DesertXpress high-speed train connecting Las Vegas with Victorville, Calif., proposed by another private company.

Milam, asked about the possible conflict, said Thursday his three-stadium Las Vegas National Sports Center and the train station might be able to share the site. "The drawings indicate the station is not very large," Milam said in an email. "We believe we could accommodate what's shown in these drawings by integrating the station into our venue master plan (probably tied to the stadium). That could yield a terrific result."

But how the two might coexist is unclear. "We are not, however, railroad engineers or financiers, and no one from (Desert*Xpress) has approached us about integrating this prospective station into our development," Milam said.

Today, Milam's representatives in Carson City are expected to deliver a 300-plus-page binder to all state lawmakers while detailing the multiple-stadium project and its potential economic impact. But nowhere in a binder reviewed Thursday by the Review-Journal was there a single mention of a train station on the site. It's unclear why that detail was omitted.

DesertXpress' promoters identified the station site, bordered by Polaris Avenue on the west, Dean Martin Drive on the east, Hacienda Avenue to the north and Russell Road to the south, in an environmental impact statement issued in March. The train's developers also named a potential alternative in the environmental impact statement, which is now under review by the Federal Railroad Administration.

Authors of the environmental impact statement said the site's advantages include proximity to the south end of the Strip and to McCarran International Airport, and the fact that it is "undeveloped and would not require displacement or demolition of any existing development."

The site is owned by a consortium of banks that obtained it through foreclosure, but Milam says he has signed a sales agreement and has put down a nonrefundable deposit. While he now controls the site, he says he would complete the deal only if he moves forward with the stadiums. Milam said Thursday that the landowners were unaware of DesertXpress' station plans, and that he discovered it while doing diligence on his deal.

Greg Gilbert, legal counsel for DesertXpress, said the company hasn't taken a stance on any potential Las Vegas station site, and has identified another possible location west of Interstate 15, just off Flamingo Road near the Rio. "It's premature for us to have a position on any location," Gilbert said. "This is not an adversarial issue."

Milam's group, International Development Management, is asking the Nevada Legislature to create a special taxing district at the site to help pay for the project, which would include a 9,000-seat baseball park, a 17,500-seat arena for a National Basketball Association team, and a 36,000-seat stadium for a Major League Soccer squad.

Milam said this week the stadium project might be scuttled unless the Legislature approves the special taxing district, which would add a 12 percent ticket sales tax for any event at the three arenas. The legislation would also allow stadium owners to keep sales, live entertainment, property and other taxes generated there for reinvestment in the facilities.

Meanwhile, real estate analysts say DesertXpress principals would likely seek to acquire the site through eminent domain. According to the environmental impact statement, almost all of the site -- 57.09 acres -- would be needed for the train station and related facilities to serve more than 4 million passengers per year.

The high-speed trains would travel at speeds of up to 150 mph and transport passengers 186 miles between Las Vegas and Victorville in about 80 minutes. It's envisioned that the line eventually would extend to Palmdale, Calif., where it would link into an ambitious statewide high-speed rail project.

DesertXpress has some big-name supporters, including U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Las Vegas marketing executive and political consultant Sig Rogich has ties as an investor to DesertXpress Enterprises LLC even as his public relations firm, The Rogich Communications Group, represents Milam and the stadium development. A representative of Rogich declined comment Thursday.

In October 1988, Los Angeles-based Weststate Land paid roughly $5.73 million for 58 acres of the current stadium/station site. In 2004, the company bought the adjacent 4.2 acres for $8.3 million. Six years ago, the stadium/station site was valued at $15 million to $20 million per acre, according to real estate analysts.

The acreage, slightly smaller than the 67 acres that houses CityCenter, is zoned for a hotel-casino; but it has remained empty as land values dropped and the recession halted development and acquisitions.

Lawsuit Over Failed Spanish View Condos Resolved (http://www.lvrj.com/business/lawsuit-over-failed-condo-project-resolved-122261434.html)

http://www.greatlasvegascondos.com/images/spanish_view_towers.jpg

A lawsuit brought to trial by buyers at the failed Spanish View Towers condominium project was resolved Thursday with a confidential settlement, an attorney for the plaintiffs said.

Attorneys advised Clark County District Court Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez that both parties in the case had reached a mutual agreement, said Brian Hardy of law firm Marquis & Aurbach.

Buyers were seeking the return of $3.5 million in nonrefundable deposits for luxury condos at Spanish View Towers, an $800 million project that started construction in 2005 at the Las Vegas Beltway and Buffalo Drive.

[...]

Smith Center For The Performing Arts tower topped out

http://www.pitchengine.com/brands/kirvindoakcommunications/images/145544/TSC042011158.JPG

Old story but indicative of efforts to rebrand and revive developments in the Las Vegas area:

Las Vegas Review Journal (http://www.lvrj.com/business/to-lift-sales-panorama-north-tower-renamed-the-martin-114632279.html)

To lift sales, Panorama North tower renamed The Martin

By Hubble Smith
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Jan. 26, 2011 | 2:03 a.m.
Updated: Jan. 27, 2011 | 11:15 a.m

http://www.vegastodayandtomorrow.com/images_2/panorama_towers_090412.JPG

The third tower at Panorama Towers, formerly known as Panorama North, has been renamed The Martin in a marketing strategy to bolster sales at the 45-story, 372-unit luxury condo development off Interstate 15 at Harmon Avenue.

Like most high-rise condominium projects in Las Vegas, Panorama struggled with sales shortly after construction, with many of the units entering foreclosure or short sale. The original developers were Laurence Hallier and Andrew Sasson.

Panorama Towers' street address is on Dean Martin Drive, formerly Industrial Road, and the name "Martin" conjures up a feeling of classic Las Vegas with a dose of modern glamour, said Alan Mark of The Mark Co., which is overseeing sales and marketing for the property.

In addition to the new name, the rebranding efforts include a new logo, revamped website, and new sales and marketing materials.

Condo units at The Martin are priced from the $200,000s for one- and two-bedroom floor plans ranging from 1,035 square feet to 1,962 square feet.

[...]

Veer Towers Opens (http://www.lvrj.com/real_estate/loft-living-comes-to-strip-at-veer-towers-121826314.html)


http://www.manof1002voices.com/veer-towers-photo-night.jpg

From March:

CBS Vegas (http://lasvegas.cbslocal.com/2011/03/30/firm-ditches-north-vegas-development-plan/)


http://cbslasvegas.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/northvegas.jpg?w=420

Firm Ditches North Vegas Development Plan
March 30, 2011 1:50 PM
Reporting Robert Rytina

NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. (AP) — An architectural firm cited political infighting in North Las Vegas for its decision to pull out of a $500,000 contract to master plan a citywide international business community.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Tuesday that Gensler notified the city of its decision on Monday.

The proposal had drawn criticism from Mayor Shari Buck and Senate Majority leader Steven Horsford as a waste of money for a financially struggling city. Other council members hoped developer Otis Harris’s proposal would spur city economic development.

Gensler oversaw the architectural design of the massive CityCenter project on the Las Vegas Strip. But critics complained other bids weren’t sought for the North Las Vegas proposal.

Gensler official Robert Cousins left open the possibility that the deal could be resurrected if the political differences are resolved.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.

Las Vegas Sun (http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2011/may/20/retailers-optimistic-about-future-las-vegas-market/)

Retailers optimistic about future of Las Vegas market

http://www.realestatechannel.com/news-assets/93506767EM002_Tiffany_Co_Op.jpg

Steve Marcus

Friday 20 May 2011

The Las Vegas retail industry is faring its best since 2008 — in part because of less competition among retailers and restaurants — but analysts cautioned it could take another four to five years before it fully recovers.

“We’re in the best shape we been in three years, and the last six months is the strongest position we have been in as a shopping center industry in that time,” said Nick Hannon, senior vice president of Las Vegas-based Territory Inc., which owns 3 million square feet of retail space in Nevada.

Hannon, who spoke during a forum Thursday to members of NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, said his company has done 23 leases since the beginning of the year – a number that took two years to reach previously, he said.

The retail development industry in Las Vegas continues to have more than 10 percent vacancy in its shopping centers anchored by major tenants. That vacancy, however, is considered closer to 20 percent when factoring in smaller unanchored retail centers sprinkled in neighborhoods throughout the valley.

Territory Inc., which owns such centers at Cannery Corner in North Las Vegas, Centennial Center in the northwest valley and Eastgate in Henderson, has more than a 90 percent occupancy rate overall, which is a reflection of tenants gravitating to larger anchored centers that give retailers a chance to draw from one another, he said. “Of our more than 200 tenants, unless they are bad operators, virtually every one of them has had an increase in sales over the last six months,” Hannon said. “That tells us consumers are starting to open their wallets.”

What’s helping retailers is not only an improvement in the economy but the survival of the fittest since restaurants and retailers have closed in the last three years.

In one example, people see in their own neighborhoods where they may have had 30 restaurants within a three-mile radius of their home, there may be only 20 today. “The dollars being spent by people are spread out over fewer restaurants, because they aren’t competing with as many retailers,” Hannon said. “It’s a natural culling of the economy, and we’re seeing retail improving in this city.” That is reflected by sales tax figures that show consumers spending more on retail goods and in restaurants.

Despite the improvement, landlords are finding it difficult to attract tenants they once did because of the 60 percent-plus decline in the Las Vegas housing market. In the past, entrepreneurs borrowed equity from their homes to start a flower shop or yogurt store. “That market is gone, because there’s no equity in their homes,” Hannon said.

Michael Kammerling, a senior vice president of the retail group with Grubb & Ellis brokerage in Las Vegas, said leasing has been the strongest in anchored centers. But centers of 50,000 square feet and less are where the bulk of the vacancy is, and they will remain a challenge to lease. Those centers remain susceptible to foreclosure and only cash mom-and-pop buyers are showing any interest in them, rather than institutional buyers who don’t want unleased centers, he said. Some centers are selling for $45 to $70 a square foot on average, he said.

Even though leasing is up, it’s nothing like it was in the past, and Hannon’s numbers of 23 leases so far this year is probably a quarter of the number when the economy was stronger, Kammerling said. “It’s directly tied to the economy, and our chronic problem in Las Vegas is unemployment,” Kammerling said. “You need it to decrease for retailers to do well and grow. The good news is there won’t be any new developments for several years, and the existing space will be absorbed,” he said. “But I think for retail, considering the unemployment rate, it will take four to five years to get whole in this market.”

That means having an occupancy rate in the low 90 percent range and lease rates based on where values will ultimately be reset because of foreclosed real estate, Kammerling said.

Kammerling said there are plenty of unanchored centers that should never have been built and questions remain on whether they will ever be leased. Those landlords are under financial duress and doing what they can with concessions and rents to lure tenants, he said. Some have gone as low as 75 cents a square foot in the first year to lure retailers, he said.

Analysts said there continues to be a lot of money on the sidelines ready to purchase distressed assets, and Hannon said he expects The District in Green Valley, which has been foreclosed upon, to quietly go on the market in the next month. There should be a lot of interest and Hannon said someone is likely to overpay for the mixed-use center.

Kammerling said he believe the buzz over mixed-use that combines retail, office and residential, in some cases, won’t be returning to Las Vegas anytime soon.“All of the mixed-use attempts in Las Vegas have failed,” Kammerling said. “Many of them were half-built and I don’t think it will be something available for a long time. We have other issues and challenges to resolve.” Kammerling said one exception is the stalled Summerlin Centre, but even that may take 20 years to complete, he said.

Hannon said 50 percent of the leases his company has done are restaurants, which may be a reflection that people are feeling better about the economy. Another factor is that when so many people are opting to live in their home and let it go to foreclosure, that gives them the money to spend eating out, he said.

While some restaurants are doing well, Kammerling said, a majority are just getting by because sales remain below their previous high and operating costs remain high. “Many are struggling, yet people see them full on a Friday or Saturday night,” Kammerling said. “That doesn’t determine how successful you are. You need a solid lunch business and you have to have business during the week.”

Despite the slowdown in the retail industry, analysts remain optimistic about its future in Las Vegas.

Brian Wynne, a project manager with Forest City, which owns the Galleria at Sunset mall in Henderson, said people shouldn’t simply attribute the growth in Las Vegas in the last decade to subprime mortgages and the construction industry. The valley grew faster between 1990 and 2000, and those dynamics aren’t going away, he said. “We’re bullish on that coming back,” said Wynne, who added that population growth will spur the need for more retail. But as for development, “the big regional mall lifestyle centers like Town Square; it’s going to take a while for that (to be built) for sure.”

Kammerling said he’s optimistic, too, that population growth will resume, because Nevada doesn’t need jobs to attract seniors looking to retire. It will take job growth, however, to lure even more people to Las Vegas and foster future development, he said. “The future is bright, but the question is how long will it take for the employment machine to kick in,” Kammerling said. “Gaming and tourism are picking up, albeit slowly, but the question is when does the construction industry come back. It’s not a question of if but when. Hopefully, it’s sooner than later.”

LVhometrends (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=2&sqi=2&ved=0CCMQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lasvegashometrends.com%2F2011%2Findoor-mall-for-summerlin-in-las-vegas-nevada%2F&ei=30rXTc-yEYHCsAOdoZWxBw&usg=AFQjCNH0mfyqrn-VDnTBcB1MJA4avGa8cA&sig2=4Wl8At2u9vZ-n-3N-zxgdw)

Indoor Mall for Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nevada
Posted by Mike West on Apr 7, 2011 in News & Information

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2010/12/08/scaled.1210_IB_Tivoli4_t653.jpg?214bc4f9d9bd7c08c7d0f6599bb3328710e01e7b

Tivoli Village Monday, April 4th 2011 – The developers of Tivoli Village submitted plans to Las Vegas to build a 750,000 square-foot indoor mall and 100 condominium-type units across from its mixed-use development scheduled to open this month.

The project, an effort to provide retail in Summerlin and adjacent areas that analysts said is lacking, is scheduled to open by spring 2015. It provides competition for the half-built Shops at Summerlin Centre, where work was halted in October 2008 amid the recession and its developer General Growth Properties going through bankruptcy proceedings. GGP spun off Summerlin and Summerlin Centre to the Howard Hughes Corp. in November.

The Summerlin Centre plans called for retailers such as Nordstroms and Macy’s, and office and residential development totaling more than one million square feet south of Red Rock Resort. “It’s not a matter of if it’s going to happen, it’s a matter of when it’s going to happen,” said Kevin Orrock, president of Summerlin and executive vice president of master planned communities with the newly recreated Howard Hughes Corp.

Since the company just emerged from bankruptcy in November, Orrock said it’s going to take time to decide a course. The company has projects in 18 states. “We’ve got to get our hands around a lot of developments, and the [Summerlin Centre] site is one of them,” Orrock said. “We can’t do them all at the same time. But this is one of the best regional retail sites in the country considering its location and demographics. It’s served by two full interchanges on the Las Vegas Beltway.”

The newly proposed project is on 23 acres on the north end of the Boca Park retail development, across Alta Drive from Tivoli Village. Its developers are Las Vegas-based EHB Cos. and Israel’s IBD Development Corp., the developers of the adjacent luxury condominium tower One Queensridge Place.

EHB President Frank Pankratz declined to discuss his project as it relates to Summerlin Centre, but with Meadows Mall more than six miles away, there’s a need for a mall to serve the area, he said. “We believe what we’re doing with Tivoli and this, that it will be the trade center of this area,” Pankratz said.

Orrock said he didn’t want to comment about the new Tivoli proposal except to call it “aggressive.”

Retail consultant John Restrepo, principal of Restrepo Consulting, said a mall is needed in the area because residents have to drive to Meadows Mall and other venues. “There’s nothing up there, and that’s why Summerlin Centre was such a big deal,” he said. “I think it’s a good move if timed appropriately. The recovery ought to be moving along by then.”

Pankratz said his planned mall, which will be called Las Vegas Renaissance, is expected to have three big-box retailers and 50 smaller stores that could be accessed by Tivoli Village via a pedestrian bridge over Alta Drive. The hope is that department stores will want to occupy the mall, but Pankratz said no leases have been signed as of yet and none are pending.

The developers opted for an indoor mall because it complements Tivoli, which is more of a boutique retail and restaurant center. Pankratz said there’s demand for large retailers to open in the Summerlin area. Tivoli’s developers acquired the 23 acres in October 2010 for $11.75 million. The property was taken over by City National Bank via foreclosure from Triple Five Development.

The original plans called for nearly 1.7 million square feet of development, said EHB’s Pankratz. The developers are expected to have site plan hearings before the city’s Planning Commission and City Council in May and June 2011, he said.

Pankratz said a timeline for the project hasn’t been finalized, saying it will be driven by the market conditions.

Plan in works for 500-foot, $100M Las Vegas wheel

By OSKAR GARCIA, Associated Press

(05-23) 08:30 PDT LAS VEGAS (AP) --

A developer is rolling out plans to build a 500-foot viewing wheel on the Las Vegas Strip that would be higher than the London Eye and give visitors an unparalleled view of Sin City.

Developer Howard Bulloch of Compass Investments was due to release details of the project Monday at the site across Las Vegas Boulevard from the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino.

Bulloch wants the attraction to open in 2013 as part of a $100 million privately funded project also including a roller coaster and 200,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space.

A rendering of the Ferris-style wheel shows its rotation perpendicular to the Strip. That means views from the 40 gondolas wouldn't be obstructed by other passenger cars.


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/05/23/national/a083022D46.DTL&tsp=1

^^There was many Ferris wheel proposals in Las Vegas in the last decade but none of them got built. Hopefully this time it will get built.

http://photo.vegasinc.com/media/img/photos/2011/05/23/SU-view-04_t618.jpg

Las Vegas developer breaks ground on 500-foot Ferris wheel project
By Sun Staff, Las Vegas Sun
Monday 23 May 2011 9:13 a.m.

The developer of a 500-foot Ferris wheel and amusement park across from Mandalay Bay held a media event today to launch the project.

The Clark County Commission approved the Skyvue Las Vegas Super Wheel project in March, and today with various public officials in attendance, groundbreaking ceremonies celebrated the clearing of the 11-acre site at Las Vegas Boulevard and Mandalay Bay Road.

The Ferris wheel is being touted as the largest in the Western Hemisphere and third tallest in the world. The project is also planned to include 200,000 square feet of restaurants, retail and entertainment uses.

The wheel will have 40 heated and air-conditioned passenger gondolas that each will hold 20 to 25 passengers.

The project is led by Las Vegas developer Howard Bulloch of Compass Investments.

It is scheduled to be completed in the first half of 2013. A similar project proposed for the site stalled a decade ago.

The entire project will include 39.5 acres with 11 acres as part of the first phase. A 1950s-era motel will be demolished as part of phase one.



Read More: http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2011/may/23/las-vegas-developer-breaks-ground-500-foot-ferris-/

^^
And then there's this:

Las Vegas Review-Journal (http://www.lvrj.com/business/fate-of-giant-las-vegas-ferris-wheel-still-up-in-the-air-122491469.html)

Fate of giant Las Vegas Ferris wheel still up in the air


By Tim O'Reiley
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: May 24, 2011 | 2:02 a.m.
Updated: May 24, 2011 | 10:29 a.m.

http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/ap/vegas%20strip%20wheel-2129298560_v2.grid-6x2.jpg

The game of chicken to build a giant Ferris wheel on the Strip drew a little tighter Monday with a public sales pitch by the developer of one project.

While not breaking ground or even clearing a defunct 1950s' motel from his site, Skyvue developer Howard Bulloch unveiled a 23,000-pound bearing needed to make his big wheel go 'round. He timed the ceremony to coincide with the annual REcon convention staged by the International Council of Shopping Centers, hoping to create a sense of momentum that might persuade potential tenants at the show to sign leases.

Skyvue, across the Strip from Mandalay Bay, would have a 500-foot London Eye-style wheel as its centerpiece, with 200,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space at its base and 107,000 square feet of light-emitting diode signs in the middle of the wheel or along the building's side. Bulloch said he has yet to line up financing for the project, which he said would cost $175 million, but vowed to open by the end of 2012. Skyvue would cover about 11 acres of a 38.7-acre parcel Bulloch and his partners purchased a decade ago.

Quick money for construction could be critical because Caesars Entertainment Corp. has mapped out a similar development, Project Linq, adjacent to the Flamingo and the Imperial Palace. Caesars says it has inked $450 million in loans for its wheel and to finish the Octavius Tower at Caesars Palace. The company has not published many final details about Project Linq, beyond covering about 500,000 square feet with a wheel about 500 feet tall.

Dennis Speigel, president of the consulting firm International Theme Park Services, has said he doubts the Strip could support two giant wheels. "The first one out will be the last one in," Speigel said. Big wheel projects have been floated for Las Vegas in the past but none materialized. Now, Bulloch has various government approvals, but not the money, while Caesars has money without final approval from the county.

The popularity of the 443-foot tall London Eye, which has attracted more than 3 million riders a year since 2000, has attracted a slew of imitators from Singapore to New Jersey to Myrtle Beach, S.C. The latest generation of Ferris wheels come with enclosed gondolas -- 22 passengers each for Skyvue -- instead of open-air baskets.

"A giant wheel has become the icon du jour," Speigel said. "The London Eye has been a tremendous success," said Bulloch, who will model ticket prices on London's. The basic ride would cost $20 to $25.

The Monday ceremony also highlighted that big wheels are not financially foolproof. The bearing Bulloch displayed is a leftover from a Beijing wheel that was never built. According to a spokesman, Bulloch paid about $840,000 for the unused, secondhand bearing. Bulloch said he has received letters of intent from potential tenants for 15 percent of the retail space. A letter of intent indicates a formal interest, but not a rental contract.

At least some of the early skirmishing between Skyvue and Caesars has revolved around location. By placing his wheel right on the Strip, at a slight angle to the street, riders will get a better view, Bulloch said. "That is the real appeal, not being off the Strip," Bulloch said.

But Caesars senior vice president Jan Jones depicted Skyvue as relatively isolated. "If I was going to argue location, I would rather have the center of the Strip than being on the end of the south end," she said.

The competing Linq proposal:

http://www.vegastripping.com/images/news/harrahs-the-linq.jpg

To be located at this site:

http://www.vegastripping.com/images/news/ovi-project-linq.jpg

LVR-J (http://www.lvrj.com/business/parking-tangles-stadium-plans-122487849.html")

Parking may double land needed for stadium proposal


By Howard Stutz
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: May 23, 2011 | 11:08 p.m.

http://www.mls-rumors.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/VegasStadium-2LG.jpg

The developer of a proposed three-stadium sports complex might have to nearly double the size of the land required for the $1.95 billion project to account for parking facilities.

Nearly a dozen artist renderings depicting the stadiums on a 63-acre site west of Interstate 15 across from Mandalay Bay show the facilities linked by walking paths through greenbelts.

But the renderings depict zero parking spaces, though the largest stadium would seat 36,000 soccer fans.

Stadium developers are reportedly targeting an estimated 50 acres nearby for parking, event marshaling and facility maintenance.

But unlike the site for the stadiums, which is empty desert controlled by Texas developer Christopher Milam, much of the area planned for parking is already occupied by older single story industrial properties and warehouses. The target site contains more than two dozen land parcels and multiple ownerships, including the corporate headquarters for Herbst Oil Co., a warehouse owned by the foundation of the family that built the Imperial Palace, an NV Energy substation and industrial land owned by Strip headliner David Copperfield.

Two artist renderings in a 300-plus-page binder detailing the development highlight the proposed parking locations. The binders were delivered Monday to state lawmakers who are expected to be asked to create a special taxing district to help finance construction of the venues.

None of the landowners or their representatives contacted Monday said they had been approached by the stadium developer.

"I've been approached before, but not for this," said Jack Breslin, the owner of Breslin Builders, whose office sits on a little more than 2 acres on Polaris Avenue, directly across the street from the planned stadium complex. "Nobody has really heard anything on our side of the street. I think if (the stadiums) get a little more realistic, we'll hear something, and they'll come at us hard."

