LAS VEGAS | Boom Project Rundown! 2.0 [Archive] - Page 2

Bender13

Apr 7, 2006, 3:32 PM

Heres an article in the RJ about the Golden Palms replacement.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Apr-07-Fri-2006/business/6743185.html

Apr. 07, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

New condo-hotel proposed

Celebrity chef plans $400 million project

By HUBBLE SMITH
REVIEW-JOURNAL
Celebrity chef and entrepreneur Charlie Palmer has always liked the restaurant business because he could see immediate results of his work.

He's going to have to wait a couple of years in his newest endeavor.

Palmer, owner of Aureole at Mandalay Bay and Charlie Palmer Steak at Four Seasons, plans to build Charlie Palmer Hotel, a 35-story boutique nongaming condo-hotel, on three acres at Tropicana Avenue and Dean Martin Drive, the site of the Golden Palm hotel.

The $400 million development is scheduled to break ground later this year, with completion expected in mid-2008.

The condo-hotel will have 400 to 500 rooms, mostly studio and one-bedroom units ranging from 550 square feet to 800 square feet and priced from the high $400,000s.

Palmer said his hotel would be a true boutique product in a city of 4,000-room megaresorts and would be heavy on amenities, much like the 55-room Hotel Healdsburg he built three years ago in California's Sonoma County.

Unlike similar projects announced in Las Vegas such as Las Ramblas, Cosmopolitan, Project CityCenter, Echelon Place and Hard Rock Hotel, Charlie Palmer Hotel would be completely self-contained and not part of a larger master plan.

"Our focus is obviously not on gaming. Our focus is on the guest experience, not walking them through a casino and getting them to game," Palmer said at Turnberry Place's Stirling Club, where he runs the food and beverage operations.

"We're looking at someone who spends time in Las Vegas and wants to own a piece of Las Vegas and be in an atmosphere where they're really taken care of when they're here," he added.

The hotel will have three restaurants, including Palmer's first sushi bar, a sky lounge, event space on the top floor, a night club and cigar bar. Guest amenities include a full-service health spa, hair salon, 24-hour concierge service, express check-in and sommelier service.

"What we're doing is the next natural progression for Las Vegas, the truly boutique hotel focused on high-end amenities for the traveler and purchaser," Palmer said. "As Las Vegas has grown the whole resort experience, this is the next phase."

Palmer's partners in the project include Marvin Lipschultz, who owns the land; Bill Richardson, former Mandalay Resort executive and owner of W.A. Richardson Construction; and Dan Juba, principal of Las Vegas-based Klai Juba Architects. He's also got Adam Tihany, who did the interior design for Aureole and the high-end buffet concept at The Mirage.

Richard Femenella is controller and chief financial officer of Charlie Palmer Group, which moved its headquarters from New York to 4510 W. Diablo in Las Vegas. John Sharpe, chief operating officer with Four Seasons for 22 years, is joining the hotel management. Doug Lien of DEL Consulting Limited is handling Clark County compliance matters.

"We wanted to make sure we have all the right players in place," Palmer said. "We all know how important it is for the builder, the architect and the designer to work in synch with each other."

Palmer, ranked among the 100 most powerful celebrities in the United States by Forbes magazine, played an integral role in the evolution of upscale dining in Las Vegas, opening Aureole at Mandalay Bay in the late 1990s.

With 11 restaurants from New York to California, Palmer has "quietly created an empire" with the help of investor Oliver Grace, great-nephew of W.R. Grace, Forbes wrote. His pay was listed at $4.7 million.

Coming soon is a line of high-end grocery stores where shoppers are greeted by a maitre d' and treated with the kind of service they would find as diners at one of Palmer's restaurants. The first is scheduled to open in Las Vegas.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Apr-07-Fri-2006/photos/palmer.jpg

LMich

Apr 7, 2006, 10:47 PM

Looks very innovative. I also like the fact that it will be non-gaming.

Vtown420

Apr 9, 2006, 4:27 AM

Stratosphere, April 3rd.

http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/6075/pano13cr.jpg

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/1897/img5442copy8yn.jpg

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/4227/img5424copy0jb.jpg

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/1770/img5440copy9io.jpg

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/1452/img5396copy4yk.jpg

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/8607/img5410copy0js.jpg

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/4434/img5428copy7uo.jpg

http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/7518/img5407copy5tl.jpg

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/7990/img5433copy6pi.jpg

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/2918/img5414copy8yi.jpg

Vtown420

Apr 9, 2006, 4:48 AM

Red Rock isn't even open and they're already expanding.
http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/5133/untitled2copy1sh.jpg

Queensridge
http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/9164/img5474copy9xb.jpg

WMC
http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/6361/untitled3copy4cg.jpg

http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/9472/img5478copy5sj.jpg

Vtown420

Apr 9, 2006, 5:05 AM

You guys may have already seen this very cool diagram of the Skywalk at Grand Canyon West, which is under construction.

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/9582/untitled1copy4du.jpg

Patrick

Apr 9, 2006, 3:47 PM

WOW!

Trump is already starting on the tower, and Turnberry Towers looks great, I didnt know the parking garage was already under construction. Allure is huge, and the Queensridge towers look great.

WMC is a little ugly, I hope they paint the grey or something, but its tall!

Ho-Dog

Apr 9, 2006, 4:51 PM

Nice!

Great pictures VTown.

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/1770/img5440copy9io.jpg
Is it just me, or does it look like they are getting the foundation ready for Turnberry tower 2?

williamphilapa

Apr 9, 2006, 5:04 PM

You guys may have already seen this very cool diagram of the Skywalk at Grand Canyon West, which is under construction.

Holy crap....will that be the tallest man mad structure?

WonderlandPark

Apr 9, 2006, 7:21 PM

Skybridge is not a tower, it is a platform that sticks way out over the edge of the Grand Canyon (outside the national park part, on Indian land). It will have a glass floor and you will be 4000 above the Colorado River below.

BruceH

Apr 11, 2006, 3:54 AM

In response to the question about Turnberry Towers. The project is already preparing for the second tower. Sales are picking up for the core projects like Sky, Trump, Cosmo, and Turnberry in the past few weeks.

Buyers are starting to realize the supply is shrinking as there are not that many units in inventory to sell. They are also starting to understand that buying today is smarter than waiting two years when today's construction that is just breaking ground is delivered at much high price points.

BruceH

Apr 11, 2006, 3:56 AM

Sky is preparing the 35th floor - only 10 to go and the topping out event is planned for June.

sky-of-webs

Apr 11, 2006, 4:19 AM

A drive by of Club Ren today, the north four lots (of seven) are cleared of the old houses and debris removed.
And Live Work has a construction fence around their property.

ScottG

Apr 11, 2006, 4:51 AM

i went by streamline a few nights ago- they put up a new fence- giving a different advertisment- but on the lot: nothing- flat dirt with one 'dirt mover' there. ?

great to hear about club ren and live/work- and the sales goin up!....

btw palms place now has 2 cranes up.......

did any one notice the race track on the saharah parkin lot behind turnberry tower 1?

ha!----

SpeedyFarrar

Apr 11, 2006, 8:58 PM

did any one notice the race track on the saharah parkin lot behind turnberry tower 1?

It's a new attraction at Sahara, GM - The Drive (http://www.vegas.com/attractions/on_the_strip/gm_thedrive.html). Basically, you can test drive GM vehicles on their little racecourse.

JonVegas

Apr 11, 2006, 9:01 PM

That's good news about Club Ren. They've always been on my short list of projects I expected to be cancelled. If anyone on here is a video game fan there's a Rainbow Six game coming out that is set in Las Vegas. It looks like they've gone with generic names for the casinos and taken some liberties with the strip, but for the most part it seems like a fun reproduction.
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/700/700453/tom-clancys-rainbow-six-vegas-20060406102213329.jpg
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/700/700453/tom-clancys-rainbow-six-vegas-20060406102211329.jpg

jazfingr

Apr 11, 2006, 11:35 PM

Ruffin's plans for the New Frontier are revealed.

From the Las Vegas Sun

As other casino operators announce plans to redevelop their older properties, New Frontier owner Phil Ruffin hasn't had a lot to say about his long-awaited plans for his aging Strip hotel.

Ruffin says he's not sitting on his hands.

The name of his planned megaresort will be Montreux, after the Swiss resort with a famous annual jazz festival.

Ruffin says he is close to announcing a financing package.

"These things take time," Ruffin said. "It can take nine months to do an architectural plan and five months to come up with parking plans."

"I'm trying to do something nobody's ever done before, which is develop a resort without any help or partners. It's very hard to do," he said.

To capitalize on the resort's brand, Ruffin said he's also working on plans to bring the internationally known Montreux Jazz Festival to the new property, which is scheduled to break ground sometime next year and open by 2010.

The New Frontier would be closed and demolished before ground is broken on the Montreux.

The new hotel would have about 2,750 rooms, including about 750 suites, and cater to customers who patronize high-end properties such as the Mirage or Paris Las Vegas, Ruffin said.