A spokeswoman for Copperfield said the magician had not been contacted to sell his 3.8 acres at the corner of Russell Road and Valley View Boulevard, which includes a warehouse.

Milam says he controls the land for the stadiums through a signed sales agreement and a nonrefundable deposit. The same land was also identified by another company in March as the preferred station location for the $4 billion DesertXpress high-speed train connecting Las Vegas and Victorville, Calif.

The estimated 50 acres thought to be designated for potential stadium parking is bordered by Polaris Avenue on the east, Valley View to the west, Russell Road to the south and Hacienda Avenue to the north.

In an email, Milam would say only that the stadiums would have several thousand "below-grade" parking spaces on site for VIP valet parking.

A real estate source said Milam's group would seek to acquire and redevelop the sites only if the stadium deal comes to fruition. Traffic studies and road improvements, possibly an expansion to Interstate 15, would also be needed.

As of Monday, landowners around the stadium site were hesitant to tip their hands.

"As far as I know, the Herbsts haven't been approached," said attorney Sean Higgins, who represents Herbst Oil. He said the Herbst family owns 5.2 acres at the corner of Polaris Avenue and Russell Road. The sites house a Terrible Herbst gasoline station and convenience store, Herbst Oil's headquarters, warehouses and the home of Affinity Gaming.

"The family is aware of what's going on across the street, but that's about it," Higgins said.

Attorney Owen Nitz, who represents the Engelstad Family Foundation, which owns almost 2.3 acres on Polaris, said a warehouse on the site was built in the 1980s by the late Imperial Palace owner Ralph Engelstad.

"It's just a warehouse," Nitz said. "I don't know if we would sell. No one has approached us."

While language for the proposed tax district has not been introduced in the legislature, lawmakers were given details about the multiple-stadium project and its potential economic impact.

Milam's group, International Development Management, is asking lawmakers to create a special taxing district at the site to help pay for the project, which would include a 9,000-seat baseball park, a 17,500-seat arena for a National Basketball Association team, and a 36,000-seat stadium for a Major League Soccer squad. Milam also plans to buy the Las Vegas 51s Triple-A baseball team.

He said he stadium project might be scuttled unless the Legislature approves the special taxing district, which would add a 12 percent ticket sales tax for any event at the three arenas.

The legislation would also allow stadium owners to keep sales, live entertainment, property and other taxes generated there for reinvestment in the facilities.

But the site was also named the DesertXpress train station in an environmental impact statement which is now under review by the Federal Railroad Administration. Authors of the report said the site's advantages include proximity to the south end of the Strip and to McCarran International Airport, and the fact that it is "undeveloped and would not require displacement or demolition of any existing development."

Milam thought the stadiums and the train station could coexist on the site by potentially integrating the station into one of the stadiums.

Las Vegas Review-Journal (http://www.lvrj.com/business/casino-montelago-reopening-seen-as-positive-step-forward-for-lake-las-vegas-community-122646384.html)

Casino MonteLago reopening seen as positive step forward for Lake Las Vegas community


STORY By Howard Stutz • PHOTOS By Craig L. Moran • LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: May 26, 2011 | 2:11 a.m.

http://www.onlinepoker.net/poker-news/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/portecochere20night1.jpg

The reopening of a 275-slot machine casino normally wouldn't merit a blip in the land of megaresorts.

But tonight's unveiling of the newest version of Casino MonteLago is being hailed as the latest sign that Lake Las Vegas has put behind two troubling two years of bad news.

The community is celebrating the reopening of Casino MonteLago, which closed 14 months ago. Restaurants throughout the adjacent MonteLago Village are providing food for a preopening VIP party that is expected to attract Henderson officials. Throughout the weekend, various events have been planned, with food and bands.

"We're the only casino opening this year in all of Las Vegas," said Intrepid Gaming President Jon Berkley, whose Las Vegas-based company is operating the 40,000 square-foot casino. "Casino MonteLago will be superelegant, but not arrogant. It will be a fun place." Casino MonteLago will open to the public at 9 p.m. following a fireworks display over the lake.

Ravella at Lake Las Vegas, which reopened in February on the site of the Ritz-Carlton, which was closed 10 months earlier, is offering its 340 hotel rooms for $49 a night through the Memorial Day weekend to celebrate the return of casino gaming to the community.

Casino MonteLago will have 275 slot machines and electronic table games. The casino will not have a live table game pit, but Berkley isn't ruling out adding table games and dealers in the future. He said two expansions in the gaming area are already being planned because of preopening interest. The casino will employ more than 100 workers and have one restaurant.

Berkley said the past few months of readying Casino MonteLago for its reopening, by adding some of the newest slot machines and gaming devices available, made him and the Intrepid Gaming team feel like part of the revived community.

Berkley said Casino MonteLago will market not only Lake Las Vegas, but also to the 22,000 homes adjacent to the community and the 100,000 homes in nearby Henderson. The idea is promote Lake Las Vegas as whole. "That's never been done before with this community," Berkley said. "There is no property anywhere like this."

Berkley told Nevada gaming regulators this month that the reopening of Casino MonteLago would be a psychological boost to Lake Las Vegas, a 3,600-acre master-planned community centered on a 340-acre artificial lake.

Casino MonteLago and the Ritz-Carlton closed within months of each other last year. Two of the development's three 18-hole championship golf courses are closed and operators of the development filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in July 2008.

However, the 493-room Lowes Lake Las Vegas and condominiums at the Aston MonteLago Resort remained operating, along with the Jack Nicklaus-designed SouthShore Golf Club. MonteLago Village, the resort's retail and dining attraction, is more than 90 percent occupied.

Berkley, who lives in Summerlin, said the drive to Lake Las Vegas is easy from all parts of the valley. "The casino is located in the social hub of Lake Las Vegas," Berkley said. "It's important for it to succeed."

Intrepid Gaming is leasing the Casino MonteLago space from Village Hospitality LLC. The company is the fourth operator of the casino since it opened in April 2003 at a cost of $60 million. Berkley said Casino MonteLago was "focused" on positive cash flow.

At the Nevada Gaming Commission hearing, Chairman Peter Bernhard questioned Berkley and his team's commitment to the project given his lack of a personal investment in the casino. "You have no skin in the game," the chairman said.

But Berkley said Intrepid Gaming has put "it's heart and soul" into reviving Casino MonteLago. "All of our skin is in this game," Berkley said.

500-foot wheel on Vegas Strip gets OK from FAA

By OSKAR GARCIA, Associated Press – Wed May 25, 4:13 pm ET

LAS VEGAS – A developer's plan to put a 500-foot observation wheel attraction on the Las Vegas Strip won't hamper operations at nearby McCarran International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The agency's obstruction evaluation group told developer Howard Bulloch of Compass Investments that it expected the rotating wheel with 40 passenger gondolas won't affect aircraft or airport facilities.

The wheel will be about as tall as two nearby casinos, and will be more than a half-mile from an airport runway, the FAA said in its note.

Bulloch introduced the plans for the Skyvue Las Vegas Super Wheel on Monday during a press conference at the site across Las Vegas Boulevard from the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino.

The Ferris-style wheel is part of a $100 million privately funded development that is scheduled to open in 2013. Plans also include a roller coaster, retail stores and restaurants.

The FAA, which doesn't approve or deny plans itself but instead makes recommendations based on its needs, said its blessing comes with conditions that the wheel be properly lit and that if developers change their plans, they tell the agency within five days after construction reaches its highest point.

A rendering of the wheel shows its rotation perpendicular to the Strip, meaning views of the city's famed casino row would be unobstructed. The gondolas would hold up to 25 passengers each and be available to be rented out for private parties with catering and drinks, officials said.

Another tall observation wheel is planned farther north on the Strip, as part of a project linking several Caesars Entertainment Corp. casinos on the Strip's east side.

Developers of the Skyvue project cited the London Eye as one example of why the similar project might be successful in Sin City. The wheel in London attracts 3.5 million visitors per year, they said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20110525/ap_tr_ge/us_travel_brief_vegas_strip_wheel

Wow that's awesome :banana:

G44mi39XO9g

^^ WOW! That is sooo cool! I have to check it out next time I'm in Vegas!

Las Vegas Review-Journal (http://www.lvrj.com/business/proponents-of-stadiums-not-folding-123442734.html)


Proponents of stadiums not folding


By Howard Stutz
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Jun. 8, 2011 | 2:01 a.m.

http://www.contractorsupplymagazine.com/wysiwyg/images/Products/News/Las_Vegas_stadiums_500.png

Proponents of competing Las Vegas stadium projects said Tuesday they aren't ready to throw in the towel though Nevada lawmakers rejected their plan to divert tax money to help finance at least one development. Senate Bill 501, which died Monday at the close of the legislative session, would have allowed Clark County to create a special taxing district for one of three alternate and competing Las Vegas stadium projects: a three-stadium site west of Interstate 15 across from Mandalay Bay; a downtown sports arena; and a stadium on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus.

Majestic Realty, which owns the Silverton, is behind the UNLV proposal and its centerpiece 40,000-seat domed stadium for the school's football and basketball teams. Silverton President Craig Cavileer said Tuesday the bill might have had a better chance if there had been a community consensus on just one project. "That's exactly what happened here," said Cavileer, who spent much of the past week in Carson City trying to drum up support for SB501. "As big a story as we were presenting, the focus needed to be on one project. There has to be consensus with a project of this magnitude when you're seeking a public-private partnership." Lawmakers had raised concerns about stadium financing plans and said they didn't have enough time to iron out problems in a bill that was introduced late in the session. Cavileer said stadium boosters won't give up on his project because UNLV needs it. "It's too important, and we have the components in place," he said.

Texas developer Christopher Milam, who is behind the $1.9 billion three-stadium proposal, couldn't be reached for comment. But Don Logan, a 51s official who helped negotiate the minor-league baseball team's sale to Milam, said the developer was disappointed by the legislative outcome. "He is going to go back to Texas to let the dust settle, and he will take some time to figure out his next plan of attack," Logan said.

Logan said Milam's project, with separate venues for basketball, professional soccer and a 9,000-seat park for the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s on a 63-acre site, would have broken ground by year's end. "The Legislature basically said no to 7,000 construction jobs that could have started in November," Logan said. "It doesn't make sense that this bill didn't pass." Milam has said that without a special taxing district, he might scuttle his project. His purchase of the 51s might be in doubt too. "I can't pay what I agreed to pay for the 51s and leave them at Cashman Field," Milam said in an interview last month.

The Las Vegas stadium bill would have allowed any of the project developers to collect an event ticket tax and to keep sales, live entertainment, property and other taxes generated by the arenas to help pay for their construction. Cavileer said he was disappointed that lawmakers rejected the Las Vegas stadium bill but in the session's final hour passed a similar measure that lets the Triple-A Reno Aces impose a surcharge on tickets, concessions and merchandise to finance downtown ballpark construction bonds. In the final days of the session, Assembly Taxation Committee Chairwoman Marilyn Kirkpatrick, D-North Las Vegas, said Las Vegas stadium boosters failed to produce bond finance experts to explain their proposals. "That puts a real damper on the bill," she said.

The UNLV project includes a retail complex and thousands of units of on-campus housing and hotel rooms, as well as refurbishing the Thomas & Mack Center and closing Swenson Street.

Milam's three-stadium site was named as the preferred Las Vegas station stop for the $4 billion DesertXpress, a high-speed train connecting Las Vegas and Victorville, Calif. The rail project environmental impact statement, under review by the Federal Railroad Administration, said the site's advantages include proximity to the south end of the Strip and to McCarran International Airport and the fact that it is "undeveloped and would not require displacement or demolition of any existing development." Milam has said the stadiums and the train station could coexist on the site by potentially integrating the station into a stadium. Developers were reportedly looking at buying an estimated 50 acres nearby for parking, event marshaling and facility maintenance.

The more modest, single-arena downtown project, called the Las Vegas National Sports Center, would be on a 70-acre parcel in Symphony Park. Las Vegas and the Cordish Cos., a Baltimore-based developer, have been talking about the downtown project for years, but the Milam and UNLV campus proposals dominated the debate in Carson City.

Las Vegas Review Journal (http://www.lvrj.com/business/deal-for-stadium-called-dead-123532489.html)


Deal for stadium called dead


By Howard Stutz
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Jun. 9, 2011 | 2:04 a.m.

The deal to buy land west of Interstate 15 for a three-stadium sports complex has collapsed, ending a Texas developer's plans for the $1.95 billion project across from Mandalay Bay.

John Knott, executive vice president of the CB Richard Ellis Global Gaming Group, who was brokering the deal, said Wednesday the 63-acre sale to Christopher Milam had been canceled. "The discussions ended. It's not happening," Knott said, blaming the collapse on the Nevada Legislature's failure to approve a bill that would have allowed Clark County to create a special taxing district for one of three alternate and competing Las Vegas stadium projects.

The special taxing district would have allowed a 12 percent event sales tax to help pay for construction. "It's unfortunate that the state did this and let the bill die," Knott said. "This was a tremendous project. But the legislation was needed to complete the deal." Lawmakers raised concerns about stadium financing and said they lacked time to iron out problems in the bill, which was introduced late in the session.

The 63 acres are owned by a consortium of banks that obtained the land through a foreclosure. Milam previously said he had a signed sales agreement and had made a nonrefundable deposit. Neither he nor his representatives could be reached for comment Wednesday.

Last month, Milam told the Review-Journal his project couldn't be done without a special taxing district. Milam's group, International Development Management, planned a 36,000-seat stadium for a Major League Soccer franchise, a 17,500-seat arena for an NBA basketball team, and a 9,000-seat baseball park for the Triple A Las Vegas 51s, which Milam was to purchase.

The status of the 51s sale was unclear Wednesday. Milam, who reportedly went home to Texas after the Legislature adjourned, said last month that his 51s deal would die without the new stadium. "I can't pay what I agreed to pay for the 51s and leave them at Cashman Field," Milam said.

Don Logan, the former 51s general manager who helped negotiate the team's sale, said Wednesday that Milam's intention was to close the deal to purchase the 51s and consider "Plan B" for a stadium site, although no location has been selected. He said Milam paid a "significant" nonrefundable deposit for the 51s.

The 63 acres for Milam's project was valued at $15 million to $20 million per acre in 2005. It is zoned for a hotel-casino, and is also the preferred station site for the $4 billion DesertXpress, a high-speed train connecting Las Vegas and Victorville, Calif

[...]

TRD (http://therealdeal.com/)



http://landscaping-blog.co.cc/_cache/landscaping%20business%20startup/img/article_finder_pictures%20of%20las%20vegas%20landscaping%20completed%20projects_2_1.jpg

The developers of Harmon Corner, a $100 million retail and shopping complex on the Las Vegas Strip, broke ground last month. BPS Partners, led by the developer Brett Torino, is constructing the three-level, 110,184-square-foot mall at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon Avenue. BPS had bought the 2.17-acre property last year for $25 million, or $11.57 million per acre; the parcel had been the first piece of vacant land on the Strip to change hands since the recession hit. Walgreens is the anchor tenant of the triangular complex, designed by SH Architecture. The center is seeking other 10-year tenants, with asking rents of around $230 per square foot.

Las Vegas Review Journal (http://www.lvrj.com/business/that-s-a-wrap-las-vegas-sands-finishes-condos-with-giant-cloths-123661284.html)

That's a wrap: Las Vegas Sands finishes condos with giant cloths


By Tim O'Reiley
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Jun. 10, 2011 | 3:04 p.m.



Two-and-a-half years after construction halted, Las Vegas Sands Corp. is now finishing the St. Regis Residences condominiums.

Not that any buyers are moving in.

Instead, the company is wrapping the unfinished portion of what was to be a 50-story tower with giant sheets of cloth printed with the image of a completed building, rather than continue to leave the bare steel framework exposed to the Strip.

Until the company decides what to do with the St. Regis, "We thought it was appropriate to improve it aesthetically in the meantime," said spokesman Ron Reese. "We wanted it to look a little more like it belongs between a pair of five-diamond resorts like The Venetian and Palazzo."

Already, the crane sticking out the top has been dismantled.

Unfinished buildings dot the valley as painful reminders of a real estate bubble that suddenly popped, but few have resorted to what David Baird, the director of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Architecture, termed "urban camouflage."

The Harmon Hotel, part of MGM Resorts' CityCenter, is a reflective glass shell that cannot be razed due to litigation over construction defects. The Octavius Tower at Caesars Palace also has a bare interior, but owner Caesars Entertainment in April completed financing to finish it.

But until now none have tried the kind of wrap that surrounded the Washington Monument during a renovation project in the late 1990s.

Instead, owners simply locked the gates behind them when the money taps were shut, such as at the Echelon and Fontainebleau farther north on the Strip.

Jeff Roberts, a shareholder at the architecture firm Lucchesi Galati, called the wrap an "acceptable" technique to mask unfinished construction.

"I think it is just acknowledging reality," he said.

But for pedestrians on the Strip, he wondered how much of a difference it would make. "If you are right under it, you probably won't see it," he said. "If you are a few blocks away, you might wonder what it is."

He did think it held potential for lighting it up during Halloween.

Baird considers wraps to be psychological salves, removing from immediate view mementos of how far the economy has fallen.

Las Vegas Sands announced the project in September 2008 as a joint venture with Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, part of a condo tower fad sweeping the valley at the time. The St. Regis was planned to contain 398 residences, with prices estimated to top $1 million each.

But as the economy slid badly and its finances deteriorated, Las Vegas Sands halted work two months later, one of several moves taken to bolster the balance sheet. According to company financial statements, $173 million in construction expenses were capitalized, not including $60 million put the tower in mothballs.

Reese did not disclose the cost of the wrap.

LVR-J (http://www.lvrj.com/business/new-entrepreneurs-may-boost-downtown-las-vegas-123707344.html)

New entrepreneurs may boost downtown Las Vegas


By Hubble Smith
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Jun. 12, 2011 | 1:59 a.m.
Updated: Jun. 12, 2011 | 12:48 p.m.


Jared Fisher is no politician, developer or casino mogul, but he represents the future of downtown Las Vegas.

Owner of Las Vegas Cyclery on West Charleston Boulevard, Fisher recently opened a second bicycle shop at the new Bonneville Transit Center on Casino Center Boulevard -- right in the heart of downtown.

Fisher's new venture offers secure bike racks, lockers and showers for commuters who take the bus downtown, then bike the rest of the way to work. He's invested about $30,000 so far, mostly on an inventory of bicycles and parts for sale, computer equipment and riding accessories. The 41-year-old suburbanite said he was willing to take a chance because downtown Las Vegas is slowly changing. "It's becoming kind of a place to actually go down there and have fun instead of thinking, 'I'm going to get shot,' " Fisher said.

Fisher was the only one to submit a proposal for the Regional Transportation Commission's request for a bicycle shop at the transit center. His one-year contract provides free rent for about 1,200 square feet, and employee wages are subsidized. Otherwise, Fisher said, he'd be out of business in two days. "We really haven't made any money," he said. "When I took this on, I knew we wouldn't make any money. That's probably why no other shops bid. I took it on to educate people about cycling and the opportunity to get people to come down here and use their bikes for transportation and not use their cars."

Fisher doesn't have a thriving business yet, but he has plenty of what downtown needs -- faith and willingness to let it ride.

Efforts to revitalize downtown got a boost in December when online retailer Zappos.com announced it will relocate corporate headquarters and as many as 1,200 jobs to Las Vegas City Hall, which will undergo $65 million in renovation. That's good news for a downtown that not long ago was written off as a downscale district of low-rent motels and activities of a shady nature.An independent analysis by Restrepo Consulting Group projects that Zappos.com's downtown campus will have an economic impact in excess of $270 million at full build-out.

Is that enough for downtown to turn the corner? Probably not, but it is an economic shot in the arm. "The evolution of downtown is not going to happen overnight," said Jeremy Aguero, a native Las Vegan and principal of Applied Analysis, a business advisory firm. "It's going to take a lot of effort from a lot of people, not only from the mayor, but from businesses." That means more opportunity for small-business pioneers like Fisher willing to take a chance that downtown's decade-long resurgence -- fueled by artists, the gay community and young people in search of low rent and an urban lifestyle -- is about to blossom.

Civic leaders say Zappos.com's presence can only help. It'll draw a younger, more diverse crowd to patronize the restaurants and bars that have sprung up in the Fremont East District, for starters, and they may even decide to live near their new office, helping develop the residential base that is critical to a vibrant urban core. But while declining real estate values have made downtown more affordable, the transformation from a business and entertainment district to a place to live is at least 10 years away, Aguero said. The reality is that downtown still lacks residential amenities such as a major grocery store, shopping, parks and schools, he said.

[...]

jMDd-V4zxI4

Las Vegas Review-Journal (http://www.lvrj.com/business/plaza-gets-lift-from-failed-fontainebleau-124396613.html)


Plaza gets lift from failed Fontainebleau
By Tim O'Reiley
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Posted: Jun. 22, 2011 | 8:11 p.m.


What would have happened to the Plaza had someone finished the bankrupt Fontainbleau?

After a pause while looking over the carpeting, furniture and wall paper originally intended for what was to be an opulent, $2.9-billion Strip resort, Tony Santo, the CEO of PlayLV Gaming, which manages the Plaza and holds the gaming license, replied, "That is too difficult to answer."

"We talked about that one time over drinks," added chief marketing officer Steve Rosen. "We finally just concluded that we are really lucky."

Santo was retained as a consultant to the Plaza in late 2008, as the deepening recession pushed operations into losses. He quickly concluded that the hotel's reputation at the time, as a place to be endured because it was a cheap sleep, merely paved the road to oblivion.

He had drawn up a more modest renovation plan than the one nearing completion, with the rooms due to reopen on Sept. 1. But the collapse of the Fontainebleau opened up the opportunity to buy enough leftover furniture and fixtures for all 1,037 Plaza rooms at pennies on the dollar.

As a result, the $35 million project launched last November included less than $2 million to outfit the rooms, Santo said.

In a typical guest room, only the bed, TV, linens and black-and-white photos from the Plaza in decades past came from other sources.

"We even got the Fontainebleau wall safes," he said, not to mention bathroom fixtures.

The suites are much the same story, down to the marble-lined bathrooms. The Plaza had to buy some glass-topped tables elsewhere, "and I'm a little unhappy that the Fontainebleau didn't have any," Santo joked.

The project eventually expanded to cover all public areas. The identities of three new eating places and a bar will be announced shortly. They likely won't include a buffet. The Firefly restaurant, housed in the UFO-shaped structure in front, will be replaced by as-yet unidentified steak and Italian restaurants.

"This budget 6 motel has all of a sudden become a beautiful resort," said Rosen. "I think it is really going to surprise people."

But so might the prices. Santo projects that nightly room rates will run from the mid-$40s to well over $100 at busy times, close to double that of the old Plaza.

[...]

Massive Parking Structure At McCarren Finally Complete (http://www.lvrj.com/business/construction-on-new-parking-garage-at-mccarran-now-complete-124495973.html)


Construction has been completed on the eight-level, 6,000-space parking garage for Terminal 3 at McCarran International Airport, general contractor McCarthy Building Cos. said Wednesday.

http://southwest.construction.com/images/2010/08/0801_11.jpg

Spanning 270 feet by 1,024 feet, the garage is one of the largest parking facilities in the United States, McCarthy project manager Paul Dudzinski said. Along with employee, valet, and both short- and long-term public parking, the structure has a single-story office building, toll plaza and roadway for passenger pickup and dropoff.

McCarthy started building the $121.7 million parking garage in December 2008 and logged more than 300,000 hours of work to deliver the project on time and on budget, Dudzinski said.