Perhaps the most-talked about feature would be an "observation wheel" that would be positioned in front of the property and facing the Strip.

Ruffin said the wheel, tentatively called the "Las Vegas Eye," is modeled after the famed London Eye. It would enable tourists to take pictures of the Strip from slow-moving, temperature-controlled cabins that rise to more than 450 feet in the air.

The wheel was approved in February by the Clark County Commission along with plans for the new resort.

"I rode on the London Eye, and it was just packed with people," Ruffin said. "It should do very, very well in Las Vegas."

Ruffin wouldn't be the only Las Vegas resort owner to flirt with the idea of a giant Ferris wheel.

The owners of the now-closed Wet 'n Wild amusement park, the redevelopers of the Westward Ho site, the Rio and developers with a site next to the Aladdin have all pitched plans that included observation wheels.

To date, none has been started.

Bill Thompson, a professor of public administration at UNLV, said the observation wheel sounds like a "neat idea."

"It will be noticed. And I suppose if you're building something across from Steve Wynn, you've got to do something to stand out," Thompson said.

But the resort will also need a full complement of upscale restaurants and shopping to attract discriminating customers, he said.

While the Montreux name might not mean much to consumers, the resort could be a hit if it uses the association with the jazz festival to create a niche for jazz musicians and performances at the property, Thompson added.

"We don't really have a Strip casino that advertises good jazz music," he said.

Rising construction costs have pushed up the price tag for the resort to around $2 billion. The design is also more upscale than originally planned, Ruffin said.

Wall Street has awaited Ruffin's redevelopment impatiently, attributing his inaction to financing problems stemming in part from a desire to contribute relatively little in equity and a lack of management expertise.

Others reject that idea, saying Ruffin has plenty of money to finance the project and can hire resort management expertise.

He is one of America's richest businessmen but is known as a conservative investor. Forbes has estimated Ruffin's net worth about $1.3 billion.

Ruffin said business partner Donald Trump will not be involved in the resort.

Jack Wishna, a minority partner in the nearby Trump International hotel-condominium tower under construction, said Ruffin and Trump had discussed branding the redeveloped New Frontier as a Trump property, but that Ruffin has decided to put his own stamp on the resort instead.

"Donald would do it tomorrow," Wishna said. "But Phil doesn't need a financial partner and is creating, in essence, a legacy for his family."

Financing has never been a problem, although Ruffin previously was reluctant to put up other assets as equity to redevelop the New Frontier, Wishna said.

Now that the land underlying the New Frontier is worth much more than it was a few years ago, Ruffin can finance the project with a combination of equity from the value of the land as well as cash.

"Financing is not the problem," Wishna said. "The decision (to redevelop) rests with Phil Ruffin. He doesn't feel any pressure whatsoever from the market. He's not going to let the zealousness of development along Las Vegas Boulevard influence him."

Ruffin said he will likely sell some bonds to help finance the resort. Not counting the land for the two neighboring Trump towers, the 35-acre resort site could be worth at least $700 million, he said. That land, plus $150 million from the sale of a resort in the Bahamas and other cash on hand will allow him to finance a resort priced at $2 billion or more.

The 1,282-unit Trump tower, the biggest condo project under construction on the Strip, is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2008. The county has yet to approve plans for a second, identical tower.

Ruffin is a 50-50 partner with Trump in the first tower, which has nearly sold out.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/consumer/2006/apr/11/566618115.html

Patrick

Apr 13, 2006, 1:55 AM

Wow Rainbow Six Vegas looks great, the strip shot looked real for a second, but it looks like NYNY was completley replaced by that ugly looking resort, Caesars Palace isnt there but it looks like that ugly resort on the corner of the shot. The Polo towers and Mariotts Grand is gone too. They better change the Aladdin to Planet Hollywood...
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/7923/16tk2.jpg

Maybe they will add all those resorts and change aladdin before the game comes out, it comes out in 2007 anyways....

Heres a cool shot of the Bellagio, hopefully they add the cosmopolitan soon
http://xboxmedia.gamespy.com/xbox/image/article/694/694411/tom-clancys-rainbow-six-vegas-20060307054125251.jpg

Jade456

Apr 13, 2006, 8:17 PM

Despite recent cancellations, it seems there isn't going to be a shortage of new projects. The smart ones will line up the construction materials before hand, like Turnberry did. That way it won't matter if construction material prices keep going up, there's are already paid for. I'm wondering if the charlie palmer place will get off the ground...

MsuMix

Apr 13, 2006, 8:38 PM

When is Skywalk Grand Canyon going to open?

SpeedyFarrar

Apr 13, 2006, 9:41 PM

The latest from the Clark County agendas:

Hotel/Casio/Condos at Tropicana & Deckow Lane (http://dsnet.co.clark.nv.us/dsnetapps/agendaweb/Data/P0173630.htm)

Highland Resort - Hotel/Condos at LV Blvd & Starr (http://dsnet.co.clark.nv.us/dsnetapps/agendaweb/Data/P0174402.htm)

Related/Centra - Hotel/Casino/Condos on Dean Martin just north of Harmon (http://dsnet.co.clark.nv.us/dsnetapps/agendaweb/Data/P0173639.htm)

Turnberry - big mixed use, fairgrounds at LV Blvd and Sunset (http://dsnet.co.clark.nv.us/dsnetapps/agendaweb/Data/P0173378.htm)

Planet H-wood Towers - commercial sub-division add-on (http://dsnet.co.clark.nv.us/dsnetapps/agendaweb/Data/P0173375.htm)

vegasrain84

Apr 14, 2006, 2:14 AM

Good find Speedy!! Interesting the towers on Tropicana and Deckow have a glass clad circular tower as the centerpiece. That is something new to Vegas. Not all that tall though at 320 feet.

It was about time that some new proposals came in..

GeorgeLV

Apr 14, 2006, 5:18 AM

SpeedyFarrar, the Turnberry item is part of the u/c Town Square next to the 215-15 interchange (Fry's).

http://www.turnberry.com/tanews42.htm

GeorgeLV

Apr 14, 2006, 5:23 AM

According to the Planet Hollywood item the final height of the tower is 534ft, with 56 floors.

SpeedyFarrar

Apr 14, 2006, 6:40 AM

SpeedyFarrar, the Turnberry item is part of the u/c Town Square next to the 215-15 interchange (Fry's).

http://www.turnberry.com/tanews42.htm

Oh I see, makes more sense now! Those agendas aren't the easiest things to read, that's for sure. Luckily all of us here can put our heads together and figure it out :cheers:

vegasrain84

Apr 14, 2006, 6:41 AM

According to the Planet Hollywood item the final height of the tower is 534ft, with 56 floors.

As a general rule, most buildings are at least 10 feet per floor.. This is the second tower that doesn't follow that rule, the other being Trump towers. Interesting... Those are going to be some low ceilings..

Bender13

Apr 14, 2006, 5:11 PM

No light rail for Vegas. RTC chooses express buses instead.:(
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Apr-14-Fri-2006/news/6858629.html
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Apr-14-Fri-2006/photos/transit.jpg

Apr. 14, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

RTC takes buses over light rail for rapid transit line

Other concerns won't be decided for years

By OMAR SOFRADZIJA
REVIEW-JOURNAL
Express buses -- not light rail trains -- will ply a planned Las Vegas Valley rapid transit line if or when it's built in the coming years, the Regional Transportation Commission decided Thursday.

And whether Henderson will be served by a route, and where that route might go, won't be decided for years to come, commission board officials said after unanimously approving an express bus plan.

In the end, a combination of route flexibility offered by buses and not by trains; the cheaper up-front cost of buses; and opposition from some Henderson residents swayed the board in its plan for a so-called regional fixed guideway, parts of which could open as soon as 2008.

"I think we need to move forward with a fixed guideway system as a necessary component of the future (transportation network here). But we don't have unlimited funding," said Bruce Woodbury, a Clark County commissioner who's also the Transportation Commission's chairman.

"And we don't have the luxury of locking ourselves into a system that does not have flexibility," Woodbury said. "A rail system would have that lack of flexibility."

The line is likely to strongly resemble the existing Metropolitan Area Express, or MAX, line now in operation on Las Vegas Boulevard North, which uses bus-only lanes and makes limited stops to shorten travel times.

The planned system is expected to cost $713 million to build, compared to a projected $1.1 billion price tag for light rail. Those price tags are in 2006 dollars; inflation is expected to drive up projected costs by 35 percent.

"It looks like a train. It functions like a train," said Jacob Snow, commission general manager. "The MAX system has a significant cost advantage over rail.

"This is the best way to go for the community," Snow said.

This week's vote does not ensure the line will be built. It simply allows commission staff to start an environmental impact study on a proposed 33-mile route from North Las Vegas, through downtown Las Vegas and the resort corridor, and into Henderson; and to start trying to find funding for the project.

But the endorsement does give momentum to the plan, which had long been a favored goal of commission staff wanting to create transit options for valley drivers.