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2011/06/25/scaled.0625_EDC.008__t653.jpg

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2011/06/25/0624edc16_t653.jpg

Celebrating freedom through the fantastic at Electric Daisy Carnival

The 15th Annual Electric Daisy Carnival has arrived in Las Vegas; music, lights, rides and, of course, the 250,000 beautiful people. A feast for the senses, body and mind fully endorsed by the previous and current mayor, this three-day party solidifies Las Vegas as The Electronic Dance Music Capital of America.



Read More: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jun/25/electric/
Read More: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jun/25/electric-daisy-carnival-celebration-freedom/

Electric Daisy Carnival's three-day party at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is on its way to meeting or beating the crowd numbers posted by America's most beloved alt-pop festival, Coachella. After Friday's 70,000-to-75,000 count, the event was said to have done 85,000 on Saturday. And there's still one day left. Coachella sold 75,000 three-day tickets for its April event (though, in fairness, Coachella tickets did sell out in a week, prompting that festival to add a second weekend for 2012).



Read More: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jun/26/electric-daisy-carnival-grows-even-bigger-night-2/

How many LEED-certified buildings are there is Las Vegas? The Smith Center is one of them, are there any others like the Aria hotel?

Electric Daisy Carnival's Las Vegas venue a hit
The event seems to have found a perfect fit in the desert city, where partygoers danced nonstop and mostly untroubled all weekend long.
By Randall Roberts, Los Angeles Times Pop Music Critic
June 27, 2011

If time-lapse photos existed to illustrate the movements of the crowd during the first two nights of the Electric Daisy Carnival this past weekend at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a bird's-eye view would show clusters of human ants, an estimated 80,000 for each of the three days of the annual electronic music festival, moving in packs within the grounds of the 1,200-acre complex as if by mysterious force.

Zoom in, and patterns would begin to emerge. Within the facility's 1.5-mile oval track, home on most weekends to racing events like the Kobalt Tools 400, thousands of bobbing heads gathered in darkness around five booming, crystal clear sound systems, bouncing among carnival rides and strobing lights to the sounds of some of the world's most popular DJs — including Benny Benassi, DJ Tiësto, David Guetta, Swedish House Mafia, and Skrillex — and some of the genre's most innovative and forward-thinking masterminds, such as Richie Hawtin, Green Velvet and Rusko.

Focus on just one of the event's many stages — Guetta's 1:30 a.m. Sunday set — and witness party trains snaking through the crowd, rolling in time to a 128-beat-per-minute metronomic thump. Notice one fivesome, holding hands; boys musclebound and shirtless; bikini-top girls wearing matching panties that say "booty" on the bottom; faces lost in music; Mona Lisa smiles.

Welcome to the first Sin City installment of the biggest dance music festival in America, one that seems to have found its natural home in Nevada. Previous West Coast versions of the Daisy Carnival have taken place at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum in downtown Los Angeles, but partly as a result of last summer's death of a 15-year-old girl who had attended the party and the ensuing scrutiny, the company that produced the 14 previous events, Insomnia, moved the carnival to the biggest, most secure outdoor space in Vegas. If there's one city that can handle this crowd, it's Vegas, whose public safety officers deal with adrenaline addicts all day, every day.

The scale was massive: a dance party as county fair, with Ferris wheels, a funhouse and many swirling spinning devices. You could find corn dogs and hamburgers, lemonade and beer. From a proper distance (and with earplugs in), one could imagine it was REO Speedwagon and LeAnn Rimes sharing the showbill.

But EDC draws a subculture that has little overlap with NASCAR dads, even if their children are no doubt here in droves: teenagers and twentysomethings in love with house music and all its myriad forms, swollen with energy and desire. It's a demographic that the Vegas casinos are chasing hard these days. Many of the weekend's headliners are resident DJs at clubs along the Strip; and at the city's hottest new hotel, the Cosmopolitan, gamblers shoot craps while the casino-wide sound system shuffles a playlist that includes Radiohead, Talking Heads and Hot Chip.

And yet, more than two decades after rave culture first sprouted in England, participants have come to accept that their particular passion for electronic music and gathering outdoors in a large, communal mass to dance all night long still confuses and frightens parents reared on the guitar and not the sampler/computer. It continues to be the sonic crux of a generation gap.

The DJs that performed here are ruling the pop charts in 2011: Italian DJ Benny Benassi's collaboration with Chris Brown, "Beautiful People," was a top 10 smash, and Frenchman Guetta's "Love Is Gone" had thousands screaming every word on Saturday night. DJ Tiësto makes as much money as a pop star. But not having risen out of rock 'n' roll, or country, blues, or classic pop music, the notion of gathering large volumes of people to watch DJs throw their hands in the air doesn't really register with the verse-chorus-verse crowd or the media seeking to understand the allure.

There were two fatalities at the rock-oriented Bonnaroo music festival this month, but this news was greeted with relative indifference and little fear-mongering. News of two deaths at the Dallas installment of EDC in early June, however, was treated much more ominously, as though there were trouble lurking inside the music and the structure of its presentation rather than inside every curious teenager faced with the temptation of experimenting with illegal drugs, be it an organic fungus or a synthetic drop of Ecstasy.

Ecstasy? It's a word whose original meaning gets eclipsed by its pharmaceutical one. But ecstasy was everywhere at Electric Daisy Carnival, the kind created by — zoom in further, into the mind — firing neurons racing in the region of the brain devoted to reward, motivation and arousal, where naturally occurring opioids fill the pleasure centers, whether you're on drugs or not.

Specifically, it happened on Saturday night at a stage called the Circuit Grounds, where Chicago house innovator Green Velvet dropped a rich, dynamic set of minimal beat music that contained not only sophisticated experiments in Steve Reich-ian rhythmic phasing but also a relentlessly hypnotic roller coaster of sound. Later at the same stage, Detroit techno producer Jon Gaiser crafted a mathematically precise weave of beats, each placed in the proper spot as if by tweezers and microscope, combined to create an intricate code of sound.

He was followed by Richie Hawtin, who, it could be argued, invented the minimal house template (Hawtin's "Spastik" was sampled throughout the weekend, as was Green Velvet's work), and offered a generous, bass-heavy blend of aural drips and drops that sounded like the last few moments of a spring rainstorm.

Across the speedway at the Basspod, L.A.-based producer/DJ Rusko pushed his innovative dub-step beats. The night prior, Skream and Benga, two-thirds of the dub-step "supergroup" Magnetic Man, offered innards-rumbling stutter-step beats.

But it was Skrillex's packed 3:30 a.m. slot at the Neon Garden that remains stamped in the memory, even if that's partly because of the size of the sonic hammer that the L.A. born and bred DJ used: The artist born as Sonny Moore crafts monstrous, bass-heavy sounds that rip out of the speakers. Harsh digital skids collide with deconstructed vocal phrases, the most memorable of which was his complete destruction of British singer La Roux's "In for the Kill." He chopped words in half, carved them into syllabic snippets that stuttered frantically. It was abrasive and absolutely unsubtle.

The La Roux mix was one of an entire collage of sonic samples over the weekend, one that connected past and present in fascinating ways: the music and voices from the Big Bopper, Adele, Henry Rollins, the Clash, Nirvana, the Ramayana monkey chant, and hundreds more weaved through the music.

Combined with lasers and lights, the gymnasts on trampolines, the spinning sounds and the overall feeling of … Las Vegas, Electric Daisy Carnival proved not only a production success but quite possibly a portent. As of press time Sunday night, the Las Vegas Police Department had reported only minor problems. (Sunday night's closing roster took place too late for print.)

Music, dance, dopamine and lots of shiny, sparkly things: the foundation upon which Vegas was built. As one generation cedes pop culture control to the next, could a Rave du Soleil be too far behind?



Read More: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-et-electric-daisy-carnival-20110627,0,3357262.story

LVR-J



Report: Southern Nevada retail recovery seen first

Jake Kelly/Las Vegas Review-Journal

By Hubble Smith
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Posted: Jul. 1, 2011 | 2:01 a.m.
Updated: Jul. 1, 2011 | 10:02 a.m.


Southern Nevada's commercial real estate market is showing signs of improvement, though a second-quarter report from brokerage Colliers International suggests a roller coaster ride into 2012.

Retail could be the first sector to benefit from an increase in gaming revenue and visitor volume, Colliers research director John Stater said Thursday. That would lead to more hiring, especially at retail shops on the Strip, though not necessarily in the suburbs, he said.

The U.S. economy is driven by consumer spending, and Las Vegas is even more dependent on it, Stater said. "If people are spending more, there should be more employment in retail, but we haven't seen it yet," the Colliers analyst said. Any drop in the unemployment rate is probably because people stopped looking for work, he said.

Although employment figures and real estate values remain stagnant, economic improvement on the Strip is boosting companies in the southwest and west central sub-markets of the Las Vegas Valley that supply goods and services to the resort corridor.

The retail market, which appeared to be heading toward recovery last year, has instead gone through two consecutive quarters of negative absorption and rising vacancy, which now stands at a record high of 12.1 percent.

"The problem with retail right now is a lot of empty anchor space and really nobody to fill it," Stater said. "That can only be solved by large national and regional chains moving in or returning to Southern Nevada."

Average retail asking rent is $1.48 a square foot per month, down 7 cents from the first quarter and a 17-cent decrease from a year ago, Colliers reported.

Southern Nevada's office vacancy rose to 24.5 percent in the second quarter, compared with 23.8 percent a year ago. The market has posted an absorption deficit of 382,000 square feet over the past eight quarters.

Office rents fell 5 cents from the previous quarter to $2 a square foot on a full-service gross basis.

"Office and retail rents still have a ways to go before hitting bottom," Stater said. "As you get more properties in default sold, they put downward pressure on rents."

While there were no new completions during the second quarter, the new 300,000-square-foot Las Vegas Metropolitan Police headquarters under construction at Martin Luther King Boulevard and Alta Drive is scheduled for completion in the coming quarter.

On the industrial side, vacancy climbed to 15.5 percent in the second quarter, up from 15.3 percent a year ago, and asking rent dropped 3 cents, to 53 cents a square foot. Industrial net absorption was 207,667 square feet, a reversal from negative absorption in the previous and year-ago quarters.

"The tide appears to have finally turned for Southern Nevada's industrial market," Stater said. "While we are not yet willing to declare a recovery trend, we are willing to declare that the downturn that started in 2008 is essentially over."

Although vacancy remains high, companies such as U.S. Micro are building facilities to suit their own needs, suggesting that a good portion of empty industrial space is not desirable for companies looking to establish operations in Las Vegas.

Multifamily vacancy fell to 8 percent in the quarter, down from 8.5 percent in the prior quarter.

The big news was the commercial auction in May that saw non-performing notes on nine apartment complexes change ownership. Investors may have purchased those notes with the intent of selling them at a profit in the near term, Stater said.

Generation X and baby boomers are both showing a predilection for renting, the first demographic being suspicious of home ownership after the housing crash and the latter group preferring a lifestyle unfettered by a mortgage, Stater said.

---

LV R_J (http://www.lvrj.com/business/defects-in-harmon-tower-called-unrepairable-125385078.html)


Engineering company finds Harmon tower construction defects 'pervasive'
By Howard Stutz
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Posted: Jul. 11, 2011 | 4:43 p.m.

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2009/11/18/scaled.20091118_met_citycenter23_t198.JPG?cdfb4b79ec677a25380d4d2ab25aad58f36db2ce


The unfinished Harmon tower at CityCenter is virtually unrepairable and could collapse in a "code-level" earthquake, according to a structural engineer hired by MGM Resorts International who examined the 27-story building.

In the report, members of Weidlinger Associates of Marina Del Rey, Calif., said they ran several tests on the building and found missing or misplaced reinforcing steel in columns, beams, shear walls and transfer walls throughout the tower below the 21st floor.

"The construction defects in the tower observed to date are so pervasive and varied in character that it is not possible to quickly implement a temporary or permanent repair to remediate the defects, or even determine whether such repairs can be performed," Chuckwuma Ekwueme, an associate principal with Weidlinger told CityCenter Vice President of Facility Operations William Ham in a letter dated Monday.

A "code-level earthquake" is based on the probability of an earthquake strong enough to damage structures occurring once every 500 years. The rating varies by region, depending on several factors including fault lines and soil conditions.

In the letter, Ekwueme said that if a code-level earthquake were to take place, "it is likely that critical structural members in the tower will fail and become incapable of supporting gravity loads, leading to a partial or complete collapse of the tower."

The Harmon, part of the $8.5 billion CityCenter, was originally designed by the firm of famed British architect Lord Norman Foster as a 47-story hotel and condominium tower.

In 2008, building inspectors found structural work on the Harmon did not match plans submitted to Clark County. The construction issues involved improperly placed steel reinforcing bar, commonly known as rebar.

In January 2009, MGM Resorts scrapped the planned 200 condominium units for the upper floors and stopped the tower at 27 stories, focusing on the Harmon having just 400 hotel rooms. Company officials said at the time they would delay finishing the tower and wait until 2010 to decide what to do next.

CityCenter, which includes the Aria hotel-casino, the nongaming Vdara and Mandarin Oriental hotels, the all-residential Veer Towers, and the Crystals retail, dining and entertainment mall, opened in December 2009.

The Harmon's construction defect issues became the focal point of a lawsuit between MGM Resorts and Perini Building Co. that was filed last year in Clark County District Court. Clark County Building officials halted any construction to be done to the Harmon.

In April, the building division asked CityCenter, which is jointly owned by MGM Resorts and Dubai World, to analyze the Harmon tower and podium after its own consultant, Walter P. Moore Structural Engineers, concluded "the structure suffered from certain vulnerabilities."

In a letter to Ham, Clark County Building Official Ron Lynn said the Harmon needed to be further analyzed, "to minimize further risks to life safety, Las Vegas Boulevard, and adjacent habitable structures."

Members of Weidlinger said it would take at least "12 to 14 months" to conduct a study that would determine "how to remediate the tower or whether repairs are possible, even in its current unoccupied condition."

MGM Resorts spokesman Gordon Absher said CityCenter officials forwarded the report by Weidlinger to Clark County and will await direction from the county as to what the next steps are with the Harmon.

[...]

Developers cleared to start DesertXpress engineering
By Richard N. Velotta (contact)
Las Vegas Sun
Tuesday
12 July 2011
7:43 p.m.

The U.S. Transportation Department has issued a record of decision on the controversial $5 billion DesertXpress high-speed rail project that would link Las Vegas with Victorville, Calif.

A record of decision is the final step in the arduous process of preparing an environmental impact statement. Approval of the document clears the private developers of the project, DesertXpress Enterprises LLC, to begin preliminary engineering for the 186-mile rail line.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s office issued a news release Tuesday announcing the record of decision.

This “announcement is about one thing: creating good-paying jobs right here in Nevada,” the Nevada Democrat said in the release. “This major step forward for the privately sponsored DesertXpress project will create more than 32,000 jobs in Southern Nevada and boost our economy by providing another way for tourists to visit and enjoy this great state.”

The announcement comes days before an anticipated House vote in which Republicans have vowed to divert $1.5 billion earmarked for high-speed rail projects to Midwest flood relief.

Such a move could deliver a financial blow to the California High Speed Rail Authority, which is counting on federal funding to help develop a rail line between Los Angeles and San Francisco and Sacramento.

DesertXpress officials are counting on extending their line from Victorville to the California system with a 50-mile link west to Palmdale. Currently, that’s the only plan in place for passengers to travel between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Critics have ripped Victorville as a terminus of the DesertXpress route, saying Southern Californians wouldn’t park their cars there to ride the train and Las Vegans wanting to go to Southern California would have to rent cars to continue their journey.

The Federal Railroad Administration has overseen the environmental review process, which began in 2006. The process was complicated because the route crossed land administered by the Federal Highway Administration, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and Surface Transportation Board, and each agency had to sign off on the plan.

The twin-track route would run primarily within the Interstate 15 right-of-way, with trains reaching speeds of about 150 mph. Company officials have estimated ticket prices to average $50 each way. An estimated 26 percent of Las Vegas visitors come from Southern California.

A UNLV report says the DesertXpress project would produce an estimated 17,469 primary jobs and 16,432 secondary jobs in Clark County by 2013.



Read More: http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2011/jul/12/developers-cleared-start-desertxpress-engineering/

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Board OKs permits for Strip entertainment plaza
Construction could still be 18 months away, Caesars Entertainment representative says
By Conor Shine (contact)
Las Vegas Sun
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 | 10:52 p.m.

Plans for a $400 million dining, retail and entertainment plaza on the Strip dubbed Project Linq resurfaced Tuesday night at a Paradise Town Advisory Board meeting.

The proposal for a 325,000-square-foot outdoor corridor of bars, restaurants and shops between the Flamingo and O’Sheas was first envisioned by Caesars Entertainment in 2006, but the project was slow to get started because of the economic downturn.

The project would also give the facades of the Imperial Palace and O’Sheas a facelift and would be anchored by a 550-foot Ferris wheel.

“Relatively speaking to the projects we’ve seen on the Strip over the past couple years, this is quite simple,” Caesars representative Tabitha Fiddyment said. “It will take underutilized real estate...and turn it into something totally different from what you see today.”

The board approved a bevy of use permits, and members were enthusiastic about the project.

The advisory board’s approval is a necessary first step for the project to continue, but several more planning and permitting approvals are still needed, Fiddyment said. Although Caesars has committed to funding the project, she estimated it could be 18 months before construction starts.

Plans for a competing 500-foot Ferris wheel two miles away near Mandalay Bay concerned board member Morton Friedlander.

“We’d be the only major city in the world with two big wheels a mile apart. It would be insanity. It would be destructive competition,” he said.

Member Robert Orgill said the projects should be allowed to go head to head “and may the best man win.”



Read More: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jul/12/board-oks-permits-strip-entertainment-district/

30-40 million tourists a year and there aren't enough customers for two giant Ferris wheels? Balderdash!!

How about instead of concentrating on repairs, let's just dismantle the Harmon Hotel and start over? Don't want to make Norman Foster disappointed.

VV to Vegas high-speed train is full steam ahead
Karen Jonas
DESERT DISPATCH
2011-07-13 15:27:54

Updated 7/13 with information from DesertXpress spokeswoman.

A proposed high-speed train that would connect Victorville to Las Vegas — without stopping in Barstow — received final approval on its environmental impact statement from the Federal Railroad Administration Tuesday.

The record of decision from the Federal Railroad Administration brings the project one step closer to beginning construction.

The report shows that the train will start in Victorville and will run along the west side of the Interstate 15 corridor to Lenwood, at which point it would run either on the side or in the median of Interstate 15 through Barstow. The train will then continue about one mile north of Interstate 15 to Yermo and will run on the west side of Interstate 15 most of the way to Mountain Pass. Because of the steep terrain at Mountain Pass, the train will then detour for 1.55 miles through the Mojave National Preserve before continuing along the Interstate 15 corridor through Primm to Las Vegas.

The City of Barstow previously opposed the DesertXpress project because an economic study commissioned by the city estimated it will decrease traffic traveling through the city to Las Vegas by up to 33 percent and the project could result in a combined loss of 2,295 jobs within the city. The city has spent more than $100,000 fighting the train so far by hiring a public relations firm and a law firm.

Some city officials contacted Wednesday seemed to have changed their tune about the train’s effect on Barstow and appeared willing to work with the train’s developer.

City Manager Curt Mitchell, Mayor Joe Gomez, Councilman Willie Hailey and Councilman Tim Saenz all said that the city would attempt to work with DesertXpress to bring jobs to Barstow residents by offering vocational training through Barstow Community College. The training will help Barstow residents get some of the 750 permanent jobs working at DesertXpress in Victorville.

Saenz said there had been talks with DesertXpress to have preferred hiring for residents who go through the program.

Hailey also said the vocational training would be a benefit to residents.

“I think the City of Barstow needs to get on board with DesertXpress,” said Hailey. “We need to take that negative and turn it to a positive.”

Mitchell said the focus for the city now that the project has been approved is minimizing any impact on residents.

“At this point, we’ll see what we can do to minimize those impacts and hopefully create some positive opportunities,” said Mitchell.

Councilman Tim Silva said that he was still concerned about the project after sitting down with the company.

“I’m concerned for the residents in this area,” said Silva. “I just don’t support how it’s going to impact the economy of Barstow.”

The DesertXpress project still needs to get approval for a $4.9 billion federal loan for the project before beginning construction — which it estimates could create up to 50,000 jobs in San Bernardino County. Officials had previously stated that the project could begin construction as early as one year from the time of the approval of the final environmental impact statement.

DesertXpress spokeswoman Lee Haney said in a statement that the record of decision will allow the Federal Railroad Administration to move forward with the loan application for the project.



Read More: http://www.desertdispatch.com/news/speed-11200-train-vegas.html

LVR-J (http://www.lvrj.com/business/topshop-other-retailers-enter-market-despite-reports-of-sour-economy-125797243.html)


TopShop, other retailers enter Las Vegas market despite sour economy

By Jennifer Robison
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Posted: Jul. 19, 2011 | 2:00 a.m.
Updated: Jul. 19, 2011 | 9:24 a.m.

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The Las Vegas economy hasn't yet recovered from the beating it took during the nation's recession.

Sure, visitor volumes have been climbing back to their pre-recession levels for more than a year, but tourism numbers were still down 1.2 percent through May when compared with the first five months of 2007, according to numbers from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Tourist spending remains below peak levels as well.

And then there's all that bad press, with national magazines from Time to Newsweek to Forbes writing about Las Vegas' especially sour economy. Even The New York Times wrote as recently as October that Las Vegas was "staggering under a confluence of factors" that left the city out of any national recovery.

But don't tell that to TopShop.

The British clothing retailer announced Thursday that it plans to open a flagship store in Las Vegas at Fashion Show mall on the Strip. The 20,000-square-foot store will house TopShop for women and TopMan for, well, men. It's scheduled to open in March with 170 employees.

TopShop isn't the only retailer taking a big chance on Las Vegas despite the city's uninspiring economic recovery. Watch retailer TAG Heuer and women's clothing designer Stella McCartney opened flagship stores at CityCenter's Crystals in the winter. Other companies rolling out flagship stores in Las Vegas during the downturn include leather and accessories retailer Hermes, jeweler Tiffany & Co. and clothing retailers Forever 21 and H&M.

So why is a slumping Las Vegas still a top destination for some of the world's best-known retailers?

TopShop didn't return a call by press time seeking comment, but local experts say the tourism base's size, retail's long-term prospects here and falling lease rates make the Strip as attractive a retail market as ever.

"Despite the fact that the Las Vegas tourism industry faced significant challenges over the last three years, the market still welcomed nearly 40 million visitors in each of those years," said Brian Gordon, a principal in local research firm Applied Analysis. "That exposure is significant."

That exposure is also international, said Laurie Paquette, vice president of asset management for Fashion Show's owner, General Growth Properties. Tourists from around the world come to Las Vegas, giving retailers here a "good cross-section that allows them to introduce their brand to a tremendous number of people," Paquette said.

Plus, even if Strip retail sales aren't what they were, a store with midlevel price points, such as TopShop, can still do enough business to turn a profit, Paquette said.

What's more, store owners think beyond today's sales potential, said John Knott, executive vice president of commercial real estate brokerage CB Richard Ellis in Las Vegas.

"Retailers don't plan on a one-year cycle. They plan for the long term," Knott said. "Most of them had expansion plans on hold for a couple of years, given the economy. As we come out of the recession, for companies not here yet, this market is a good place to be."

Gordon and Knott agreed that falling lease rates have probably helped draw new business, as well. Some mall owners cut rents as sales slowed and property values declined, and those discounts have improved the math for retailers, though Paquette said Fashion Show hasn't reduced its lease rates during the recession.

Expect the parade of flagships and new concepts to continue, Knott said. Outside of New York, Chicago and Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive, there's not a better flagship market in America, based on sheer numbers of potential shoppers and opportunities to build an unusual store, as the World of Coca-Cola did with its giant Coke bottle at Showcase.