The roughly 15-mile Henderson section -- which would run along existing Union Pacific Railroad tracks there, and which faced vocal opposition from some homeowners living along the route -- appears simply to be a placeholder in the upcoming study.

Woodbury said the commission will later determine if that Henderson route is feasible, if other routes are preferable, or if that leg should be ditched. Either way, the Henderson leg would be the last to be considered or built.

"You go where the need is. You go where the ridership is," Woodbury said. "Does that mean we'll never go to Henderson? Someday, in the future, there well may be a need. But what route we take will be determined in the future."

In making its decision, the commission backed Snow's recommendation to use express buses; rejected a steering committee call to use light rail after a 15-month study; and rejected both sides' preference to lock in the entire route as proposed.

The system's initial leg is expected to trace what was once the approximate route of a proposed downtown Las Vegas Monorail connector. That route would stretch from the monorail's Sahara Avenue stop along Casino Center Boulevard to Fremont Street.

Transit officials had already been planning an express bus route along that leg, separate from the guideway project. Now, the connector will be part of the guideway plan.

"I think it's critical to the success of what the city of Las Vegas is trying to accomplish (downtown)," said Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, who sits on the Transportation Commission board. "Our vitality is dependent on people being able to reach us in a timely, pleasant fashion."

The downtown section could open by late 2008 or 2009. Other sections are unlikely to be in place before 2012.

From downtown, the route would branch in two directions: northeast along Fifth Street, Centennial Parkway and Pecos Road to a North Las Vegas terminal; and south through the resort corridor along Frank Sinatra Drive to the vicinity of McCarran International Airport.

That southern route could connect to the Henderson leg, if built.

Snow said the route could be further tweaked or extended to include destinations like the University of Nevada, Las Vegas or the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Critics of the Henderson section have argued a rapid transit line would slow traffic where roads and routes cross, depress property values and go unused in a car-addicted community with historically light mass transit use.

In February, opponents presented the commission with a 722-signature petition opposing the whole plan.

Snow said the proposal was a "very difficult subject of our community to discuss."

After the commission vote, some transit foes said they could live with the decision.

"They're going to go where it's needed, and not where it's not. It should be where the need is greatest," said Wendy Lee Meoz, a steering committee member who opposed light rail and questioned the need for the Henderson leg.

"It would cause a lot more problems than it would cure," Meoz said.

Rob Koeb's Henderson home abuts those tracks. He's glad a light rail line won't go there.

"None of us are against rapid transit. We're just against the section on the Union Pacific tracks," Koeb said.

Henderson will not be totally shut out of rapid transit service. Commission officials plan to tie the guideway into a MAX route planned for Boulder Highway, between the U.S. Highway 95 junction in Henderson and downtown Las Vegas.

Likewise, the existing Las Vegas Boulevard North MAX route will plug into the guideway at some point.

Jane Feldman, who sat on the steering committee representing the Sierra Club, had hoped light rail would win the day. "Light rail has a broader market appeal," she said.

Rapid transit supporters expect as many as 80,000 people a day to ride such a system, but critics think the totals would be much lower than that.

Project funding could receive a private sector boost from Connex/ATC, which operates Citizens Area Transit bus service under a contract with the commission. The company has expressed interest in helping pay for an express bus line here.

The parent company of Connex/ATC, Veolia Transportation, subsidized the "Transmilenio" bus rapid transit, or BRT, service it runs under a government contract in Bogata, Colombia that carries around 1 million riders per day.

"We would be happy to discuss further the feasibility of a partially privately funded BRT project," Connex North America Chief Executive Olivier Brousse said in a Feb. 20 letter to the Transportation Commission. The letter did not spell out any terms or precise commitments.

"They would provide a significant amount of the local (funding) match that could alleviate the need for a local tax increase to help finance the system," Snow said.

GeorgeLV

Apr 14, 2006, 8:42 PM

As a general rule, most buildings are at least 10 feet per floor.. This is the second tower that doesn't follow that rule, the other being Trump towers. Interesting... Those are going to be some low ceilings..

Reinforced concrete doesn't require much spacing between floors, so even with all the duct work they could probably still provide be at least 8ft ceilings on each floor.

Ho-Dog

Apr 14, 2006, 9:05 PM

No light rail for Vegas. RTC chooses express buses instead.:(

There are good points made within the article. However, I believe there is still a negative stigma against any kind of bus centered transit system. I just do not think they will see the kind of ridership they expect with this glorified bus system, IMO.

Anyway thanks for the info Speedy, glad to see projects still being proposed.

vegasrain84

Apr 15, 2006, 1:31 AM

According to the Review Journal, Juhl Lofts is officially under construction.
According to VegasTodayandTomorrow ground has been broken on Streamline Towers.