Knott doesn't forecast much new retail space on the Strip in the near future, but he said turnover in existing centers will make additional flagships possible.

That's the case at Fashion Show. Clothing retailer J. Crew left the mall in April, and two adjoining stores, Levi's and Gap, relocated to other spaces in the mall. Those three spaces will house TopShop and TopMan.

There will be many more opportunities to bring first-time and flagship retailers to Fashion Show in 2012, Paquette noted. A number of 10-year leases will expire in the mall's 2002 expansion area, making way for a fresh lineup. Leasing officials are focusing on deals with retailers who aren't yet in the market, Paquette said.

"There's absolutely always room for new stores. We continue to update our tenant mix," Paquette said. "Even though we (the Strip) get 37 million visitors a year, some of them are repeat visitors. We want to add new concepts for them."

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Inspirada Owner OK'd to Tap Loan From Builders (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903999904576470602045268980.html)


A bankruptcy judged approved a financing pact for the stalled Las Vegas-area real-estate project dubbed "Inspirada" that puts a group of home builders behind the troubled development back in the driver's seat.

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Judge Bruce A. Markell of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Las Vegas said that the bankruptcy trustee in charge of South Edge LLC, a which owns Inspirada, can tap $4 million of $21.4 million bankruptcy loan being provided by affiliates home builders KB Home, Beazer Homes USA Inc. and Toll Brothers Inc. Those builders, who were among the legion of lenders, contractors and developers involved in the massive project, last month agreed to pay lenders as much as $340 million to settle legal actions related to the failed project. "The cost savings associated with the successful implementation of the settlement will enhance the overall value to be recovered by the settling parties, who are the estate's primary economic stakeholders," Judge Markell wrote in a ruling filed Monday.

The settlement, which has the backing of trustee Cynthia Nelson, is expected to form the basis of a Chapter 11 exit plan for South Edge, an off-balance-sheet company created by a handful of home builders and an affiliate of John Ritter's Focus Property Group, a Nevada-based land-development company.

The Focus affiliate had balked at the financing pact, claiming it would allow the builders to "effectively lock in" the plan of reorganization. Focus's lawyers had argued while the plan may be good deal for the builders because it reduces their exposure and insulates them from litigation, it is not a good deal for Inspirada. Focus and the home builders were allies in 2004 when they formed South Edge to purchase land for the 2,000-acre Inspirada project in Henderson, Nev., from the federal Bureau of Land Management. But the two sides fell out when the real-estate bubble and the builders halted work on the project.

Focus claimed most of the builders had defaulted on their agreement and an arbitration panel awarded Focus $38.1 million, ruling the builders had breached their agreements when they voted to stop work on the project. But the financing pact prevents the trustee from asserting any claims against the builder, what Focus says is the estate's most valuable asset, unless she terminates the financing, which triggers the loan's maturity. A Focus spokeswoman wasn't immediately able to comment on the ruling. The builders have appealed the arbitration award. Markell, the bankruptcy judge, will consider whether the trustee can draw down the remainder of the loan at a hearing scheduled for Aug. 12.

The dispute dates back to December of last year, when a consortium of lenders that included J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Wells Fargo & Co. and Credit Agricole SA launched an involuntary bankruptcy case to try to force South Edge into Chapter 11. The three banks were among 39 lenders that pumped $585 million into the company before claiming that project insiders wrongfully put the brakes on the development. In February, Markell approved the bankruptcy petition and appointed Nelson as trustee to oversee the project's operations.

Inspirada was supposed to be a 2,000-acre showcase of "new urbanism" planning dreamed up by some of the nation's most successful home-building companies shortly before the bursting of the nation's real-estate bubble. The development was to incorporate 8,500 residences clustered in seven "villages," with a 300-acre town center that had retail, gambling and municipal offerings serving as the development's heart.

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vi6bo8I3P2M

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Caesars set to break ground on $500 million Strip project
Linq development to include observation wheel, entertainment district next to Flamingo
By Joe Schoenmann (contact)
Las Vegas Sun
Wednesday, 3 August 2011, 4:45 p.m.

Construction will begin this month on a $500 million mid-Strip development that will include a 550-foot observation wheel — developers insist it not be called a Ferris wheel — and a restaurant-entertainment district linking the Imperial Palace and Flamingo resorts.

Clark County commissioners approved the 18-month “Linq” project Wednesday, giving Caesars Entertainment the green light to break ground, said Marybel Batjer, Caesars Entertainment vice president of public policy and communications.

Design and construction of the observation wheel — its 32 cabins will each carry up to 30 people — will be a technical feat on par with the construction of San Francisco’s Bay Bridge, Batjer said.

“This takes that kind of thoroughness,” she said. “Only a few engineering firms in the world are capable of doing this.”

The project also involves the “re-skinning” of the Imperial Palace and O’Sheas, giving the businesses new facades, and the creation of 326,000 square feet of retail, dining and entertainment venues between the Imperial Palace and the Flamingo.

Representing Caesars Entertainment before the commission, attorney Tabitha Fiddyment said the project will cost about $500 million and “completely change this area of Las Vegas Boulevard … it’s going to entirely revitalize it.”

The project will employ 3,000 construction workers; when it’s complete it will create 1,500 new jobs.

Asked why Caesars Entertainment is doing the project now, as Las Vegas and Nevada remain in the grips of recession, Batjer said reinvention is what Las Vegas is known for.

“None of us in Las Vegas ever sits on our laurels,” Batjer said. “You continue to develop and bring new visions to this terrific place.”

When finished, Batjer said the area between the resorts will become an urban gathering place akin to the Meatpacking District of Manhattan, Fulton Street in New Orleans and South Beach in Miami.

The Linq observation wheel is the second planned for the Strip. In May, developer Howard Bullock of Compass Investments broke ground in construction of a 500-foot-tall wheel across Las Vegas Boulevard from Mandalay Bay. Completion is expected in the first half of 2013.

Commissioners said they hope the Linq development is a “green shoot,” signaling economic development will begin throughout the county.

“It will create thousands of jobs, both construction and permanent, and be another amenity on the Las Vegas Strip for tourists to visit and enjoy,” Commissioner Steve Sisolak said. “It will also provide an economic stimulus to county revenues.”

Commissioner Larry Brown added: “This project is another sign of growing confidence in the Las Vegas market. A $400 million investment, thousands of new jobs — the type of commitment that builds tremendous momentum for our economy.”

Project approval came a day after the commission voted to create a committee that will spend the next few months figuring out how to address a sense of disorder on the Strip, including how to keep it physically clean and dealing with a growing number of unlicensed peddlers crowding sidewalks and irritating tourists. The committee will consist of representatives from the district attorney’s office, Metro Police, casinos and a handful of county agencies.



Read More: http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2011/aug/03/caesars-set-break-ground-500-million-strip-project/

IMC completes acquisition of High Point's Showplace properties
Heath E. Combs -- Furniture Today, August 1, 2011

LAS VEGAS — International Market Centers announced that it has completed its acquisition of Showplace and associated properties, the final step in its plan to purchase the majority of showroom space of the furniture industry's biggest U.S. markets in High Point and Las Vegas.

The announcement did not disclose a purchase price.

Earlier this year, a Guilford County Superior Court judge said the value of a tentative deal was about $43 million. The proposal was in court because the Showplace properties were in receivership.

With the Showplace properties, IMC has about 60% of High Point's active showroom space, including the International Home Furnishings Center and the former Merchandises Mart Properties Inc. holdings. It also owns the World Market Center in Las Vegas. IMC officials have said the acquisitions in both cities were valued at $1 billion.

With the addition of the properties, IMC can focus on its primary mission to create the most compelling home furnishings market platform for the industry, IMC officials said in a press release.

"We look forward to working with our wide range of business partners to develop a world-class business-to-business platform for both buyers and sellers in the furnishings, home décor and gift industries," said Bob Maricich, CEO of IMC.

Showplace along with four other downtown High Point properties held by the Showplace owners, was placed in receivership in 2009, by a Guilford County judge after its owners defaulted on an $81 million note held by Bank of America.

The properties have more than 930,000 square feet of showroom space, including about 465,000 square feet in Showplace. The other properties include Showplace West (the former First Factors building at 101 S. Main St.) and smaller buildings at 200 N. Hamilton St., 320 N. Hamilton St. and 330 N. Hamilton St.

Showplace was purchased in 2005 by private equity firm Walton Street Capital and three North Carolina developers, High Point residents Maurice Hull and Coy Williard Jr. and Charlotte resident Paul Bell.

IMC said its portfolio now comprises 18 buildings spanning more than 11.5 million gross square feet.

IMC is majority owned by funds managed by Bain Capital Partners and a subsidiary of certain investment funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. Related Cos., Bassett Furniture Inds. and affiliates of Network World Market Center.



Read More: http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/541514-IMC_completes_acquisition_of_High_Point_s_Showplace_properties.php

^^
Great news about the big wheel! Will Vegas have two? :)

New Waterpark in the Works for Las Vegas
Posted: Aug 05, 2011 3:46 PM PDT Updated: Aug 05, 2011 3:46 PM PDT
By Sharie Harvin, Reporter
KLAS-TV 8 News NOW

LAS VEGAS -- A new 26-acre waterpark is making a splash in Las Vegas, creating jobs and boosting the bottom line for businesses. Clark County Commissioners unanimously voted for the park and aquatics center, saying they are a few months away from a groundbreaking.

The park will be built near Fort Apache and Warm Springs. The county expects about 400 jobs -- 200 to build the facilities and 200 to operate them. Businesses in the area excited about being flooded with more customers.

"Right now it's ok, but I think it's going to be more customers," said Pia Taing with Benjarong Thai Restaurant.

Not far from the restaurant Taing manages is Raw Health, where the owner Robin Shaw is thinking about the health of the community.

"There's just a lot of vacancies, a lot of empty resident spots, lot of empty commercial spots. So by bringing this project over here, it might make certain people aware of this and say, 'Hey, maybe I should move here or I'll start doing some business here,'" she said.

"We plan on moving forward, they plan on moving forward and it was a seven to zero vote," said County Commissioner Susan Brager. "It's going to be in the southwest section of our community, great access to freeways, people seeing what's out there. Wet n' Wild was over the top and that's how this is going to be, along with that aquatics center and a park in the very front of it."

The Howard Hughes Company, who is supporting the project, has several other parks in Texas called Hawaiian Falls. Owners say they want to keep the name of this park a secret until the groundbreaking, but it's no secret they will be open for business Memorial Day of 2012.



Read More & Video: http://www.8newsnow.com/story/15219580/new-waterpark-in-the-works-for-las-vegas

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Strip development ongoing, but it looks different
By Delen Goldberg (contact)
Las Vegas Sun
Tuesday, 16 August 2011, 2 a.m.

Among the assumptions of the Las Vegas business model is that something big — think opulent resorts — should open every few years to keep the town fresh and give tourists a reason to return.

Instead, resort construction has stalled because of the toxic economy, and big-name investors have abandoned projects once hailed as transformative. Returning tourists today will see the same vacant lots and incomplete buildings they saw two or three years ago.

That isn’t to say development is dead. It’s just not what we had grown accustomed to. Investors are adjusting to a new economy and banking on tourists still being pleased by what they see.

“It’s easier to get $50 million these days than to get $5 billion, so you can make more cosmetic changes on the Strip without building a megaresort,” said Randy Fine, a casino marketer-turned-industry consultant.

Thus, the Strip is entering an era of smaller-scale entertainment ventures, with developers and tourists alike tightening their belts.

Chief among the changes awaiting tourists on the Strip: two Ferris wheel projects, one at an amusement park being built across from Mandalay Bay, and another between the Flamingo and O’Sheas that will include a 325,000-square-foot outdoor corridor of bars, restaurants and shops. Also being pitched by a developer who needs a place to put it: Parabounce Vegas, an aerial bumper car game featuring people strapped to helium balloons.

Elsewhere along the Strip, the Flamingo is turning part of its casino floor into Margaritaville; Treasure Island is building a Strip-front Starbucks; and Bellagio is refurbishing rooms, as Wynn Las Vegas did this spring.

Investors are backing less-ambitious projects that can generate quick returns. This is the first year in decades without plans for construction of a resort.

“In an environment where there are not big resort openings, companies are hoping with all these smaller projects they can still create a buzz and attract customers,” said Patrick Bosworth, an industry consultant and former business strategist at Wynn. Even relatively minor changes such as room renovations can keep a property fresh and justify maintaining room rates, Bosworth said.

Caesars Entertainment breaks ground this month on a $500 million mid-Strip development that will feature a 550-foot observation wheel and entertainment district. The project includes the “reskinning” of the Imperial Palace and O’Sheas facades to give them new looks.

Developers of a 500-foot Ferris wheel and amusement park across from Mandalay Bay launched their project in May. When completed, that wheel is expected be the tallest in the United States.

Howard Bulloch of Compass Investments, lead developer of the project, said his company studied the economic potential of a Ferris wheel and amusement complex and found it to be a sound investment. Las Vegas tourists want the biggest bang for their buck. An observation wheel with views of the city and a low price tag offers that, Bulloch said.

“When they come to Las Vegas, they can spend so much gambling and it’s gone in two minutes, or they can spend the same amount and go to a nice dinner or see a good show. Or they could spend it on an amusement. People are being conscious of how they spend their money and are looking for all the different opportunities,” Bulloch said.

Whether the development of two giant Ferris wheels on the Strip will help or hurt one or the other remains to be seen.

“If we can come up with fun things for people to do, it can’t be a bad thing for Las Vegas,” Fine said. “But they need to be unique or interesting.” And he suggests that two big observation wheels is overkill, especially because there are other high vantage points along the Strip to view the area.

But it has long been true in Las Vegas — at least until lately — that the more resorts and attractions, the better, because of the synergy they create in attracting tourists, just as auto dealers frequently seek to congregate along a single street or mall because of the drawing power of so many cars at one venue.

And tourists have shown a liking for attractions. Last year, a fifth of Las Vegas visitors spent time at an attraction other than a show, such as a thrill ride or theme park. Turnout was up 4 percent from the previous year. In Singapore and London, Ferris wheels are top tourist attractions.

“It’s human nature that people want to check out the newest thing,” said Kevin Bagger, senior director of marketing for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “In Las Vegas, we benefit from a lot of really smart marketers who work to keep their product exciting, and it’s keeping our economy going. Beyond a new resort opening, the individual hotels are very proactive about keeping their product current and fresh.”

The challenges facing Las Vegas are shared by the city that most competes with it, Orlando, Fla.

When the stagnant economy caused profits to dip at Walt Disney World at the East Coast’s tourist mecca, Disney abandoned the building boom it adopted during the flush years, when it regularly introduced new theme parks and rides, and instead redesigned and relaunched aging ones and embarked on a marketing campaign that tried to entice visitors to stay longer and spend more.

The approach paid off. Attendance rose at Disney properties. Just recently, a retooled Star Tours at Hollywood Studios caused so much buzz that the park extended its hours and doubled its tour schedule. Company profits increased, in part because of the larger attendance, but mostly because customers bought more food and souvenirs.

Resort owners and developers hope to see a similar result in Las Vegas. Analysts expect the trend away from megaresorts toward entertainment to continue for several years, until the economy rebounds. The challenge that comes with that is to offer entertainment options that aren’t found in other vacation destinations. And for Las Vegas, given the spread of gambling across the country, offering entertainment diversity has become all the more important.



Read More: http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2011/aug/16/strip-development-ongoing-it-just-looks-different/

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Rick Caruso to develop $550-million open-air attraction on Las Vegas Strip
Caruso is tapped by Caesars Entertainment to oversee creation of the Linq, a retail and entertainment district crowned by an enormous Ferris wheel.
By Roger Vincent and Ashley Powers, Los Angeles Times
August 18, 2011

One of the world's biggest casino operators has hired Los Angeles shopping center magnate Rick Caruso to develop a $550-million retail and entertainment district in the middle of the Las Vegas Strip crowned by an enormous Ferris wheel.

Caruso, who is weighing a run for mayor of Los Angeles, was tapped by Caesars Entertainment Corp. to oversee creation of the Linq, a new open-air attraction across Las Vegas Boulevard from Caesars Palace.

The outdoor venue would have more in common with Caruso's Grove shopping center in Los Angeles than it would with hermetically sealed casinos. City leaders hope the Linq with its bars, restaurants and stores will become a destination with special appeal to the gambling mecca's growing Gen X and Gen Y clientele.

"There are millions of people walking around the sidewalk in Vegas," Caruso said, "but they have nowhere to go except inside."

The Linq represents a new tack for luring visitors to Las Vegas, which has mostly relied on ever grander resorts to generate buzz in years past. A building boom and the recession left casino companies overloaded with hotel rooms and debt, pressing the city to find other ways to entice tourists.

This time, the new attraction will be the world's tallest observation wheel called the Las Vegas High Roller. At 550 feet, it is to stand 100 feet taller than the London Eye. Groups of up to 40 could fit into each of the 28 transparent cabins for the half-hour round trip.

Construction on the Linq is set to begin late this year and to be completed by 2013. The project has been approved by Clark County, Nev., officials and has financing, according to Caesars. The project would be a quarter-mile long and hold more than 200,000 square feet of shops, eateries and bars. Caruso said he would select retailers who did not already have outposts in Las Vegas, but he declined to name potential tenants.

Caruso, who also developed the Americana at Brand in Glendale, said the Linq would have a Vegas sensibility without being gaudy.

"We are not looking to reinvent ourselves," he said. "We are bringing what we do well."

Like the Grove and Americana, the Linq will have elaborate fountains and host events such as outdoor concerts. The design will include shading and heating elements to address temperature spikes in the desert.

Caruso also hopes to manage the Linq for Caesars after it opens, an arrangement that's still under discussion. It would be the first project that his company Caruso Affiliated would operate but not own.

It could be years before Las Vegas celebrates another major resort opening; the economy is soft and all the major casino companies are laden with debt from the building boom. But tourism boosters must still find ways to entice recession-weary visitors to the Strip. More modest projects such as the Linq give them a way to market something new.

Caesars has been planning the Linq since 2007, said Greg Miller, senior vice president of development.

"The conclusion we reached back even before downturn was that we didn't need more hotel capacity," and the search was on for something that Vegas didn't have, Miller said. "We looked at the Grove and said that's it."

For two decades Las Vegas went on a building spree, imploding run-down casinos and opening multibillion-dollar mega-resorts. In doing so, the Strip mostly sidestepped a quandary other tourist destinations faced: how to win over new visitors while bringing old ones back.

Tourists who had giggled at the Excalibur castle returned to gawk at the Luxor pyramid. When themed casinos gave way to upscale resorts such as the Bellagio, Venetian and Wynn Las Vegas, they tried to top one another in terms of opulence. The annual number of visitors soared from 16 million to 39 million in two decades. That's why tourism boosters crowed that in Las Vegas, supply created demand.

The recession quashed that theory. A string of casinos has opened since 2007, when the recession began, but none of them has revived tourism like officials hoped. When the largest project, MGM Resorts International's CityCenter, opened in December 2009, Chief Executive Jim Murren predicted that it would woo at least 5% more tourists to the beleaguered Strip. Instead, visitation inched up 2.7%.

For years, resorts have slashed hotel rates — a key source of revenue — to fill tens of thousands of rooms. Although visitation, room rates and gaming revenue have picked up through the first half of 2011, national economic jitters threaten to wipe out what was widely viewed as a budding recovery.

Meanwhile, other hotel-casino projects on Las Vegas Boulevard stalled. The Fontainebleau and Echelon, abandoned midway through construction, have languished for years, while the Sahara recently went dark with no immediate plans to reopen. CityCenter's Harmon condo-hotel tower was lopped in half because of construction defects and the flagging economy. MGM Resorts officials this week asked the county for permission to implode it.

The Linq will replace a road that runs between the Flamingo and the Imperial Palace, Miller said. It is the first major project in Las Vegas to be announced since the recession humbled the city.

"It was good idea before the downturn," he said. "Now it's really a good idea. This symbolizes our confidence that the market is and will continue to be the most important entertainment destination in the country."



Read More: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-vegas-caruso-20110818,0,1733774.story

WOW! I love this rendering! It looks much better than old rendering. Can't wait to check it out when it completes.

WOW! I love this rendering! It looks much better than old rendering. Can't wait to check it out when it completes.

Americana at Brand by Rick Caruso
eJWlavnM6b0

LVR-J (http://www.lvrj.com/business/identity-sought-for-city-s-center-128519578.html)


Identity sought for city's center

http://johnkeyes.com/images/JPK_3342_w.jpg

By Tim O'Reiley
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Aug. 27, 2011 | 2:00 a.m.

Would downtown Las Vegas be a bigger draw if you could meet your friends in Dixieland or hang out in front of the New York Stock Exchange?

In pushing the idea of a master identity for the down-on-its-heels heart of the city, former Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt-Bono has hit on the idea of theming different parts of it. Along the west side of Las Vegas Boulevard, a few blocks to the north and south of Fremont Street, the side streets would be dressed up to reflect milieus appealing to Hollywood, such as vintage Vegas, the Old West and the urbanity of Wall Street. To the east, streets would be tied to different musical genres such as jazz, blues and country.

"Right now, downtown is all pieces," said Hunt-Bono, who has also served on promotional boards in the state. "It's really an entity unto itself, and we should think of it as one entity and sell it as the city the way the resorts have done with the Strip."

So far, her concept, explained in a five-page binder, has been given to only a handful of people. One of them, Mayor Carolyn Goodman, was not available for comment.

The presentation touts "side streets adaptable for movie/TV ad commercial productions highlighting a music and arts district," and notes that "the 'city' of Las Vegas is now at its 'Tipping Point' and needs to be 'tipped' in the right direction."

[...]

read more: http://www.lvrj.com/business/identity-sought-for-city-s-center-128519578.html

muy buen render ,me encanta !

Las Vegas Rental Market Improves (http://therealdeal.com/newyork/articles/national-market-report--92)


Las Vegas

The Las Vegas rental market is finally beginning to stabilize after 11 consecutive quarterly declines, according to a recent report by the business advisory firm Applied Analysis. The report found that apartment rents in the area saw the smallest quarterly drop -- 1 percent -- since late 2008. The market appears to be "feeling its way along a choppy bottom," Jake Joyce, a manager at Applied Analysis, told the Las Vegas Review Journal. The average monthly Las Vegas rent dropped to $758 in the third quarter, down from $766 in the same period of last year, the report showed. Meanwhile, occupancy rose to 92 percent from 90.7 percent in the prior-year quarter. Occupancy rates bottomed out at 90.1 percent in late 2009, Joyce said, and have been steadily rising since then. However, Las Vegas landlords are facing more competition from single-family homes, as investors increasingly buy houses in all-cash sales with the intention of renting them out. "This is changing the dynamic of our communities, as more and more and more homes have become tenant-occupied," said local real estate agent Bill Myers.

---

LVR-J (http://www.lvrj.com/business/golden-gate-plans-expansion-129784918.html)


Golden Gate plans expansion

By Benjamin Spillman
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Posted: Sep. 14, 2011 | 2:00 a.m.
Updated: Sep. 14, 2011 | 10:56 a.m.

http://static.gowalla.com/photos/6625864_high_res_320x480.jpg

Las Vegas' oldest hotel is looking to become the freshest face on Fremont Street.

The downtown Golden Gate hotel-casino recently filed plans with the city for a major expansion and renovation of the property at Fremont and Main streets where it first opened as a hotel in 1906.

The expansion seeks to blast through the south wall of the existing building to add a five-story structure with 16 new hotel suites, including two 1,600-square-foot suites that will occupy the top floor.

Owners would also move and modernize the existing deli, move the hotel lobby to the new structure and expand the casino floor.

The $12 million proposal would be the fifth major hotel-casino renovation in the area of Fremont Street since the beginning of the Great Recession, a period marked by stalled projects and shuttered casinos on the Strip.