GeorgeLV

Apr 15, 2006, 1:50 AM

vegasrain84, depends on you defintion of u/c. Right now they're doing utility relocation.

BruceH

Apr 15, 2006, 6:27 AM

Seems like a perpetual project relocating utilities in multiple announcements much like Vegas Grand moving dirt for over a year. Let's hope Streamline really starts excavation and brings steel out of the ground. Then we'll know it's for real. If the new Freemont street extension was already in place, Streamline would have long been sold out. Difficult for buyers to visualize when the future designs promised aren't in place.

BruceH

Apr 15, 2006, 6:31 AM

Trying to find out details for two projects. Haven't found them on the county planning website unless I missed them.
1) Centex's plans for the Westward Ho property. The old casino is now gone and grading of the land is going non-stop it seems. Hopefully they won't implement that ferris wheel project but who knows. With that area becoming close to a residential corridor with Sky and Turnberry Place, would be awesome to see Center build luxury high rises or a luxury condo-hotel.

2)Travelodge plus Arco service station land adjacent to Sky. Underground tanks have already been excavated from the old Arco station and soon the Travelodge will be taken out. What is planned for this newly assembled acreage?

Bender13

Apr 17, 2006, 5:23 PM

Ha, I kind of like the giant ferris wheel. I hope it's built somewhere, either on the Ho site or the Frontier site.

Didn't Streamline tower have a groundbreaking ceremony like two years ago? Guess that doesn't matter I'll just be happy if it actually starts construction.

From the Review-journal this weekend, some residents of the John S Park neighborhood fight for a proposed height restriction in an area near downtown.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Apr-16-Sun-2006/news/6767346.html
The proposed ordinance is a response to concerns that high-rises would ruin views, block sunlight and destroy the feel of the John S. Park neighborhood, a collection of 444 homes between Charleston and Oakey boulevards, east of Las Vegas Boulevard.

Passage of the ordinance would mark at least a partial retreat from the vision of a "Manhattanized" Las Vegas core that Mayor Oscar Goodman and other officials have for years championed as a key to revitalizing downtown

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Apr-16-Sun-2006/photos/park.jpg

Marvel 33

Apr 17, 2006, 5:27 PM

Hey guys, sorry for getting off topic here but I was wondering if anybody would be interested in helping out with putting together a list of all the Las Vegas forumers so I can post it on the How many forumers do we have per city? thread I created on Skybar. I also need it so I know exactly how many of you forumers we have.

You can either post it yourself or you can send me a private message with the names and I'll post it.

Here is a link to the thread: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=103189

Thanks!

vegasrain84

Apr 17, 2006, 7:33 PM

From the LVRJ 4-17-06

TOWER APPROVED: Gateway Las Vegas, a 39-story luxury condo tower planned at the current site of the Charleston Plaza apartments, has received final approval from the Las Vegas City Council.

Metroplex Development President Paul Murad, president said he met with Mayor Oscar Goodman, who was "very supportive" of the project. Designed by Perlman Design Group, Gateway Las Vegas would have 236 condo units and 75 condo-hotel units with ground-floor retail.

NEAR COMPLETION: Sky Las Vegas, a 45-story condo tower on the Strip, has nearly sold out of its 409 units and is expected to top off construction in June. About 10 percent of the inventory is available for purchase.

While the construction contract with M.J. Dean calls for a Jan. 15 completion, mid-December is still possible for residents to start moving in if the current schedule is maintained, developer David Pourbaba said.

Residents at Sky Las Vegas, north of Circus Circus, include a NASCAR driver, a National Football League player and two World Series of Poker champions.

ScottG

Apr 18, 2006, 10:35 PM

Las Vegas' Fertitta Family Opens Red Rock Resort
April 18, 2006 02:36 PM PDT
The new Red Rock Resort-Casino in Summerlin opens to the public tonight at midnight.

Red Rock is considered the largest entertainment venue from Station Casinos. It's also the most lavish off-Strip casino ever built in Las Vegas.

Channel 8 Eyewitness News will take you there for an in-depth look.at noon.

(Apr. 14) -- Red Rock Resort opens Tuesday, April 18 as the result of a lot of hard work and a family business that started with an idea 30 years ago.

Frank Fertitta, of Stations Casinos said, "I was just enthralled by the whole thing."

Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta always knew what they wanted to do when they grew up.

"We got what I think is the best education you can possibly get as teenagers-- around the dinner table," Fertitta said.