Downtown, the Golden Nugget, El Cortez, Gold Spike and Plaza have also made big upgrades in recent years.

[...]

Las Vegas is still cool.

Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort Goes All In On Expansion
By Mike Lewis
Transworld Business
Wed, Aug 31 2011 4:00 am

Besides partying and gambling, Las Vegas will soon be known for its riding. The Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort announced that the Humoldt-Toiyabe National Forest Service has accepted its Master Development Plan (MDP) to improve the resort over a ten to twelve year span.

Included in the MDP are additions to the area including adding 50 trials and ten lifts, increasing snowmaking capacity and parking, upgrading equipment, and adding guest facilities, all of which will be designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environment certificates.

We caught up with Kevin Stickelman, LVSSR’s president and general manager to learn more about the resort’s plans to grow the mountain into a major attraction for Sin City and beyond, and lessons in navigating Forest Service approval.

I understand that the overall development plan is slated to take place over the next 10-12 years. Can you break down what the schedule will look like?

What you’ll see first is some infrastructure replaced. That includes chair lifts that are reaching the end of their life span. The first is to be replaced by a high-speed quad that’s now a double. That lift would service the main terrain load and skier load for our expansion. Once that lift goes in, you’ll see some additional trails cut that are accessible off our existing chair lifts. We’re in the process right now of working with the Forest Service in identifying which trails come first, second and third, just based of our terrain capacity that’s outlined in our master plan.

There will also be some immediate snowmaking upgrades prior to this season. We’re looking at installing some higher efficiency guns, running electrical service to some areas that have only been serviced by air and water in the past, so that we can put some fan guns in those places for better early season snow conditions. You’ll see expanded outdoor seating and patio area with a bigger capacity grill and things like that for our guests. That’s one of the things that Vegas has here at this ski area is the outdoor atmosphere. The days are mostly blue skies with decent temperatures…winter high is in the upper 20’s. You can have a burger and beer on the deck and it’s a great experience. We’re also, prior to this coming ski season, installing a couple yurts to house ski school programs. It’s about 1400 sq. ft. of space for our kid’s ski and snowboard school. It gives them a better check-in areas and an area to house rental skis/snowboards for that program.

We’ll see some terrain park upgrades this year—some additional features put in which would have happened even without the master plans acceptance, but the snowmaking upgrades will definitely enhance the terrain park experience here on the mountain this season. It’s going to be great and that’s one of our huge focuses going forward. We’ve seen a lot of success these past two years with grassroots park and slopestlye and rail jam events. We’ve got four main events coming up this winter. It was a pretty good party last year. Coors Light and Monster sponsored it. It drew several hundred spectators and cash prizes. We’re looking for that event to really grow. It’s Vegas-the nightlife here is huge and to be able to have something on the snow in the winter is big with the local ski and snowboard crowd.

It seems like there’s a pretty decent scene in Las Vegas on the snowboarding side for sure.

Totally.

How long have you guys been working on the MDP?

The master plan has been in the works since Powdr Corp. acquired the area in 2003. We really got to the nuts and bolts of it in 2007 with the preliminary submission to the Forest Service, which came back with a number of things that we needed to go back to the drawing board on. Those things included: looking at the parking plan—we’ve added some mass transit into the plan that we actually started a couple of years ago.

So, shuttles up from Vegas?

Yea, shuttles out of Vegas…and some other parking areas down the road a bit that we’ll include in this. We also had to take a look at our base facilities and where we’d locate those. The Forest Service has asked that we design our buildings to LEED standards, which is something that’s a best practice anyway. We were happy to make that change.

Having LEED certified buildings is good marketing for you guys as well right?

It was a good thing to hang our hat on for sure. We also had to look at some of the sensitive plant and animal species that are here at the mountain and come up with mitigation, re-vegetation, species/habitat protection.

What are you going to do about that?

So, well one of the things is that we’ve avoided in this master plan a couple of the habitat locations for the Mt. Charleston Blue Butterfly-which is a very rare species of blue butterflies that just happen to occur here in the Spring Mountains outside of Las Vegas. Then there are a couple areas that are on the existing ski area that we’ve avoided from development, whether it’s mountain biking trails or hiking trails or additional snowmaking. We’ve changed some of our things to just stay out of those areas. And then some of those areas the other areas, what we’ve done is suggested a re-vegetation plan that looks at re-vegetating the areas that we’ve disturbed for ski trails, the lifts, snow making, etc… with some of the native plants specifies that encourage the butterfly habitat up here on the mountain.

How many skier-days did you guys do last year? What’s your goal going forward with this?

You know, we wont release that…but we do expect that this master plan will at least double, if not triple, our skier visits over the next 12 years or so. We’ve seen a pretty decent growth in local season pass sales, year over year over the past several years. Last year was great. We saw an 8% increase in season pass sales. We expect that trend to continue as we continue to market to the college demographic.

Is that your primary focus then, on the local community or are you guys also going to be expanding into more of a destination resort with the expansion?

It’ll be a combination of both. The population base in Vegas is two-million people. We’ve got a tremendous upside potential there to expand our season pass base and engage local families and local kids up here, but right now every year for the last five years 25-30% of our visits have come from outside of southern Nevada. We see a lot of people coming up here who are on a week-long trip to Vegas for the casinos, gambling and shows and all of that, who are looking for something to do during the days when they’re not down at the shows or having a fancy dinner.

We’re not ever going to be a Copper Mountain or Park City, but we could be a pretty solid regional destination. Our competition last year spoke to that. We had a lot of people driving in for our slopestlye competitions from southern California from Utah from AZ. We had decent purses as far as rewards went and our park got really good exposure. We’ve tried to put emphasis on that. Outside of the event draw is just the novelty to ski in the desert outside Las Vegas for the people who are here on vacation.

It’s about a 40 minute drive from the Strip. It’s easy to get to…it’s just one highway you take right from downtown.

Any advice for resorts or companies looking at submitting applications to the Forest Service?

Embrace the public lands and mission that they have, which is to provide recreation to the public. That was really one of the hang-ups that we suffered. Over the course of the last several years, we’ve learned the lesson the hard way. We were trying to do things that didn’t always fit with the overall mission of the Spring Mountain National Recreation Area, which is where we sit. Eevery region, every forest, has a little bit different mission and recreation plan. We involved those guys in our master plan discussions. We had meetings in their office even, where we could get the stakeholders of the Forest Service involved and talking through some of these problems so that we weren’t trying to invent these solutions on our own.

A lot of times, a master plan process is invented by the ski area and you cross your fingers and wait for the approval. We took a little different strategy and involved those federal agencies, and they were with us every step of the way going through the different revision and descriptions and how things were worded. We relied on some of their resources as far as their botanists and ecologists to guide and steer us into the right direction. At the end of the day, we’ve got a plan in place now that will be really the cornerstone of recreation here at the Spring Mountains.



Read More: http://business.transworld.net/71591/features/las-vegas-ski-snowboard-resort-goes-all-in-on-expansion/

DesertXpress hopes for federal loan, aims for 2012 start on work
By Cy Ryan (contact)
Las Vegas Sun
Monday, Oct. 10, 2011 | 1:55 p.m.

CARSON CITY – Officials with the proposed high-speed train linking Las Vegas and Southern California expect to get an answer in six to nine months on plans to borrow about $6 billion from the federal government.

If all goes according to plan, construction would start in the final quarter of 2012, said Andrew Mack, chief operating officer of DesertXpress. Mack briefed the state transportation board Monday on the private-public project that he says has been in development for 10 years.

Gov. Brian Sandoval said the high-speed rail plans have been rejected in two other states and questioned whether it would survive in Nevada.

Mack said the other states were planning to use federal stimulus money, and if the project failed, the states would have assumed responsibility. In this case, the federal government would be loaning the money, so if the project went bankrupt, the government would take over the train. The state wouldn't have responsibility.

He told the board that $34 billion in federal funds were available to finance rail projects across the country.

The proposed train from Victorville, Calif., to Las Vegas would run at 150 mph and cover 185 miles in 80 minutes. During peak periods, there would be trains leaving each location every 20 minutes.

In Las Vegas there are two potential depots – one south of Flamingo Road and the other on 60 acres across from Mandalay Bay. Mack said the route would run along Interstate 15.

Board members questioned why Victorville was selected instead of running the all-electric train into Los Angeles. Mack said there would be added expense and environmental issues by extending it to the city.

He added that 11 million motorists visiting Las Vegas use Interstate 15 in the area that runs through Victorville.

He said 45,000 questionnaires were distributed at the California agriculture border station and there was a 5 percent response rate, with an estimated 85-90 percent saying they would try the train.

He projects 7 million passengers would use the train during the first year and construction would generate about 80,000 jobs. Of that, 17,500 would be direct work in Las Vegas.

DesertXpress would be a fully electric train with overhead lines powering it. Mack said the utilities have enough capacity to supply the electricity. It wouldn't carry freight.

The project could be completed in the final quarter of 2016, Mack said.



Read More: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/oct/10/desertxpress-hopes-federal-loan-aims-2012-start-wo/

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Proposed DesertXpress high-speed rail line chugging along
By Richard N. Velotta
Las Vegas Sun
26 October 2011

A proposed high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and Southern California has received another federal government approval from a board that grants licenses to build new railroads.

The Surface Transportation Board last week approved an exemption from federal regulations permitting DesertXpress Enterprises LLC to build a 190-mile high-speed passenger rail line between Las Vegas and Victorville, Calif. The board action was published today in the Federal Register.

“I’m pleased that the DesertXpress project is getting the green light to proceed, which will not only put tens of thousands of Nevadans to work, but ultimately bring more tourists to boost Nevada’s economy,” Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in a release applauding the approval.

“I look forward to Nevadans being back on the job and more visitors from California choosing Las Vegas because of this high-speed rail option,” Reid said.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration issued a record of decision — the final environmental review process — in July. The Surface Transportation Board exemption was another required administrative step toward beginning construction, probably next year.

Representatives of DesertXpress did not return calls seeking comments on additional details of its plans.

The Surface Transportation Board reviewed environmental implications of the project and the company’s financial and ridership analyses.

The company plans to operate trains traveling at 150 mph on dual tracks. The board decision lists the cost of the project at $6.5 billion, an increase from the $6 billion estimates previously given by DesertXpress.

The company is pursuing a $4.9 billion federal loan to build the line.



Read More: http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2011/oct/26/desertxpress-high-speed-rail-line/

Anyone heard anything about The Plaza Las Vegas project going forward anytime soon?

http://www.vegastodayandtomorrow.com/the-plaza.htm

Anyone heard anything about The Plaza Las Vegas project going forward anytime soon?

http://www.vegastodayandtomorrow.com/the-plaza.htm

I Hope they build it soon.

Anyone heard anything about The Plaza Las Vegas project going forward anytime soon?

http://www.vegastodayandtomorrow.com/the-plaza.htm

Scrapped.

Well that sucks, i think vegas is starting to move away from themed copycat stuff and we'll see more of the type of things like the buildings at city center.

Las Vegas City Hall nears completion:

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http://www.lasvegas360.com/304/downtown-las-vegas-redevelopment-symphony-park/

Smith Center for the Performing Arts is nearing completion:

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Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Center is open:

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http://www.lasvegas360.com/304/downtown-las-vegas-redevelopment-symphony-park/

The new North Las Vegas City Hall

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http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/oct/25/new-north-las-vegas-city-hall-set-open-nov-21/

1. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Hilton Worldwide confirmed on June 29, 2011 that it has terminated its franchise license agreement with the Las Vegas Hilton, effective January 1, 2012. This means now the Las Vegas Hilton (the original megaresort of Las Vegas) will have to rebrand after then. I wouldn't be in favor of getting rid of the Hilton, though.

2. The Sahara Hotel and Casino closed in May 2011. It is planned to be remodelled, renamed, and rethemed. I have thought about the entire resort being demolished and all towers being imploded.

3. I have also thought about the Riviera Hotel being demolished and replaced with a new hotel with twin 43- storey towers.

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2011/11/14/Splashcanyon_t653.jpg

Water park near Summerlin selling tickets as construction under way
By Jackie Valley (contact)
Las Vegas Sun
Monday, Nov. 14, 2011 | 3:56 p.m.

The developers of a water park on the west side of the Las Vegas Valley started selling advance season tickets today for Splash Canyon, 25 acres of slides and pools expected to draw 5,000 people a day.

The park is under construction and is targeted to open Memorial Day 2012.

“As third-generation natives, we really wanted to build something that was for the community, for families,” said Roger Bulloch, co-founder and managing principal of SPB Partners, the developer and owner. “As we started this process, we said, ‘What can we do to rebuild a sense of community in this valley?’”

Their answer: a family-friendly, alcohol-free water play zone featuring 20 slides, a wave pool, lazy river, water playground and toddler pool, among other amenities.

Daily admission to Splash Canyon Waterpark will range from $22 to $30, with season passes available for as little as $99 on special.

Since the old Wet ’n Wild water park on the Las Vegas Strip closed in 2004, some people have been clamoring for a new park.

In the last week, major developments have been announced on two parks.

Another developer is now proposing a 22-acre park in Henderson, near Galleria Drive and Gibson Road. Financing for that project has not been secured, but the Henderson Planning Commission on Thursday granted a conditional use permit.

And if all goes well, SPB envisions opening other water parks across the valley, Bulloch said. It has already looked at potential sites in Henderson and North Las Vegas, he said.

The $18-million Splash Canyon at Fort Apache and Warm Springs roads is fully financed and will employ about 500 seasonal workers.

In addition to the plethora of thrill options — seven-story speed slides or the head-first mat racer — the park will feature private cabanas, a large picnic area, more than 1,000 lounge chairs and misters to keep customers cool.

The project is a partnership with The Howard Hughes Corp., the developers of Summerlin who own the land originally designated for a community park. SPB Partners signed a long-term lease with Hughes, which, in turn, will build an adjacent community park and indoor aquatics center as part of the project master plan.

Design and engineering, meanwhile, is under way for an eventual 15-acre expansion of the water park, bringing the total size to 40 acres, Bulloch said.

SPB Partners began working on the project more than two years ago, enlisting the help of other water park developers, conducting feasibility studies and making site views.

Harvest Family Entertainment, a Dallas-based company that oversees other water parks, invested in the project and will manage Splash Canyon.

Developers see the attraction as a “sanctuary for moms with young kids,” while providing a venue for community groups all year, Bulloch said.

“We want this to be a locals water park,” he said. “We want the entire valley to come here. That’s why we put it here. We’re 20 minutes from everywhere in the valley.”

Despite the recession, attendance has increased at other water parks operated by Harvest Family Entertainment, said Steve Mayer, vice president of Harvest Family Entertainment and general manager of Splash Canyon.

“In the end, people still want to have good fun with (their) family,” Mayer said. “Also, it’s a way to stay close to home.”

Mayer said he expects Splash Canyon to attract about 5,000 visitors a day, resulting in upwards of 400,000 customers each season. Splash Canyon will be open daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day weekend.

Season tickets went on sale today with a special $99 rate for a limited time. Regular season passes will cost $139 per person, with daily admission of $29.99 for those over 4 feet tall. Admission for children under 4 feet tall, seniors (55+) and military members will be $21.99.

Tickets can be purchased through the Splash Canyon Waterpark website.



Read More: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/nov/14/summerlin/

DesertXpress project takes another step forward
By Richard N. Velotta (contact)
Las Vegas Sun
18 November 2011
11:58 a.m.

A third federal government agency has given a stamp of approval for a high-speed rail project between Las Vegas and Victorville, Calif.

The Bureau of Land Management on Thursday issued a record of decision for the DesertXpress Enterprises LLC passenger rail line in Clark County and San Bernardino County, Calif.

The decision authorizes the use of right of way to build the line on public land administered by the BLM.

The DesertXpress project received similar approvals from the Surface Transportation Board in October and from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration in July.

The BLM determined that about 821 acres of public land would be needed for the permanent right of way. An additional 95 acres would be needed for temporary construction use. The project also includes about 2,800 acres of private land.

DesertXpress plans to begin engineering and construction next year on the 185-mile double track that would run along Interstate 15.

The company plans to operate trains traveling at 150 mph, with ticket costs averaging $50 per passenger one way.

The company is pursuing a $4.9 billion federal loan to build the $6.5 billion project.



Read More: http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2011/nov/18/desertxpress-project-takes-another-step-forward/

LV Business Press (http://www.lvbusinesspress.com/articles/2011/12/19/news/iq_49384059.txt)


CONSTRUCTION 2012: Not much on the drawing board
Glut of vacancies means rut will continue for construction industry

http://www.vegaschatter.com/files/1425/fontainebleau_june2809.jpg
The unfinished Fontainebleau tower on the north end of the Strip is pictured Dec. 9. The hotel-casino was originally scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2009

Recovery in the construction industry will be slow and gradual, with little progress expected in 2012 as Las Vegas struggles with oversupply in both commercial and residential sectors and stalled development on the Strip.

At no time in Las Vegas history have the challenges confronting construction been greater than today, said Jeremy Aguero, an economic analyst at business advisory firm Applied Analysis. Commercial vacancies are running at a record high, new-home sales are at a record low and some 72,000 construction workers have lost their jobs in the last three years.

Unfortunately, that may only be a harbinger of challenges ahead, Aguero said. There's no better example of the nation's economic imbalance than the construction sector in Southern Nevada, he said. "What is abundantly clear is that we built too many houses, office buildings, industrial parks and retail centers," Aguero said. "What is much less clear is how this sector regains solid footing."

[...]

http://cdn.therepublic.com/smedia/9791104827f541829c5fda4a76e7490f/inline_111202137803.jpg
The steel-and-concrete structure of what was to be the Echelon mixed-use project is shown Dec. 12. The stalled Echelon was to sit on the former site of the Stardust.

http://greenmynevada.org/uploads/images/City%20Hall%20Solar%201.jpg
The new Las Vegas City Hall building at 425 S. Main St. is seen Dec. 9. Although the building is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2012, Las Vegas has little new construction.

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2009/02/17/scaled.Wyndham_Desert_Blue_rb_t653.jpg?214bc4f9d9bd7c08c7d0f6599bb3328710e01e7b
The unfinished Wyndham time share building on Twain Avenue near the Rio is seen Dec. 9. Because permits remain active for the project, an observer thinks work will get finished.

can anyone tell my why mgm grand redid the entrance a while back? the entrance where you walked under the lion was awesome and i always wondered why this was changed...

Chinese are very superstitious. Bad luck to walk through the mouth of a lion.

you cant tell me they changed it just cause of a chinese superstition

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Nice, wish I were there.

I guess you were right SteveO.... I still think its a dumb reason though to why MGM grand would change the entrance

^^ I like the way MGM Grand changed its entrance. It looks much better and nicer than before. Old one was outdated and cheesy.

I hate to be an anatomist, but technically, the original entrance area of the MGM Grand resort looked like The lion's mouth wasn't open and pedestrians were actually entering through where the lion's chest area should be.

Thanks to Flickr user GraphiChris for providing this evidence.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6226/6335405139_89cbf43a9f_z.jpg

2012 Consumer Electronics Show

The trade group that puts on the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas says it has hit a record number of exhibitors this year, as the industry continues its rebound after the recession. The show is already the largest trade show in the Americas. It opened Tuesday and is expected to draw more than 140,000 attendees. The Consumer Electronics Association says the show has more than 3,100 exhibitors, up from a pre-show estimate of 2,800-plus. The show usually has just over 2,700 exhibitors, but dipped to 2,500 in 2010. AP

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2012 Consumer Electronics Show

The trade group that puts on the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas says it has hit a record number of exhibitors this year, as the industry continues its rebound after the recession. The show is already the largest trade show in the Americas. It opened Tuesday and is expected to draw more than 140,000 attendees. The Consumer Electronics Association says the show has more than 3,100 exhibitors, up from a pre-show estimate of 2,800-plus. The show usually has just over 2,700 exhibitors, but dipped to 2,500 in 2010. AP

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I Saw this on spike 4 days ago.

Article several months old, but covers the new construction at the oldest hotel/casino in Vegas; the Golden Gate (circa 1906) on Freemont Street.

http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2011/sep/21/downtown-resurgence-inspires-golden-gate-expand/


Downtown seems to be seeing a resurgance while the strip continues to struggle. One exception to this is that some preconstruction on the Linq appears to be moving forward.

THE LINQ http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2011/aug/03/caesars-set-break-ground-500-million-strip-project/

http://www.vegaschatter.com/main/2

Finally!! im gonna be the first one to get on top of that Wheel :P.

I Hope that Las Vegas is my next spot.

Interesting

Las Vegas Inc (http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2012/jan/30/project-linq-construction-spinning-along-strip/)


Observation wheel, plaza project under way on the Strip
Monday
30 January 2012

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2012/01/24/scaled.0124_web_ProjectLinq01_t618.jpg?ba5b5b122dd3d37cc13d83e92a6a0ec0d5bfa32a

Construction cranes remain idle at the stalled Echelon and Fontainebleau resorts on the Las Vegas Strip — so local residents may find it refreshing to see some building work under way down the street at The Linq.

Caesars Entertainment Corp.’s $550 million Linq project, on the Strip between the Flamingo and Imperial Palace, is a pedestrian shopping, dining and entertainment venue that will include a 550-foot-tall observation wheel.

Greg Miller, Caesars’ U.S. senior vice president of development, said in an interview Thursday that work on The Linq started in November and a good amount of progress had been made.

"We’re thrilled to be building the project," he said. "We look at it as a positive for Las Vegas."

To make way for The Linq, tennis courts at the Flamingo were demolished along with 90 "Capri" rooms at the Imperial Palace, some of the oldest rooms at that resort, Miller said.

Soon, work will begin on the foundations and platform for the observation wheel — named The Las Vegas High Roller, the components of which are being made at factories outside of Las Vegas.

Work also will soon be visible on the two-dozen-plus buildings that will make up the 200,000-square-foot retail, dining and entertainment portion of the attraction. In all, the buildings will house 32 tenants.

Most of the buildings will be two stories tall, though some will be three, Miller said. "Each building will have its own personality," he said.

[...]

Investors unearth records in alleged Fontainebleau cost overrun coverup (http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2012/feb/06/investors-unearth-new-records-alleged-fontaineblea/)

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2011/07/28/scaled.0728_LVS_North_Strip.004_t618.jpg?ba5b5b122dd3d37cc13d83e92a6a0ec0d5bfa32a


Investors suing over losses at the stalled $2.9 billion Fontainebleau Las Vegas casino-resort say they’ve uncovered startling internal documents detailing how its developer allegedly covered up cost overruns and other problems at the project.

Among them, according to documents filed by attorneys last week in a Clark County District Court lawsuit, are internal memos recovered from Turnberry West Construction Inc., Fontainebleau’s general contractor. One memo details how Fontainebleau executives, including owner Jeff Soffer, allegedly directed Turnberry West to manipulate cost estimates so the executives could hide cost overruns and meet the project’s budget. Up to $450 million in allegedly hidden cost overruns are at the heart of the lawsuit.

Investors holding $700 million of Fontainebleau’s debt are the lawsuit plaintiffs. They say Fontainebleau never would have been allowed to borrow that money if the lenders would have been aware of the cost overruns. That’s because cost overruns would have been a signal Fontainebleau was on track to fail and the lenders wouldn’t be repaid.

The numbers had to be manipulated, the investors charge in the lawsuit, because Fontainebleau as designed couldn’t be built with its construction budget — and this fact allegedly was hid from lenders who financed the project.

-------

Work on the 3,815-room hotel-casino was halted in 2009, Soffer put it into bankruptcy protection and some 3,000 construction workers lost their jobs. Investor Carl Icahn eventually bought the unfinished project out of bankruptcy with plans to hold on to it until the economy turns around.

Ls Vegas Review-Journal (http://www.lvrj.com/business/fortunes-may-be-shifting-for-downtown-s-lady-luck-139146149.html)


Fortunes may be shifting for downtown's Lady Luck

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2009/08/17/scaled.06_MEMO_GOLDSPIKE_t653.jpg?214bc4f9d9bd7c08c7d0f6599bb3328710e01e7b

By Jennifer Robison
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Posted: Feb. 11, 2012 | 1:59 a.m.


The Lady Luck's fortunes may be changing at last.

Fifth Street Gaming has big plans for the downtown Las Vegas hotel, shuttered since 2006. And earlier this week, those plans moved closer to reality as the Nevada Gaming Control Board recommended approval of a license for Fifth Street to operate the hotel-casino at Third Street and Ogden Avenue.

If the Nevada Gaming Commission accepts the board's recommendation later this month, the company's principals will move forward on $100 million in upgrades. When it opens in the first or second quarter of 2013, the property -- rechristened Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino -- will have 650 rooms, as many as 650 slot machines and about 30 table games, complete with a new design aesthetic and more than a few temptations for locals, said Fifth Street CEO Seth Schorr.

Most significantly, Schorr added, it'll be the first new hotel downtown since Main Street Station opened 30 years ago."This is not just a renovation. It's not just new carpet or new paint," he said. "The former Lady Luck was completely gutted. It's as new a hotel as you can have without demolishing the building."

David G. Schwartz, director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, hesitated to describe Downtown Grand as the urban core's first new property in three decades, noting improvements at the Plaza, which reopened in August after $35 million in upgrades to its rooms and food-and-beverage offerings. Also, El Cortez owner Kenny Epstein has spent nearly five years and $32 million improving the property, including converting a neighboring motel into the upscale Cabana Suites in 2009. And the Golden Nugget opened its $150 million, 500-room Rush tower in 2009.


[...]

Conceptual design unveiled for Henderson Space and Science Center (http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/feb/10/conceptual-design-unveiled-henderson-space-and-sci/)



http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2012/02/10/HSSC_t653.jpg?214bc4f9d9bd7c08c7d0f6599bb3328710e01e7b

The Henderson Space and Science Center, borne of an idea brainstormed years ago by former Henderson Councilman Jack Clark, continues to edge closer to reality with the unveiling Friday of a new conceptual design and model.

Still standing as the biggest obstacle to the center’s eventual opening: raising the bulk of the $63 million projected cost to design and construct the building and acquire and install exhibits.

The center’s board of directors, however, remains confident in its goal.

“We have made a lot of progress when it comes to preparing to go forward with the kind of fundraising plan that is essential to the success of our project,” said James Gibson, board president and former Henderson mayor.

If all goes as planned, the center should be open in the summer of 2015, officials said.

The state-of-the-art science museum will sit on five acres next to the proposed $1.5 million Union Village complex near U.S. 95 and Galleria Drive and, as architect Windom Kimsey described the conceptual design, will focus on green technologies and sustainability.

Vegas Inc (http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2012/feb/10/chinese-company-agrees-finance-proposed-henderson-/)


Chinese company agrees to finance proposed Henderson arena
Friday
10 February 2012


A Chinese company and its banks have tentatively agreed to finance a $650 million arena in Henderson, the arena developer announced Friday.

Whether the Silver State Arena will actually get off the ground, however, is an open question, despite Friday’s announcement by developer Chris Milam’s companies, Las Vegas National Sports Center and International Development Management.

It’s an open question because of the many hurdles Milam needs to overcome and questions about the arena project.

Milam’s companies said China Security & Surveillance Technology Inc. of Shenzhen, China, and its Chinese banking partners signed a “memorandum of understanding” providing for full financing of the 17,500-seat arena.

Friday’s announcement covered only the indoor arena portion of what has been billed as potentially becoming a $1.3 billion project that would include a separate open-air stadium. The proposed site is on Bureau of Land Management property south of the M Resort.

China Security & Surveillance, in a regulatory filing, said it had $1.4 billion in assets as of June 30.

[...]

Retail Real Estate News (http://retailtrafficmag.com/management/people/ehb_develop_mall_west_vegas_01202012/)



EHB to Develop 700,000 SF Mall in West Las Vegas

http://www.property.com/SiteNewsArticles/MainImages/7b454705-76ac-4f0e-b5e9-42bb15ba3095.jpg

Jan 20, 2012 11:04 AM, Staff Reports

EHB Cos. will develop Las Vegas Renaissance, a 700,000-sq.-ft. enclosed mall in West Las Vegas. EHB plans to break ground for the project in 2013 and open the property in time for the 2015 holiday shopping season.

Las Vegas Renaissance will be designed using European architecture style, inspired by the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan, Italy. It will feature canopied pedestrian corridors with arched glass ceilings and massive glass domes at corridor junctures.

Las Vegas Renaissance will be located next to Tivoli Village, another EHB development. “As we continue to build upon Tivoli Village’s unique offerings, we look to the future of West Las Vegas as a prominent retail destination,” said EHB Chairman and CEO Yohan Lowie in a statement.

“Renaissance will provide the community with a distinctive enclosed lifestyle shopping center away from the bustling Strip. The combination of Tivoli Village, Renaissance and Boca Park retail areas will define this corridor as the shopping, entertainment, restaurant and office destination of West Las Vegas.”

---

Las Vegas is on a comeback trail.

Nice mall! :)

What is the current status of proposed indoor ski resort?

Really? I've never heard of any indoor sky resort, that would be awesome!!

^^ Dubai already have one.

I meant as a project in Vegas :tongue3: ^^. That's new for me.

What is the current status of proposed indoor ski resort?

not sure that Vegas needs another gimmick like an indoor ski resort when there is a decent real one just 45 minutes west of town

http://www.skilasvegas.com/winter/index.html

Honestly though, and I don't mean to make this come off as rude, but Las Vegas has been known for being gimmicky for decades. Statue of Liberty replica, Eiffel Tower replica, Luxor, Grand Canal Shoppes, and the ferris wheel. Why stop?

Honestly though, and I don't mean to make this come off as rude, but Las Vegas has been known for being gimmicky for decades. Statue of Liberty replica, Eiffel Tower replica, Luxor, Grand Canal Shoppes, and the ferris wheel. Why stop?

I Hope Las Vegas continues with this, we need the titanic hotel to be built here as well.

Honestly though, and I don't mean to make this come off as rude, but Las Vegas has been known for being gimmicky for decades. Statue of Liberty replica, Eiffel Tower replica, Luxor, Grand Canal Shoppes, and the ferris wheel. Why stop?

It might work as part of the overall park proposal from 5 or 6 years ago (see link below) but I don't think it makes sense as a standalone attraction. This park would have been a great addition to Vegas.

http://www.finehomeslv.com/blog/snow-dome-las-vegas-indoor-skiing-water-park-and-snow-play/

Is that a dead project?

^^ I don't know yet which is why I asked about it earlier. I found this website and said it is still proposed. The official website is down.

http://www.vegastodayandtomorrow.com/wet.htm

SkyVue observation wheel across from Mandalay Bay will pour its foundation next week on Thursday, March 1. It's set to open on July 4, 2013.

http://www.vegaschatter.com/files/63189/Skyvue1.jpg

video animation

http://vimeo.com/24227157

SkyVue observation wheel across from Mandalay Bay will pour its foundation next week on Thursday, March 1. It's set to open on July 4, 2013.

http://www.vegaschatter.com/files/63189/Skyvue1.jpg

video animation

http://vimeo.com/24227157

Truly cool.

Las Vegas Wet is the ultimate Vegas-style theme park that will be an environmentally friendly landscape of hotels, arenas, casinos, shopping and dining facilities. Las Vegas Wet will include the largest indoor waterpark in North America, a snow dome where guests can ski indoors year-round, and a destination for locals seeking either a day of fun with the family, or simply a night out on the town. Watch our progress as we grow and announce new developments about this exciting new location south of the Las Vegas Strip.

We are currently only answering inquiries by press and development partners, so stay tuned for public announcements.



Read More: http://www.lasvegaswet.com/

Las Vegas Review-Journal (http://www.lvrj.com/business/skyvue-wheel-developers-begin-pouring-foundations-141151423.html)


SkyVue wheel developers begin pouring foundations

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2012/03/01/skyVue-53_t653.jpg?214bc4f9d9bd7c08c7d0f6599bb3328710e01e7b
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/mar/01/photos-skyvue-construction-mob-attraction-reopens-/

By Tim O'Reiley
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Posted: Mar. 1, 2012 | 11:58 p.m.


The duel between giant Strip Ferris wheels took another turn as the developers of the SkyVue wheel started pouring the foundations at 2 a.m. Thursday.

Concrete used to fill the 14-foot-deep hole will form the base for the twin poles that will hold up the 500-foot-tall ride, also called an observation wheel. Alone, they resemble an upside-down bicycle fork. Other concrete pads to anchor support cables, slightly removed from the pole base, will follow.

SkyVue principal Howard Bulloch said the work, which started last month on 11 acres across Las Vegas Boulevard from Mandalay Bay, has so far been funded internally, rather than waiting to line up outside financing. The entire project, including a two-story retail complex, comes with a $210 million price.

[...]

52 Story PH Westgate Rebranded "Elara" By Hilton (http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2012/mar/01/former-ph-towers-westgate-timeshare-resort-gets-ne/)

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2012/03/01/PHtower.002a_t653.jpg?214bc4f9d9bd7c08c7d0f6599bb3328710e01e7b


Hilton Worldwide on Thursday announced a new name for the former PH Towers Westgate timeshare resort on the Las Vegas Strip.

The new name for the 52-story timeshare, which has more than 17,000 vacation interval owners, is “Elara, a Hilton Grand Vacations Club.”

The 1,201-unit Elara was sold in November and, after a series of transactions, new owner LV Tower 52 LLC hired Hilton Grand Vacations to rebrand the property and provide future timeshare sales and marketing services.

$650m for a 17,500 seat Arena!!??? is it made out of gold or what? no wonder projects don't get done here :(

Las vegas Sun (http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/mar/05/new-city-hall-dedicated-light-show/)


New Las Vegas City Hall dedication a highlight of downtown development

Night dedication highlights artistic light display on structure’s facade

By Dave Toplikar
Monday, March 5, 2012 | 11:30 p.m.

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2012/03/05/0305cityhall02_t378.jpg?42670983c634e7c20626cc4856c543752c0d8b2f

It was an event to dedicate the opening of the new Las Vegas City Hall, a glassy, futuristic, solar-powered structure that celebrates the city's noted sunshine by day and illuminates its neon heritage by night. "It's certainly a beautiful building that every citizen in Las Vegas can be proud of," Mayor Carolyn Goodman told a gathering of several hundred people Monday night.

But the event was about much more than the seven-story, $185 million building at at 495 S. Main Street. "This stately building is a part of the ongoing urban renaissance that we are fortunately enough enjoying in and across our downtown," Goodman said.

The downtown is seeing a rebirth that includes a new concert hall and children's museum in nearby Symphony Park and a variety of other downtown commercial and cultural projects that will open this year, she said. "While 2012 is the year of downtown, it is only the beginning of the transformation of Las Vegas and the entire community into the world-class city it deserves to become," Goodman said.

[...]

Movement on Sacramento Kings arena not a kiss of death for Las Vegas projects2 (http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2012/mar/05/movement-sacramento-kings-arena-not-kiss-death-las/)


The latest efforts to keep the National Basketball Association’s Sacramento Kings from relocating won't mean the game is over for bids to build arenas in Southern Nevada.

In meetings held last month during the NBA All-Star Game weekend, the Kings and the city of Sacramento put together the framework of a deal to build a new Sacramento arena. The Kings — owned by the Maloof family, which also has a stake in the Palms hotel-casino in Las Vegas — were targeted by several cities when it appeared the team was ready to move because it couldn’t secure an arena deal in California’s capital city. Anaheim, which was trying to build momentum for a third Southern California NBA franchise, and Seattle, which lost its team to Oklahoma City in 2008, have been suitors for the Kings. So has Las Vegas, which figured it had a shot because of the Maloof connection and an array of arena proposals on the drawing board.

But not only are development plans still under way for perhaps the most promising arena project in Southern Nevada — proposed by the Las Vegas Arena Foundation on land donated by Caesars Entertainment — a representative from the project said its success was not dependent on the NBA's presence. “It isn’t the NBA’s policy to promise a team if you build an arena,” said Marybel Batjer, a member of the Las Vegas Arena Foundation and vice president of public policy and communications for Caesars Entertainment. The nonprofit foundation plans to build the arena using specifications that could entice an NBA or National Hockey League team, but Batjer said the lack of a franchise wasn’t a deal-breaker for the project.

Two other prominent Southern Nevada arena proposals have indicated in the past that they would maintain their efforts with or without an NBA tenant. Chris Milam’s companies, Las Vegas National Sports Center and International Development Management, announced last month that a Chinese company and its banks had agreed to finance a $650 million arena in Henderson near the M Resort. While Milam has hinted to having an NBA franchise ready to move into the arena, there has been no evidence to suggest that an existing team is coming.

Milam also has said the project was not contingent on attracting a team.

Las Vegas Monorail will again try to emerge from bankruptcy (http://www.lvrj.com/business/las-vegas-monorail-will-again-try-to-emerge-from-bankruptcy-141878233.html)

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2010/01/15/MonorailFile_t653.jpg?214bc4f9d9bd7c08c7d0f6599bb3328710e01e7b


The Las Vegas Monorail will try again on April 30 to emerge from bankruptcy.

At a hearing Wednesday, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Bruce Markell approved the monorail attorneys' request to send out the disclosure statement, which explains what the monorail is and how the Chapter 11 repayment plan works. He also set the hearing for April 30 on whether the plan passes legal muster.

Last November, Markell derailed a previous version of the plan as leaving the monorail with too much debt and prone to another default in future years.

Previously, the monorail had worked out a deal with creditors to repay $658 million in bonds with three IOUs totaling $40.4 million. But after Markell's rejection, terms were reworked to provide creditors with two IOUs for $13 million.

SkyVue observation wheel across from Mandalay Bay will pour its foundation next week on Thursday, March 1. It's set to open on July 4, 2013.

http://www.vegaschatter.com/files/63189/Skyvue1.jpg

video animation

http://vimeo.com/24227157

Looks pretty good, though a little ways from the strip, what is the height of it?

24227157

24227157

Ultra cool.

Looks pretty good, though a little ways from the strip, what is the height of it?

SkyVue Observation Wheel will supposedly reach 500 feet making it 20 feet higher than the roof of Mandalay Bay Hotel across the street.

I would still consider that as being right on the Strip, just at the southern end. The other proposed wheel at the Linq will be closer to the center but I believe it will be back at least one block off the Strip.

Harmon fate hearings begin (http://www.lvrj.com/business/hearing-to-decide-fate-of-unfinished-harmon-gets-under-way-142420745.html)

To demo? Or rebuild? THAT is the question!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/The_Harmon_Hotel_-_West_Entry_-_2011-06-04.jpg/400px-The_Harmon_Hotel_-_West_Entry_-_2011-06-04.jpg

A Quake Could Topple Harmon, Engineer Testifies (http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2012/mar/13/quake-could-topple-harmon-engineer-testifies-demol/)

:eek:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Today: http://www.lvrj.com/business/perini-temporary-fix-to-harmon-would-cost-2-million-142722685.html


Perini: Temporary fix to Harmon would cost $2 million

As the hearing over whether to raze the unfinished Harmon Hotel plodded through its third day on Wednesday, Perini Building Company Inc. injected a surprise by unveiling a temporary $2 million fix to keep it standing in the event of a serious earthquake.

Perini, general contractor on the $8.5 billion CityCenter that includes the Harmon, has long insisted that it could and would fix any structural defects but previously had not laid out specifics. Steve Schiller, president of the engineering firm John A. Martin & Associates of Nevada, outlined from the witness stand the $2 million patch that would take six-to-eight weeks to complete. The firm, hired by Perini for the case, essentially calls for constructing eight columns, bookended metal plates, from the base of the fourth floor to the subterranean foundation as a way to absorb any seismic shocks and transfer them harmlessly to the ground.

The repair was not proposed as a permanent solution to the building's flaws, but as a way to keep it stable through a larger trial over CityCenter's construction next year. By contrast, CityCenter half-owner and developer MGM Resorts International Inc. determined last year that the Harmon would collapse in a strong quake and can't be fixed in an economical way. It favors implosion at a cost of $30 million.

----

The Harmon, where work halted after nearly $280 million was spent, is the centerpiece of the dispute. Initially planned for 48 stories, it was capped at 26 and then left unfinished. For years it has been the most expensive billboard on The Strip.

The focus of concerns about the Harmon's safety falls on the fourth floor, which contains the so-called "transfer elements," structural members that would shift earthquake stress on the upper stories to the ones below. "If those elements fail, there is nothing to hold up the upper stories," said Chukwuma Ekwueme, the consulting engineer for CityCenter. His examination of the elements, which included chipping away concrete to look at the steel reinforcing bars, led him to conclude that their construction was too flawed to stand up.

Schiller, however, found that some elements were in good shape and others could be shored up through his plan. Overall, he said that the building could hold up despite defects elsewhere. "Our analysis showed that it was over-designed for a 48-story building," he said, and it is now only about half that tall.

$650m for a 17,500 seat Arena!!??? is it made out of gold or what? no wonder projects don't get done here :(

True thats quite a pricetag for an arena of those specs.

Harmon Hearings Recessed until July (http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2012/mar/16/harmon-implosion-hearing-recessed-until-july/)


:ohno: Jeezus! Get this stupid drama over with already!

ZdXSP2ErcTQ#!

MGhExyzT96I

Harmon Hearings Recessed until July (http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2012/mar/16/harmon-implosion-hearing-recessed-until-july/)


:ohno: Jeezus! Get this stupid drama over with already!

this is BS...if it's so dangerous to be kept; then why do the hearings get push back...:bash:

More details on the Linq at the URL below. Looks like their observation wheel will be 550 feet to the top, fifty feet higher than the Skyvue wheel.

http://www.vegaschatter.com/files/63189/Linq_DS.jpg

http://www.dmsas.com/resources/docs/79_1298314570_Caesars_Entertainment.pdf

1. Las Vegas is gonna have two observation wheels?

2. What does anyone here think should be dome to the Imperial Palace, the shortest megaresort in the LV Strip?

^^
1. Yes.

2. I think they should be demolished and replaced it with bigger hotels like any resorts in Las Vegas did.

^^The IP's room count may be on par with some of the other hotels like the Stratosphere or the Encore Tower. If the IP is torn down, then what can it be replaced with? What should be the ideal height, floor count, and room count of any new hotel on that site?

^^
1. Yes.

2. I think they should be demolished and replaced it with bigger hotels like any resorts in Las Vegas did.

and make it smooth.

^^The IP's room count may be on par with some of the other hotels like the Stratosphere or the Encore Tower. If the IP is torn down, then what can it be replaced with? What should be the ideal height, floor count, and room count of any new hotel on that site?

It can be replaced with same concept but bigger, taller, badder, and sexier one. :D

^^The IP's room count may be on par with some of the other hotels like the Stratosphere or the Encore Tower. If the IP is torn down, then what can it be replaced with? What should be the ideal height, floor count, and room count of any new hotel on that site?

Imperial Palace is not being torn down, just reskinned. The porte cochere will be moved and the casino brought "all the way up to" The Strip. Hopefully it gets an interior makeover as well.

Detail rendering of the "high roller" observation wheel at the Linq. Not clear how the cabin remains vertical with this non free hanging design.

http://www.vegaschatter.com/files/63189/High_Roller_Pod.jpg

Detail rendering of the "high roller" observation wheel at the Linq. Not clear how the cabin remains vertical with this non free hanging design.

http://www.vegaschatter.com/files/63189/High_Roller_Pod.jpg

If you look closely, you can see a track around the pod. The pod stays horizontal, while the it travels the circumference of the wheel.

Stratosphere Gets A Nice Refresh (http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/apr/06/revamped-look-has-stratosphere-standing-taller-the/)

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2012/04/05/scaled.0405_web_strat05_t653.JPG?214bc4f9d9bd7c08c7d0f6599bb3328710e01e7b

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/04/12/article-2129022-12926CA4000005DC-841_634x286.jpg

wow....this was almost built on Freemont Street

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2129022/Star-Trek-designers-reveal-plans-scale-Starship-Enterprise-scrapped-moment-downtown-Las-Vegas-towered-Eiffel-Tower.html

^^ Wow! That is insane! Too bad they didn't build it. I know it would look so tacky or too much for Las Vegas but come on this is fun project! :)

Implosion Makes Way For New Casino To Replace O'Sheas, Imperial Palace (http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/may/01/implosion-makes-way-new-casino-replace-osheas-impe/)

-7Ko1cOdajE&hl


The rumble of an implosion early Tuesday provided the latest — and loudest — signal of progress in creation of the $500 million Linq entertainment district along the Las Vegas Strip.

Amid flashes of explosives and a huge plume of dust, the seven-story O'Sheas casino parking garage came down at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday to make way for Caesars Entertainment's Linq project, which will include a new casino resort and a 550-foot attraction similar to a Ferris wheel.

"It will be a whole new look for the Strip," said Rick Mazer, regional president for Caesars Entertainment before the implosion.

A name for the casino, which will replace the Imperial Palace, is still being decided in Caesars boardrooms. But Mazar said it wouldn't be themed, so it will fit around the design of a new facade that will stretch over a skeleton structure that used to be O'Sheas. O'Sheas closed at noon Monday after 23 years in operation.

The new casino will lead to the entrance of the Linq, a collection of retail, casual dining and entertainment scheduled to open in 2013.

"The bones of the O'Sheas building will stay, but the skin around it will be gone," Mazer said.

The old O'Sheas and much of the Imperial Palace will be engulfed into a new resort, which is expected to be named later this year.

Goodbye Sahara, Hello SLS Las Vegas (http://www.lvrj.com/business/good-bye-sahara-hello-sls-las-vegas-149609415.html)

http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1zeln5u781rnom7fo1_1280.jpg


Goodbye Sahara, hello SLS Las Vegas.

Think of this as an implosion without the dynamite.

Sahara owners SBE Entertainment of Los Angeles and San Francisco-based private equity group Stockbridge Real Estate said Monday they had completed the process to acquire $300 million in financing that will return Sahara, which was shuttered almost a year ago, into an operational north-Strip hotel-casino sometime in 2014.

SBE Chef Executive Officer Sam Nazarian the three existing hotel towers would remain, but two will be "stripped down to their skeletons." A low-rise hotel structure will be torn down, but the 2,500-space parking garage will remain.

SLS Las Vegas will have roughly 1,600 rooms and operate as a "true boutique resort," although it will be the largest SLS hotel in the company. Gensler Architects and Penta Building Group have been hired to oversee the renovation. Nazarian said plans have been completed and construction work could begin by the end of summer.

He said SBE took a similar building approach when it developed SLS properties in Beverly Hills, Calif., and in Miami's South Beach, adapting and renovating existing buildings.

The two-year time line to complete the remodeling, allows SBE to grow its database of customers to more than 2.5 million names. By the time SLS Las Vegas opens, SBE will have SLS-branded hotels in several U.S. cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami.

The Smith Center For Performing Arts has opened

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7202/6967516823_35c44d5626_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29820142@N08/6967516823/)
The Smith Center for the Performing Arts (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29820142@N08/6967516823/) by odonata98 (out of hibernation) (http://www.flickr.com/people/29820142@N08/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7185/6785663640_f3bf1e42af_b_d.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pbo31/

Las Vegas Monorail Set To Emerge From Bankruptcy (http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2012/may/09/las-vegas-monorail-poised-emerge-bankruptcy/)

http://dc.streetsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/mono.jpg

Time to take on more debt and add extensions! :D

Las Vegas Convention Authority Proposes New Building Plans (http://www.lasvegassun.com/videos/2012/may/08/7232/) (Video in link)


Las Vegas visitor volume continued to climb in March despite a drop in convention attendance, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reported Thursday.