Lorenzo said, "It was just part of our blood. My dad came to Vegas and started as a bellman at the Tropicana. What he found is there were a lot of people in the industry, and when they wanted somewhere to go but didn't want to mingle with the tourists."

"Back in 1976 he started a small 5,000 square foot casino on Sahara Boulevard, which eventually turned into Bingo Palace and then Palace Station," Frank said.

It was the first neighborhood casino that paved the way for a new way of thinking.

"The idea was to cater to locals instead of tourists-- I think most people thought he was crazy at the time," Frank said.

"We always try to think long-term," Lorenzo said.

The brothers started to buy land all around the valley such as the lot where new Red Rock Resort now sits.

"At the time Wall Street thought we were crazy-- they hated the idea but now they love it," Lorenzo said.

As the final touches are being put on their latest project, they say they have acquired the most valuable asset of all -- the approval of their father.

"Really, what our motto is... Is we have something for everyone," Lorenzo said

When Red Rock Resort opens on Tuesday, the Fertitta brothers say it will not be their last project.

They also say they hope to continue to make their father and their customers proud.

......

ALSO:

sky is gettin tall. trump is standing up, turnberry (all 3 towers- are goin good) allure is slow.
good news about juhl and streamline- unless its like club ren (?) VEGASTAT has a pic of excavation on streamline- so maybe thats coming true!

aladin's front fascade is now covered with scaffolding.

sky-of-webs

Apr 19, 2006, 12:39 AM

Quick question. What and where are the south tech towers?

Patrick

Apr 19, 2006, 1:00 AM

Quick question. What and where are the south tech towers?

A project that appeard on the agendas...

Bender13

Apr 19, 2006, 8:51 PM

South Tech is on Dean Martin Drive just north of Panorama Towers. Heres the agenda: http://dsnet.co.clark.nv.us/dsnetapps/agendaweb/Data/P0173639.htm
But it's being done by Related so don't get your hopes up.

The RJ today had a cool article about a speech the mayor gave praising the progress made downtown.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Apr-19-Wed-2006/business/6928894.html
The article came with a construction photo of the Molasky Corporate Center. This things way far along. It's good to see an office tower go up among all these condos being built.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Apr-19-Wed-2006/photos/downtown.jpg

LMich

Apr 20, 2006, 2:15 AM

Can you guys help me with something? Upon hearing of the opening of Red Rock Resort the other day, I was doing some more research on the entire project, and need to know a few things:

1. Is the Phase II (currently under construction), an exact replica of Phase I in size and design and such?

2. Does anyone have agendas or such stating information on the two proposed condo towers in development? All I've heard in searching the net is that each will be 227', but I don't know any floor counts, schedules, or anything like that.

3. Do the proposed condo towers have names yet? What is their design like?

*EDIT: I was able to find the information I was looking for. And, in fact, there is a rendering of the Red Rock Residences - http://www.vegasverticals.com/redRocks.html*

ScottG

Apr 20, 2006, 5:56 AM

^^^^(red rock residence -no renders yet)^^^^

........

Las Vegas Convention Center Preparing for Expansion
April 19, 2006 08:30 PM PDT

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority started the prep work for a $737 million renovation. Once completed, the familiar property at Paradise and Convention Center Boulevard will look very different.

Behind the Convention Center, the first visible work will start in January next year.

Joe W. Brown will be straightened behind the Convention Center and the road will pass through the parking lot and gatehouse of the Las Vegas Country Club, joining Joe W. Brown on the other side.

The Convention Center bought the land from the Country Club, and 200,000 square feet will be added to the Convention Center exhibit space.

Parts of the Las Vegas Convention center have not been enhanced in 50 years. Now board members for the LVCVA say it's time for an overhaul.

Board members for the LVCVA say it's time for an overhaul and LVCVA spokesman Vince Alberta says the expansion will give the building overall flow.

Right now, if someone were to walk from the north hall to the south hall, convention goers must leave the building.

"Our primary focus is to retain existing customers and to maintain our number one trade show destination that we have," Alberta said.

The most interesting part of the project is not the straightening of Joe W. Brown behind the convention center or the extensive meeting space, which will complete a tunnel over Desert Inn. But a two story convention space. It's the largest expansion building in the plans. It will be built over the current front parking lot of the convention center.

The expansion building will be set high enough off the ground so large construction vehicles can park under it. It will start 45 feet up -- meaning the office building in the Hughes Center could sit under the expansion.

"It will still be functional to work to improve the over all experience," Alberta said. "I think what we are doing is re-inventing the convention center.

The entire project will be finished in 2010, but there's action now. Site work for a new metro sub station began last week. The Convention Center also cleared space behind the Renaissance Hotel, which a three-floor customer service building will be built there.