The LVCVA said 3.5 million tourists visited the city in March, a 3.7 percent increase over March 2011. For the first quarter, visitor volume is up 3.6 percent over last year to 9.8 million, just under the pace needed to record an unprecedented 40 million visitors.

Convention attendance was down 3.9 percent to 513,010, in part because the Las Vegas Convention Center hosted the triennial ConExpo-Con/Agg construction equipment trade show that brought 120,000 people to the city in 2011. Convention attendance was down despite a 34.6 percent increase in the number of conferences and meetings held (2,302).

Occupancy rates were up in every category except weekends. Citywide occupancy was up 1.1 percentage points to 88.3 percent, with hotel occupancy up 1 point to 90.5 percent. Weekend occupancy fell 0.9 points to 94.4 percent.

The city’s average daily room rate also was off 3.5 percent to $107.21, but for the quarter, it was up 3.6 percent to $109.84.

Both auto and air traffic figures were up for the month, with traffic on all major highways up 0.9 percent to an average 101,223 vehicles per day and the number crossing the California-Nevada border up 7.9 percent to 40,304.

Earlier this month, McCarran International Airport reported a 2.5 percent increase in passengers to 3.7 million.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/may/10/visitor-volume-continues-steady-climb-latest-numbe/

Las Vegas Monorail Set To Emerge From Bankruptcy (http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2012/may/09/las-vegas-monorail-poised-emerge-bankruptcy/)

http://dc.streetsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/mono.jpg

Time to take on more debt and add extensions! :D
The monorail obviously needs to go to the airport. I'm still amazed that it didn't do so from the day it opened.

The monorail obviously needs to go to the airport. I'm still amazed that it didn't do so from the day it opened.

It's like the DesertXpress HSR train going to Victorville CA and not into L.A. I guess Vegas is really all about desert mirages! :nuts:

Riviera Getting $20-30 Million Makeover (http://www.lvrj.com/business/riviera-on-strip-to-get-20-million-to-30-million-makeover-151965085.html)

http://photos.igougo.com/images/p571460-Las_Vegas-riviera_hotel_las_vegas.jpg

I Really Hope to go to las vegas next year or if I Win the lottery and powerball.

Developers begin next construction phase for SkyVue’s 500-foot wheel (http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/may/22/developers-begin-next-construction-phase-skyvues-5/)

http://brightcove01.brightcove.com/21/13639249001/13639249001_1651265569001_7F339068DD5D4B448C8D6534A3BBBFDA.jpg?pubId=13639249001
http://www.ktnv.com/


Down on the ground, two pillars now 60 feet tall point skyward, showing SkyVue is more than just so much talk. Today, the project begins the second phase of a $200 million construction that Bulloch promises will have a wheel towering over the Strip by the end of the year.

A dozen semi trucks are set to roll into the construction site this morning, bringing enough steel cable to stretch from the Strip to the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco to serve as supports for the massive wheel.

Plans are to have the hub and spindle for the wheel in place by the end of summer. By fall, constructions workers will begin forging large pie-shaped steel supports around the hub for a wheel expected to carry passengers late next year.

"The engineering behind it is like a big Erector set," Bulloch said.

cool!

Downtown Law Office To Build Soon (http://www.lvrj.com/business/construction-to-start-on-downtown-law-office-153988645.html)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bW7NwjgmAmc/Tut3yOExE7I/AAAAAAAAAng/WlXnmbscsjU/s1600/EVAPSLawOffice.jpg
http://www.powerbrokerconfidential.com/2011_12_01_archive.html


Construction is scheduled to begin in June on a four-story, 46,000-square-foot law office and mock courtroom at 400 S. Seventh St., the latest development shaping the future of downtown Las Vegas.

Attorney Robert Eglet, who won a $160 million settlement for plaintiffs in the hepatitis C medical malpractice lawsuit, announced the project Thursday at UNLV's William S. Boyd School of Law.

The Robert T. Eglet Advocacy Center will be home to four law firms and an investigation firm that share ownership in the joint venture, he said.

At an estimated cost of $18 million, it's the largest privately funded building to go downtown in a number of years, Eglet said.

The project is being financed by Bank of Nevada and the Small Business Administration. Korte Co. is the general contractor, and DesignCell is the architect. Completion is expected in December 2013.

"We're committed to the downtown area. With our practice, it's important to be within walking distance of the courthouse," the personal injury attornºey said. "The economy is getting better. I think you're going to see more development downtown, and we're happy to be part of that."

David Wall, former judge and Eglet partner, said the venture shows commitment not only to the future of downtown Las Vegas, but to the community as a whole.

Harmon Corner Signs Up Bubba Gump's (http://www.powerbrokerconfidential.com/2012/05/bubba-gump-shrimp-joins-harmon-corner.html)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wphG3E3wFLI/T6nOaLjxH7I/AAAAAAAABoY/DTanuH_zqWc/s1600/HarmonCorner.jpg
http://www.powerbrokerconfidential.com/2012/05/bubba-gump-shrimp-joins-harmon-corner.html


Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurants signed a long-term lease to occupy the still under construction $100 million, 110,184-square-foot Harmon Corner, on 2.17 acres, at the northeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon Avenue. The three-level enclosed shopping mall is scheduled to open this summer. Bret Torino is the developer; Penta Building Group is the general contractor; SH Architecture is the architect. Lease terms were not disclosed. Virtus Commercial’s Jeff Mitchell represented the tenant. The steel-and-glass triangular-shaped building will consist of 17 stores and boutiques, including three restaurants with outdoor patio dining.

Liberty Dental Signs At Rainbow Sunset Pavillion (http://www.powerbrokerconfidential.com/2012/05/liberty-dental-signs-2-million-office.html)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qwn-aDKyITg/T6gQi_4MN-I/AAAAAAAABns/mjOs8_PGlQM/s1600/RainbowSunsetPavilion.jpg


Liberty Dental Plan Corp. signed a 66-month, $2,013,401 lease for 13,251 square feet of office space inside Rainbow Sunset Pavilion at 6385 S. Rainbow Blvd. in Las Vegas. Colliers International’s Tom Stilley, Lizz Stilley, Ryan Martin and Patti Dillon represented the lessee; CB Richard Ellis' Randy Broadhead represented the lessor, GY Rainbow Holdings

New renders out for SLS Las Vegas

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/s720x720/156590_377352202301434_216554065047916_925690_561583808_n.jpg

And a mockup:

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2012/05/01/scaled.0501_SUN_SLSPreview%20001_t653.jpg?214bc4f9d9bd7c08c7d0f6599bb3328710e01e7b
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/may/16/courageous-first-move-could-bring-success-north-po/

More SLS branded properties in Beverly Hills and Miami Beach. Guess what market segment they're targeting? :D

UNLV Regents Consider 60,000 Seat On Campus Stadium Plans (http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/may/26/regents-consider-transformational-plan-unlv-includ/)

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2011/06/28/scaled.0628_Web_Silverton.004_t655.jpg?23d0d85dc3029222a8299eec08aff692318f4809

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2011/01/31/0201_web_stadium01_t653.jpg?214bc4f9d9bd7c08c7d0f6599bb3328710e01e7b

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2011/09/12/0917_sun_stadium1_t653.jpg?214bc4f9d9bd7c08c7d0f6599bb3328710e01e7b


The expected approval this coming week of an agreement between UNLV and private developers will end 15 months of preliminary planning and open the door for the inking of hard-and-fast plans for a campus project that includes 4,000 living units and and a 60,000-seat stadium.

Called “UNLV Now,” the 150-acre project also will include a retail area known as a student village. If the university system’s Board of Regents approves an exclusive negotiating agreement between UNLV and Majestic Realty Co., the next step will be returning in November for approval of a new campus master plan. Then, if the Legislature quickly approves a tax-incremental financing district for the project early in its 2013 session, Craig Cavileer said construction likely will begin in 2013.

Cavileer, Silverton resort president and Majestic’s project representative, said the project was “pivotal” for the evolution of the university, which is slightly more than 50 years old. “We’re really changing things for the next 100 years,” Cavileer said. When the project is completed, UNLV President Neal Smatresk said, it will be “the most exciting college facility ever built in the United States.” For the campus, he added, “this is the transformational step we need.”

University overseers will get the chance to approve a negotiating agreement Friday. If approved, it will provide more assurance to Majestic that the university is serious, that it wants this project done. Approval will allow Majestic to spend what is estimated to be millions more working on details of the project — timelines, costs, logistics.

Broad details about the project have changed over 15 months. Cavileer said the most current vision is for the 1.1 million-square-foot stadium/event center to have 52,000 permanent seats but to be expandable to 60,000. UNLV football games would be played there but Rebel basketball games still would be at the Thomas & Mack Center, which would be overhauled and renovated as part of the project. Last year, the Sun reported the project’s estimated cost at $2 billion. Cavileer would not offer an estimate but said the project would be less expensive than any of the Strip’s newer casinos.

The event center would take about 30 months to complete. Whether it would be built concurrently with the living units and student village are details Cavileer said still needed to be solidified. The temperature-controlled, covered event center, which would be kept at 70 degrees, would qualify Las Vegas for large events that it couldn’t attract previously, including major league soccer, the NCAA’s basketball Final Four, political conventions, perhaps multiple college football bowl games, even NFL preseason games.

[...]


http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/534277/Football_Mode.jpg
http://www.mwcconnection.com/2011/2/1/1968903/unlv-announces-plans-for-new-stadium-and-district-on-campus

http://www.unlvnow.com/images/Location/roof.jpg

.

I Personally can't wait to be in las vegas, perhaps next year.

http://youtu.be/WaAvn7C0JVE

GRs7a-wDlno

http://i.bnet.com/blogs/ca-vegas-hsr-map-desertxpress-corridor.jpeg

DesertXpress inks deal to add train link from Victorville to Palmdale, making travel to L.A. possible
By Richard N. Velotta (contact)
Thursday, 7 June 2012, 10:54 a.m.

A seamless high-speed rail system linking Las Vegas with downtown Los Angeles is the goal adopted today by representatives of DesertXpress and the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority.

DesertXpress Enterprises already is trying to build a high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and Victorville, Calif. A new agreement signed today makes possible a second leg, linking Victorville to Palmdale, Calif., and eventually Los Angeles.

DesertXpress and MTA representatives signed documents that open the door to the Las Vegas-Los Angeles route. The agreement includes a strategy to plan and build a 50-mile high-speed line between Victorville and Palmdale, which would initially connect to Metrolink tracks and eventually be the connection point to California’s planned high-speed rail system.

The DesertXpress plan is part of a larger strategy envisioned by the Las Vegas-centered Western High Speed Rail Alliance to eventually tie into a regional high-speed rail network with routes to Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Denver.



Read More: http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2012/jun/07/desertxpress-inks-deal-add-train-link-victorville-/

What are the must sees in Vegas right now? I'm talking architecture here. I'm in town through Sunday and want to see the best Vegas has to offer.

What are the must sees in Vegas right now? I'm talking architecture here. I'm in town through Sunday and want to see the best Vegas has to offer.

Vegas isn't traditionally known for great architecture. However, of the newer stuff I would check out the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, the faux Eiffel tower at the Paris casino and the City Center complex of buildings which are a cut above the standard casino/hotel building.

For a list of older signifcant buildings still standing check this out:

http://www.vegas.com/lounge/centennial/historicbuildings.html

My favorite thing to visit in that area is the Hoover Dam complex. Some of the support buildings and decoration were done in the Art Deco style of the 1920s and 1930s. Its very impressive.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wphG3E3wFLI/T6nOaLjxH7I/AAAAAAAABoY/DTanuH_zqWc/s1600/HarmonCorner.jpg

This has come a long way. I took these pictures of the site on 8th March 2011.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa188/pparry/IMG_1280.jpg

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa188/pparry/IMG_1292.jpg

Here's my contribution to this thread :cheers:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7257/7470404240_ac531b01aa_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/81399002@N05/7470404240/)
las vegas 2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/81399002@N05/7470404240/) by Jorge Hernandez Castro (http://www.flickr.com/people/81399002@N05/), on Flickr

LV-RJ (http://www.lvrj.com/business/mccarran-s-2-4-billion-terminal-3-receives-first-flights-160644745.html)


McCarran's $2.4 billion Terminal 3 receives first flights

http://www.pgal.com/media/cache/a9/a916e190a7cff912ca47e260d9e652d3.jpg

By Tim O'Reiley
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Posted: Jun. 28, 2012 | 12:04 a.m.
Updated: Jun. 28, 2012 | 11:27 p.m.


While waiting for her Virgin Atlantic Airways flight to London, Hazel Griffin of Oxford, England, rendered a distinctly British verdict on the difference between McCarran International Airport's old Terminal 2 and new Terminal 3. "They are poles apart," said Griffin. "It's chalk and cheese."

After five years of construction, the $2.4 billion T3 went into service Wednesday with the standard official speeches and platoon of showgirls, celebrity impersonators and stage performers. Virgin Atlantic and three other airlines took up residence. Another 11 international carriers will move in today.

Against the sometimes loud backdrop, Griffin played up her newfound celebrity as the T3's first departing traveler. "I'll always be the first person through the airport," she said jokingly. "Maybe they should put up a plaque for me."

Other passengers marveled at the difference between the cramped, four-gate international facility at Terminal 2, which was built more than two decades ago as a charter flight terminal, and T3's 14 gates, with seven for international use, as well as spacious new passport and customs facilities.

[...]

SkyVue progress:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8024/7441732332_2da7a922c7_b_d.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pbo31/

Haaaa I was there un june ! this was my first time in USA and my first time in Las Vegas , it was wonderfull , and for sure , i will be back !!! Greetings from Argentina

Good to see LV picking itself back up slowly and surely.

At A Glance: The Las Vegas (Henderson) National Sports Complex Proposal (http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/jul/15/glance/)

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2012/07/09/stadium_henderson_rendering03_t653.JPG?214bc4f9d9bd7c08c7d0f6599bb3328710e01e7b


Sunday, July 15, 2012 | 2 a.m.

The Las Vegas National Sports Complex is a proposed multibillion-dollar project that would be built on 485 acres east of Interstate 15, just northeast of the M Resort in Henderson. Developers envision the project launching with a 17,500-seat, $650 million indoor arena, followed by a 25,000-seat open-air stadium, a 63,500-seat domed stadium and a baseball stadium.

Principals behind proposal

Las Vegas National Sports Complex LLC, led by developer Chris Milam, is developing the project. The company is in discussions to secure a $650 million construction loan from China Security & Surveillance Technology, a company based in Shenzhen, China. Milam has attempted and failed to develop several other stadium proposals in Southern Nevada, including a complex west of Mandalay Bay.

Support for or against

The Henderson City Council has expressed tentative support for the project, approving a master plan agreement and supporting Las Vegas National Sports Complex’s purchase of 485 acres from the Bureau of Land Management. The project has received little resistance from the public so far. Dennis Porter, Henderson’s director of utility services, said the city has met with neighborhood groups and various other organizationsto explain the proposal.

“Sometimes when we start those meetings, they’re concerned about traffic and noise,” he said. “Once they better understand the project, the location, how we’re managing traffic, 99 percent are on board.”

[...]

^^ Nice! It looks like an Olympic Games complex to me. They could use that if they hosts an Olympic Games one day.

^^ Nice! It looks like an Olympic Games complex to me. They could use that if they hosts an Olympic Games one day.
I Hope it does happen.

NY-based developer of failed Vegas project faces fraud claims (http://therealdeal.com/blog/2012/07/31/ny-based-developer-of-failed-vegas-project-faces-fraud-claims/)

http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/6746/wlasvegaskb3.jpg


New York developer Jason Halpern is facing allegations that he wrongfully shielded his West Village condominium apartment and other assets from a $2.08 million judgment related to the failed W Hotel, Casino and Residences in Las Vegas. The Dallas-based Edge Group filed suit against Halpern in New York State Supreme Court on July 19.

Lawyers for Edge, the co-developer of the casino project, claim that Halpern is living off a $10 million life insurance policy that was placed in a trust and recently sold a $3 million apartment at 166 Perry Street, but is fraudulently shielding the assets to prevent paying out the judgment. They also claim that Halpern has shielded many of his real estate holdings through various shell companies and missed scheduled depositions, according to court filings. “It’s our view that he’s not the destitute real estate developer he claims to be,” Scott Ziluck, an attorney with Halperin Battaglia and Raicht, which represents Edge Group, told The Real Deal. “The allegations are without merit,” said Herrick Feinstein partner William Fried, who is defending Halpern. “We will vigorously defend them.”

Halpern, the developer of 184 Kent Avenue, a converted Williamsburg rental building, was part of a group involved in the canceled $2.5 billion W Hotel in Las Vegas, a massive project that would have included 3,000 rooms, luxury condo units and a 75,000 square feet of gaming space. Brian Roche, a former tight end for the Dallas Cowboys, filed suit against Edge in 2006, alleging his group was pushed out of the original development team. As a result, Edge Group settled the case for $550,000, and incurred another $1.3 million in legal fees. In December 2010, a Nevada judge ruled that Halpern and other investors agreed to indemnify Edge against such litigation, and issued the judgment.

The Edge suit claims that during 2008 and 2009, Halpern set up various shell companies to shield his assets from creditors knowing that this suit was pending. Halpern has been involved in other legal proceedings, which the suit alleges added to the need to protect his assets. Halpern’s company, JMH Development, was named in a September 2011 racketeering suit by two local unions. That suit alleged that JMH worked with HRH Construction (which later filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection) to cheat workers out of wages and benefits. Halpern was not named personally in that case.

Halpern did not return calls for comment. A lawyer for JMH declined comment.

Caesars touts permit as key to building world’s tallest observation wheel on Las Vegas Strip (http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/caesars-gets-key-permit-for-las-vegas-strip-observation-wheel-designed-to-be-worlds-tallest/2012/07/25/gJQAfHwD9W_story.html)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_606w/2010-2019/Wires/Online/2012-07-25/AP/Images/Vegas%20Strip%20Wheels.JPEG-05dda.jpg


By Associated Press, Published: July 25AP
LAS VEGAS — Caesars Entertainment Corp. announced Wednesday that it obtained a key county permit to build the world’s tallest observation wheel in a more than half-billion dollar retail, dining and entertainment complex it is developing on the Las Vegas Strip.

The Ferris-style wheel, dubbed the High Roller, is expected to stand 550 feet tall. It is the centerpiece of a planned $550 million development, dubbed LINQ, expected to open next year between the company’s Harrah’s Las Vegas, Imperial Palace and Flamingo Las Vegas casinos.

Meanwhile, across from Mandalay Bay, SkyVue continues its own ascent:

http://www.vegaschatter.com/files/100501/skyvue_towers.jpg



.

It's pretty ridiculous that they are building two giant observation wheels. Seems a bit overkill, and I would think they would definitely detract from one another.

It's pretty ridiculous that they are building two giant observation wheels. Seems a bit overkill, and I would think they would definitely detract from one another.

Maybe in Providence, but this is Vegas!

It's pretty ridiculous that they are building two giant observation wheels. Seems a bit overkill, and I would think they would definitely detract from one another.

I agree. I think one giant observation wheel is good enough for Las Vegas. Two are too much.

I agree. I think one giant observation wheel is good enough for Las Vegas. Two are too much.

not in vegas

not in vegas

It would be a great thing.

Summerlin Developer Announces Large Projects (http://www.lvrj.com/business/summerlin-area-developer-announces-large-commercial-projects-164778776.html)


By Hubble Smith
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Posted: Aug. 2, 2012 | 11:45 a.m.

Executive Home Builders and IDB Group USA, development partners in One Queensridge Place and Tivoli Village, plan to build a 200,000 square-foot retail center at Sahara Avenue and Hualapai Way, the company said Thursday.

The development will be anchored by a specialty grocer and will include space for stores selling large- and mid-size apparel, accessories, beauty and sporting goods. Completion is scheduled for 2013. "Our company is committed to investing in Las Vegas and we are excited to offer another great option when it comes to shopping," EHB chief executive officer Yohan Lowie said in a statement. NewMarket Advisors will serve as the leasing representative.

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2010/12/08/scaled.1210_IB_Tivoli4_t653.jpg?214bc4f9d9bd7c08c7d0f6599bb3328710e01e7bhttp://www.property.com/SiteNewsArticles/MainImages/7b454705-76ac-4f0e-b5e9-42bb15ba3095.jpg
Tivoli Village (left) and the proposed Las Vegas Renaissance Mall adjoining it. (right)

EHB also plans to develop Las Vegas Renaissance, an enclosed shopping mall on the southeast corner of Rampart Boulevard and Alta Drive, in 2015. It will connect with Tivoli Village via a walkway over Alta. Tivoli Village opened in April 2011 with 400,000 square-feet of boutique retail and dining. A second phase is under construction and is expected to be finished in late 2013. EHB also built One Queensridge Place, a luxury high rise condominium community at Alta and Rampart.

----

Strip arena backers regroup after ruling knocks initiative off November ballot (http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/aug/02/strip-arena-backers-regroup-after-ruling-knocks-in/)

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2012/07/09/stadium_linq_arena_rendering02_t600.JPG?42b0fb247f69dabe2ae440581a34634cbc5420f3


A ruling Wednesday evening by the Nevada Supreme Court will indefinitely stall the effort to build a 20,000-seat arena near the Las Vegas Strip, says the chairman of the group developing the project.

The Caesars Entertainment-backed arena suffered a major setback when the court invalidated roughly 200,000 signatures collected in support of a ballot initiative to raise the sales tax to fund the $500 million project.

The initiative would have raised the sales tax by 0.9 percent in a tourism district within a three-mile radius of the arena, which would be built on land donated by Caesars.

The ruling means the effort to place the initiative on the statewide ballot this year is “at the end of the road,” said Bruce Woodbury, chairman of the nonprofit Las Vegas Arena Foundation, which was formed to develop the arena.

“I’m not optimistic that there’s any further light at the end of this tunnel. We’ll have to talk about whether we can regroup and what to do next,” he said.

Woodbury said lawyers would review the decision to see if there are further grounds for rehearing the issue, but with Election Day fast approaching, the window to get the initiative on the ballot is shrinking.

The Supreme Court’s ruling, reported Wednesday night by the Sun’s Jon Ralston, comes after months of legal wrangling and fierce opposition to the proposal from the rest of the gaming community, including MGM Resorts and Boyd Gaming.

Caesars has been working to bring a stadium to the Strip for several years. An attempt to pass the sales tax increase through the Legislature in 2011 was met with hostility and fierce lobbying, said Woodbury, forcing arena proponents to turn to the ballot initiative, which began collecting signatures in 2010.

A total of 221,874 signatures were certified in support of the initiative, far more than the required 97,002, but a suit by the Taxpayers For the Protection of Nevada Jobs, a nonprofit backed by MGM Resorts and Boyd Gaming, challenged the validity of those signatures.

In a June 19 ruling, the Supreme Court ruled that the petition’s description of effect — a 200-word summary of the proposal — was misleading because it didn’t make clear that passing the initiative would effectively kill other competing stadium proposals in the area.

The Supreme Court then kicked the case back to the lower courts to reword the description of effect. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court agreed with an argument put forward by Taxpayers for the Protection of Nevada Jobs that under Nevada Revised Statute, any changes to the description of effect would invalidate the already collected signatures.

[...]

Strip arena backers regroup after ruling knocks initiative off November ballot (http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/aug/02/strip-arena-backers-regroup-after-ruling-knocks-in/)

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2012/07/09/stadium_linq_arena_rendering02_t600.JPG?42b0fb247f69dabe2ae440581a34634cbc5420f3

I Just hope they build this arena one day soon.

Mars landing viewed live on the Strip.

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2012/08/05/0805_Curiosity_Mars_MSP-3_t653.jpg?214bc4f9d9bd7c08c7d0f6599bb3328710e01e7b
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/aug/05/curiosity-lands-mars/

Investor Buys Lake las Vegas Acreage (http://www.lvrj.com/business/hedge-fund-investor-buys-875-acres-at-lake-las-vegas-165495896.html)

http://media.lvrj.com/images/7412397-1-4.jpg


By Hubble Smith
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Posted: Aug. 8, 2012 | 2:59 p.m.
Updated: Aug. 8, 2012 | 6:45 p.m.

New York hedge fund manager John Paulson and Raintree Investment Corp. have purchased about 875 acres at Lake Las Vegas for $17.3 million, a source familiar with the deal told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The land lies in a hilly area on the north shore called Rainbow Canyon. About 565 acres are developable. The city of Henderson in March approved a rezoning that would allow 3,500 homes on the land, which includes considerable shoreline. It's unclear what the new owners plan to do with the site, however.

Housing analyst Dennis Smith of Home Builders Research said roughly $200,000 an acre at Lake Las Vegas - about 10 times the sale price - would have been considered a steal a few years ago, and it might look like a steal again in three to five years. "It means somebody probably got a hell of a deal on a piece of land," Smith said Wednesday. "It just means somebody's got confidence in Lake Las Vegas. It's good to hear any time a large land parcel gets taken down."

The 3,600-acre Lake Las Vegas, brainchild of deceased developer Ron Boeddeker, was forced into bankruptcy in 2008 after Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Transcontinental Corp. defaulted on a $540 million loan with Credit Suisse, which sold the land to Paulson and Raintree. Two of the three golf courses closed and only the private South Shores Golf Club remains open for play. Intrawest Corp. developed the $500 million MonteLago Village with boutique retail shops, restaurants and a small casino.

Ritz-Carlton opened at Lake Las Vegas in 2003, but filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2008 and eventually closed. Dolce Hotels took over last year and rebranded the 349-room hotel as the Ravello.

The 493-room Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort, originally built in 1999 as the Hyatt Regency Lake Las Vegas, defaulted on a $117 million loan in 2009 and was rebranded as the Westin Lake Las Vegas earlier this year.

[...]

The $600 Million VA Medical Center in Noth Las Vegas is now open

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6112/6359650941_28bed3800a_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/veteranshealth/6359650941/)
LasVegas VA Medical Center (Artist Render) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/veteranshealth/6359650941/) by Veterans Health (http://www.flickr.com/people/veteranshealth/), on Flickr

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2012/08/06/0806dedication19_t653.JPG?214bc4f9d9bd7c08c7d0f6599bb3328710e01e7b
http://www.lasvegassun.com/photos/2012/aug/06/438507/

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2012/08/02/0804_sun_vahospital02_t653.jpg?214bc4f9d9bd7c08c7d0f6599bb3328710e01e7b


http://www.lasvegassun.com/photos/2012/aug/04/437605/

KYquaQ56DTM



Las Vegas’ Largest Buffet Set to Open

In an earlier era, Bacchanal at Caesars Palace represented the decadence of a Roman feast set within a fine dining atmosphere; before closing in 2000, the restaurant became famous for bringing Caesars Palace-style entertainment to the gourmet experience. Next month, Bacchanal will make its return to Caesars Palace as the new $17 million Bacchanal Buffet: a 21st century adaptation which will serve up an over-the-top feast created by a team of master chefs, offering the most variety on the Las Vegas Strip.

The 25,000 square-foot homage to eating will feature seating for 600 guests in a unique design canvas of glass, wood and steel, incorporating a modern aesthetic of clean lines, natural recycled and reclaimed materials, and a priceless view of the property's world famous Garden of the Gods pool complex.

Bacchanal Buffet will showcase a team of master chefs led by executive chef Scott Green, including an award winning pastry chef, and progressive presentations featuring individually-plated items, small plates, numerous cooking stations, and a staggering dessert display. With chefs front-and-center at Bacchanal Buffet, visitors will be awed by not only the vast choices, but the freshness of the food, and overall innovative design of the space.



Read More: http://www.examiner.com/article/all-new-bacchanal-buffet-at-caesars-palace-feasting-like-a-god

I Will be playing the lotto and powerball this year so I Can finally make it to this place called las vegas next year.

Las Vegas is not that expensive ^^.. I'm expecting around $20 to 35 for person at Bacchanal...

Strip arena backers regroup after ruling knocks initiative off November ballot (http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/aug/02/strip-arena-backers-regroup-after-ruling-knocks-in/)

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2012/07/09/stadium_linq_arena_rendering02_t600.JPG?42b0fb247f69dabe2ae440581a34634cbc5420f3

What do they mean "invalidated?"

I Hope Las Vegas continues with this, we need the titanic hotel to be built here as well.
Yeah, I want the proposed Titanic Resort in Vegas come into fruition!

What do they mean "invalidated?"

Classic legalese:


In a June 19 ruling, the Supreme Court ruled that the petition’s description of effect — a 200-word summary of the proposal — was misleading because it didn’t make clear that passing the initiative would effectively kill other competing stadium proposals in the area.

The Supreme Court then kicked the case back to the lower courts to reword the description of effect. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court agreed with an argument put forward by Taxpayers for the Protection of Nevada Jobs that under Nevada Revised Statute, any changes to the description of effect would invalidate the already collected signatures.


Basically, any changes made to the 'description of effect' on the petition automatically means that a new petition must be circulated and any signatures on the pre-ammended petition are invaidated. It's what lawyers call a "fatal flaw" in a document. Back to square one...

Yeah, I want the proposed Titanic Resort in Vegas come into fruition!

The old Bob Stupak proposal from 1999???

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2009/09/23/scaled.004_STUPAK_t653x653.jpg?345c8960c5484952b4411b83c62d17f0ae245bc0
LV Sun (http://www.lasvegassun.com/photos/galleries/2009/sep/10/2009-9-23bobstupak/29726/)

^^Yes!

I'd love to see it to get built too. Star Trek, London, San Francisco, and Plazas resorts too. :cheers:

The old Bob Stupak proposal from 1999???

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2009/09/23/scaled.004_STUPAK_t653x653.jpg?345c8960c5484952b4411b83c62d17f0ae245bc0
LV Sun (http://www.lasvegassun.com/photos/galleries/2009/sep/10/2009-9-23bobstupak/29726/)

Yes we need it since titanic sunk over 100 years ago.

Pinkberry Opens First las Vegas Store At Crystals (http://www.lasvegassun.com/photos/galleries/2012/aug/31/pinkberry-opens-first-store-las-vegas-crystals-cit/)

http://www.vegaschatter.com/files/100501/pinkberry_door.jpg
http://www.vegaschatter.com/tag/Openings

Over the top themes for casinos pretty much went out with the 90. The idea is just too tacky for today and really was just a trend. In fact the Cosmo was supposed to have a fantasy Alice in Wonderland like theme but was decided to be de-themed. Some of the huge oversize decorations meant for the original design are still present.

GSv-lKwOQvE
Classic Las Vegas

GSv-lKwOQvE
Classic Las Vegas

Thanks for this video,

this is my favorite Video, I love Vegas, U2 the perfect Combination

:banana::banana::banana::banana:

I still prefer themed hotels and casinos in Vegas. I was just at Aria and I didn't like it.

Themed resorts are old-fashioned.

Developer says Shops at Summerlin retail center back on track with first anchor tenant (http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2012/sep/19/developer-says-shops-summerlin-retail-center-back-/)

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mao7dgntxr1r3mzyeo1_500.jpg

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2012/09/19/scaled.0919_shopes_at_summerlin05_t618.JPG?ba5b5b122dd3d37cc13d83e92a6a0ec0d5bfa32a


The Shops at Summerlin, a stalled retail hub that embodies Las Vegas’ building bust, is back on track for construction with an anchor tenant.

Developer Howard Hughes Corp. said Wednesday that Macy’s will be the first anchor at the planned retail district formerly known as the Shops at Summerlin Centre. The deal confirms the restart of the mothballed project in northwest Las Vegas, developers said.

Macy’s was slated to be a tenant at Summerlin Centre before construction on the project stopped four years ago. The retailer now plans to build a two-level, 180,000-square-foot store, with a scheduled fall 2014 opening.

“This milestone confirms that the Las Vegas economy is recovering, with Summerlin leading the way,” Kevin Orrock, vice president of master planned communities for Dallas-based Howard Hughes, said in a statement.

The retail district near Red Rock Resort will have more than 125 stores and restaurants with open-air pedestrian walkways and outdoor dining, Howard Hughes Corp. said. It will be a part of a 106-acre, 1.5 million-square-foot development that will include hotel and retail space and a nine-story office building, the developer said.

The Shops at Summerlin is slated to open in late 2014. The project is expected to provide roughly 1,700 construction jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs when fully open.

Construction of the Shops at Summerlin Centre began roughly four years ago under then-developer General Growth Properties. Planned retail tenants included Macy’s, Nordstrom and Dillard’s.

But work stopped in October 2008 amid the national economic meltdown, and the project’s steel skeleton has been exposed to the elements ever since.


http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2010/01/09/scaled.0109_m_unfinished4_t653x653.jpg?345c8960c5484952b4411b83c62d17f0ae245bc0

Developer says Shops at Summerlin retail center back on track with first anchor tenant (http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2012/sep/19/developer-says-shops-summerlin-retail-center-back-/)

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mao7dgntxr1r3mzyeo1_500.jpg

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2012/09/19/scaled.0919_shopes_at_summerlin05_t618.JPG?ba5b5b122dd3d37cc13d83e92a6a0ec0d5bfa32a



http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2010/01/09/scaled.0109_m_unfinished4_t653x653.jpg?345c8960c5484952b4411b83c62d17f0ae245bc0

This is Nice.

Taken at Crystals at Aria yesterday

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Las%20Vegas/IMG_2262.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Las%20Vegas/IMG_2263.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Las%20Vegas/IMG_2264.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Las%20Vegas/IMG_2265.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Las%20Vegas/IMG_2266.jpg

New York New York

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Las%20Vegas/IMG_2145.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Las%20Vegas/IMG_2255.jpg

^
Nice shots but still no crowds. I'd love to see a shot of Crystals jammed. ;)

Las Vegas Monorail looks at new course (http://www.lvrj.com/business/las-vegas-monorail-officials-shift-focus-to-new-ridership-expansion-171265231.html)

http://dc.streetsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/mono.jpg


Management of the Las Vegas Monorail has a new focus of boosting ridership and potentially expanding the line, officials said Tuesday, after a two-year-long bankruptcy reorganization wiped away more than 98 percent of the transit system's debt.

However, any extension of the 3.9-mile-long monorail path from its current route behind resorts on the east side of the Strip would need financial backing from federal transportation funds rather than private investment, officials said.

With the reorganization complete, Las Vegas Monorail officials said Tuesday growing passenger use requires help from the hotel-casino industry.

"We have had discussions with (the hotels') senior management and we're looking for them to have a bigger voice than they have had before," Las Vegas Monorail Chief Executive Officer Curtis Myles said Tuesday during a meeting with the Las Vegas Review-Journal editorial board.

Monorail officials, post-bankruptcy, wanted to express several key points.

The reorganization plan reduced the business's debt from $757 million to a more manageable $13 million and maintained the company's not-for-profit status.

Many of the monorail's original bond holders saw their stakes greatly reduced in the bankruptcy. As a concession, bond holders placed two representatives on the monorail's seven-person governing board.

"The monorail is far from perfect, but it has been successful from every point of view except one," said former Clark County Commission Bruce Woodbury, a member of the monorail's board.

He said investment bankers who bought the initial bonds lost money because the company that insured the notes, Ambac, also went bankrupt.

"Investment bankers thought they were pretty were well protected," Woodbury said. "From every other point of view, this system has been a success."

Woodbury said the monorail has relieved traffic congestion on Paradise Road when large conventions are in town. According to the monorail's figures, the trains every year average 65,000 to 70,000 riders during large citywide trade shows.

The reorganization gave the Las Vegas Monorail the financial capability to replace and repair equipment and could add a station to the transit line's current seven stops serving eight hotel-casinos between the MGM Grand to the south and the now shuttered Sahara to the north. The monorail also serves the Las Vegas Convention Center.

VegasInc (http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2012/sep/26/despite-low-rents-howard-hughes-corp-expects-profi/)


Despite anticipated low rents, Howard Hughes Corp. expects to profit on the Shops at Summerlin

http://kvvu.images.worldnow.com/images/19598798_BG3.jpg

With Howard Hughes Corp. dusting off plans for the Shops at Summerlin, it might seem like a bit of a mystery as to how it can afford to build a massive retail complex in Las Vegas’ battered real estate market.

Simply put, the company obtained the center at such a discount, it can finish the project despite the likelihood of low rents from future tenants. The developer likely will spend hundreds of millions of dollars completing the shopping plaza, but its overall development costs will be lower than what former owner General Growth Properties would have spent. “They can build a successful project that makes good returns for them and their shareholders at lower rents,” said Wilkes Graham, a building industry analyst with Compass Point Research & Trading.

The stalled retail hub has been a constant reminder of the valley’s building bust. Slated to be more than 1 million square feet, construction on the project stopped four years ago under then-developer General Growth. The mall's steel skeleton has remained ever since, unfinished and exposed to the elements. Then, Howard Hughes announced Sept. 19 that construction was back on track with a Macy’s department store as the first anchor tenant. The center in northwest Las Vegas is scheduled to open in late 2014 with more than 125 stores on a 106-acre site that will include at least one hotel and a nine-story office building.

Macy’s was supposed to be a tenant before the project, then known as the Shops at Summerlin Centre, was tabled by General Growth and was supposed to be joined by Nordstrom and Dillard’s. While the Shops at Summerlin eventually will have three department stores, according to Tom Warden, a company spokesman in Las Vegas, he declined to say if Nordstrom and Dillard's will again commit to signing leases. Chicago-based General Growth spun off Howard Hughes as a separate, publicly traded company roughly two years ago as it was emerging from bankruptcy. It gave Howard Hughes control over numerous commercial and residential projects, including Summerlin Centre and the broader Summerlin master-planned community.

Many of the inherited projects had received substantial investment from General Growth, but their values declined amid the national real estate meltdown. For instance, the company put $150 million into Summerlin Centre. As a partially built project, it was worth about $200 million during the boom years but plunged in value to $31 million during the bust, Graham said. Warden declined to comment on project financing or the estimated construction costs for the revamped Shops at Summerlin.

Generally, developers will build a project only if rents are high enough to secure a profit, Graham said. In Las Vegas, retail rents dropped in recent years as tenants throughout the region closed their doors. The valley’s retail vacancy rate is now 11 percent, up from 3 percent in late 2007. Over that time, average asking rents fell from $2.17 per square foot to $1.40 per square foot.

[...]

Wow... Las Vegas has so many shopping malls plus few new malls planned. Can Las Vegas actually support that many malls for its size?

Las Vegas is booming like no other.

They need to extend that monorail out to the airport. That would really boost the ridership.

They need to extend that monorail out to the airport. That would really boost the ridership.

Yeah, it's a no-brainer and they can get public financing for that extension too! Makes me wonder why it hasn't already happened...

Wow... Las Vegas has so many shopping malls plus few new malls planned. Can Las Vegas actually support that many malls for its size?

Summerlin is far to the west of town, away from the Strip so I think the revived Shops At Summerlin will succeed. But I agree that the Strip probably has too much retail even though the foot traffic there is quite high.

i LOVE vegas !

I Hope Vegas gets a supertall skyscraper and ultra size casinos one day.

Panel predicts crush of people, vertical construction for downtown Las Vegas (http://www.lvrj.com/business/panel-predicts-crush-of-people-vertical-construction-for-downtown-las-vegas-172750561.html)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3422/3227025786_ac978f4b0a_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/loritingey/3227025786/)
Downtown Las Vegas (http://www.flickr.com/photos/loritingey/3227025786/) by Domain Barnyard (http://www.flickr.com/people/loritingey/), on Flickr


Posted: Oct. 4, 2012 | 5:27 p.m.

Downtown Las Vegas looks a lot different today than it did five years ago, and five years from now it will have another 1,000 residential units and an increased employment base of 3,500 to 4,000 people, a panel of business executives predicted Thursday at the Golden Nugget.

Population density will reach critical mass of at least 100 residents per acre, creating an urban environment where people will be "colliding with each other," said Zach Ware of Zappos.com, the online retailer that's moving its corporate headquarters to the former Las Vegas City Hall. "You're not going to see any more empty land," Ware said at the Las Vegas Alliance program presented by the International Council of Shopping Centers. "You'll see a lot of vertical construction, not dirt."

Bill Arent, director of business development for the city of Las Vegas, said downtown has seen a lot of retail activity, with year-over-year absorption of 18,000 square feet on existing inventory of about 628,000 square feet of retail space.

One member of the audience asked the panel about the prospects of bringing a grocery store to downtown Las Vegas. That's the old chicken-and-egg dilemma, said Andrew Donner, president of Resort Gaming Group. Grocers want to see more residents before they build a store, and people won't live downtown unless they have a grocery store. Given the financial markets today, it's tough to bring projects from planning to construction, he said.

Once developers understand the missing components for downtown, they'll look at bridging that gap, Ware said. Grocery stores do have some demographic requirements they're going to have to "stretch on," he said. "It's like a piece of clay. You start molding it until you get the shape you want," he said.

Linq Unveils Roster Of Retail Tennants (http://www.powerbrokerconfidential.com/2012/10/linq-unveils-roster-of-retail-tenants.html)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5zPvk1HKD6I/UGnTFneye9I/AAAAAAAAF20/e6j6xsAtVFI/s1000/Linq.jpg


Caesars Entertainment today unveiled tenants for its $550 million Linq development that broke ground last year. The project calls for a quarter-mile-long, open-air dining, shopping, and entertainment promenade between The Quad, Harrah’s and the Flamingo. Announced tenants include Bella Scarpa, Brooklyn Bowl, Chayo Mexicano, F.A.M.E., Flour & Barley, KOTO, Off the Strip, Ruby Blue, Sprinkles Cupcakes and Ice Cream, The Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery and the Yard House.

Agassi, Graf Score Aussie Investor for Vegas Water Park: http://blogs.wsj.com/dealjournalaustralia/2012/10/05/agassi-graf-score-aussie-investor-for-vegas-water-park/

The new park will feature 25 water slides including an oscillating “Rattler” slide and a seven-story speed slide. The Hoover Half Pipe will drop you a “gut-wrenching 57 feet into a giant half pipe”, according to the park’s website.

+INFO: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/oct/04/wet-n-wild-water-park-returning-las-vegas/

Yeah, it's a no-brainer and they can get public financing for that extension too! Makes me wonder why it hasn't already happened...

Taxi and rental car folks wouldn't be too happy about it I'm sure. If the monorail went directly from the airport to the back door of all those casino hotels along the strip, it would impact their business.

But its a great idea and it needs to go forward.

It was announced in September 2012 by Caesars Entertainment that the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino will be renovated and renamed "The Quad Resort and Casino" in late 2012, with the renovations to be finished by May 2013.

Sorry for the bad quality, but i took this picture of the new control tower. The picture was taken a week ago from a friends house in flamingo.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8185/8079258862_d1c92e9b4e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/88335114@N06/8079258862/) las vegas airport tower (http://www.flickr.com/photos/88335114@N06/8079258862/) by Skyegomaniac (http://www.flickr.com/people/88335114@N06/), on Flickr

The old Bob Stupak proposal from 1999???

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2009/09/23/scaled.004_STUPAK_t653x653.jpg?345c8960c5484952b4411b83c62d17f0ae245bc0
LV Sun (http://www.lasvegassun.com/photos/galleries/2009/sep/10/2009-9-23bobstupak/29726/)

Hah, that would fit so well, I'm for it. As well as building that giant mountain of snow metal in the backround, it would fit so well into the desert.

Hah, that would fit so well, I'm for it. As well as building that giant mountain of snow metal in the backround, it would fit so well into the desert.

Well, it could certainly still happen...in Macau! ;)

Hah, that would fit so well, I'm for it. As well as building that giant mountain of snow metal in the backround, it would fit so well into the desert.

yeah I just noticed that in the rendering now that you mention it. What is that supposed to be? The Iceberg? Tacky...even for Vegas.

also I don't think the real Titanic was this big, but obviously it had to be scaled up to accomodate a large hotel and casino. The Titanic craze has subsided and as novel as it is, this idea won't happen.

yeah I just noticed that in the rendering now that you mention it. What is that supposed to be? The Iceberg? Tacky...even for Vegas.

also I don't think the real Titanic was this big, but obviously it had to be scaled up to accomodate a large hotel and casino. The Titanic craze has subsided and as novel as it is, this idea won't happen.

Really?, Titanic has made a comeback.

Id love to see the Titanic in Vegas hehe.

City Center Weathers The Recession (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/17/realestate/commercial/citycenter-in-las-vegas-survives-a-case-of-bad-timing.html?ref=business&gwh=5B44EFAD6D649B8CA1B902B044BB3694)

http://assets.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/CityCenter3.jpg

^^ Great article! Thanks for sharing. This article mentioned about rumored for a third Ferris Wheel. Which one are they referring to?

^^ Great article! Thanks for sharing. This article mentioned about rumored for a third Ferris Wheel. Which one are they referring to?

It's news to me too! I'm guessing one might be considered for the Stratosphere Tower site but who knows? :dunno:

Las Vegas' New Housing Boom (http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2012/oct/17/las-vegas-new-building-boom/)


New home sales and permits soared last month in Las Vegas while closing prices slipped.

The Las Vegas Valley had 591 new home sales in September, according to a report this week from Home Builders Research. That’s up 46 percent from 405 sales in September 2011.

But the median sales price for new homes last month was $199,743, down 3 percent from $206,480 a year earlier.

Last month, 440 new home permits were pulled in the valley, up 75 percent from September 2011. But Home Builders Research President Dennis Smith cautioned there could be fewer new permits next year, saying there are not enough finished or partially-finished lots for new projects.

The used-homes market also had a mixed month. There were 3,544 recorded re-sales in September, down 17 percent from a year earlier, but the median sales price of $129,500 last month was up 20 percent from a year ago.

Interstate 11 project could include highway on eastern rim of valley (http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2012/oct/19/i-11-project-could-include-highway-eastern-rim-val/)

http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2009/07/10/rendering_t618.jpg?ba5b5b122dd3d37cc13d83e92a6a0ec0d5bfa32a
This artist’s rendering shows what the redesigned interchange of the Boulder City Bypass and U.S. 93 would look like at Railroad Pass. The Railroad Pass Casino is to the the left. If U.S. 93 is designated an interstate between Las Vegas and Phoenix, the bypass route would become part of the interstate, officials say.


The Nevada Department of Transportation hasn't ruled out building a highway on the eastern rim of the valley as part of the Interstate 11 project, but planners admit it would be an expensive proposition that essentially would complete a freeway loop around Las Vegas.

"Everything is on the table," said Sondra Rosenberg, project manager for Nevada's portion of the I-11 plan, which would create a new interstate highway linking Phoenix and Las Vegas, the two largest cities in the country currently not connected with an interstate.

Rosenberg made her comments at a public meeting Thursday at which representatives of NDOT and the Arizona Department of Transportation explained the process of bringing U.S. 93 up to interstate highway standards.

Most of I-11 would be in Arizona and would likely use U.S. 93, a four-lane divided highway from Hoover Dam at the Nevada border to Kingman and a mix of two- and four-lane roads from Interstate 40 to Wickenburg.

Michael Kies, Rosenberg's Arizona counterpart with ADOT, explained that interstate highway standards would include ramps to enter and exit the highway and overpasses or underpasses at key intersections. Currently, U.S. 93 has several at-grade intersections and traffic lights on the route.


http://kvvu.images.worldnow.com/images/18911376_BG1.jpg
http://www.fox5vegas.com/story/18911376/boulder-city-bypass-interstate-11-inch-toward-reality

NfwVEI6sVf0
The North America's largest electronic music festival and dance music event.