Las Vegas has the third largest convention center in the country. However, all of the top convention centers in the country are renovating -- to stay ahead in a very competitive business.

GeorgeLV

Apr 20, 2006, 4:26 PM

^^ How can that article be true? According to the Department of Homeland Stupidity, Las Vegas doesn't have any convention centers, skyscrapers, shopping malls, military bases, or race tracks. :)

Ragging Tower

Apr 21, 2006, 2:31 PM

New to Las Vegas Site so her i go.

Montreux to replace the New Frontier
By Liz Benston <benston@lasvegassun.com>
Las Vegas Sun

As other casino operators announce plans to redevelop their older properties, New Frontier owner Phil Ruffin hasn't had a lot to say about his long-awaited plans for his aging Strip hotel.

Ruffin says he's not sitting on his hands.

The name of his planned megaresort will be Montreux, after the Swiss resort town with a famous annual jazz festival.

Ruffin says he is close to announcing a financing package.

"These things take time," Ruffin said. "It can take nine months to do an architectural plan and five months to come up with parking plans."

"I'm trying to do something nobody's ever done before, which is develop a resort without any help or partners. It's very hard to do," he said.

To capitalize on the resort town's brand, Ruffin said he's also working on plans to bring the internationally known Montreux Jazz Festival to the new property, which is scheduled to break ground sometime next year and open by 2010.

The New Frontier would be closed and demolished before ground is broken on the Montreux.

The new hotel would have about 2,750 rooms, including about 750 suites, and cater to customers who patronize high-end properties such as the Mirage or Paris Las Vegas, Ruffin said.

Perhaps the most-talked about feature would be an "observation wheel" that would be positioned in front of the property and facing the Strip.

Ruffin said the wheel, tentatively called the "Las Vegas Eye," is modeled after the famed London Eye. It would enable tourists to take pictures of the Strip from slow-moving, temperature-controlled cabins that rise to more than 450 feet in the air.

vegasrain84

Apr 21, 2006, 6:56 PM

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e392/vegasrain84/constnewport.jpg

Here is a photo of Newport Lofts U/C from Stratosphere, and in the top center above Newport, you can see a patch of brown dirt where Club Ren is clearing the lot for construction.. I am still unsure if I would classify it as U/C, until I see a crane up and steel beams coming out of the ground.. Same with Juhl and Streamline. but they are doing some site preparation..

GeorgeLV

Apr 21, 2006, 8:33 PM

Speaking up downtown projects, I've noticed Streamline has excavated a pretty deep hole so I'd say there's a 95% chance it will be built.

Ho-Dog

Apr 22, 2006, 5:24 PM

Something is going on over at streamline, check out their web cam. http://www.streamlinetower.com/webcam/
Seems like they are making progress. Hopefully, it's not "all show and no go."

Edit: Oh, and here is the 'Charlie Palmer Hotel' Web site. http://www.charliepalmerhotel.com/ Not much on it, a quick "flash" presentation, and a registration form.

alequevedo

Apr 22, 2006, 8:11 PM

Could someone give me some information about Las Ramblas?

ScottG

Apr 23, 2006, 5:57 PM

http://streamlinetower.com/gallery/pics/21_1134092340.jpg?1145814594

its not the biggest enhancement for downtown, but its an inclusion.

Downtown Joe

Apr 23, 2006, 9:06 PM

There are a few projects on the City's Planning Commission agenda for April 27th that sound new to me:

26. ABEYANCE - RENOTIFICATION - SDR-12071 - SITE DEVELOPMENT PLAN REVIEW -
PUBLIC HEARING - APPLICANT: 1300 SOUTH, LLC - OWNER: MYTHIC MANAGEMENT,
LLC - Request for a Site Development Plan Review FOR A PROPOSED 34-STORY MIXED USE
DEVELOPMENT CONTAINING 275 RESIDENTIAL UNITS AND 8,294 SQUARE FEET OF
COMMERCIAL AREA WITH A WAIVER OF THE STEPBACK REQUIREMENT on 0.48 acre at
1300, 1306 and 1310 South Casino Center Boulevard (APNs 162-03-110-135, 136 and 061), R-4 (High
Density Residential) and C-2 (General Commercial), Ward 1 (Tarkanian).
NOTE: THIS APPLICATION HAS BEEN AMENDED FROM 34-STORIES TO 43-STORIES

----------------------------------------------

107. SUP-12250 - SPECIAL USE PERMIT - PUBLIC HEARING - APPLICANT: JUSTEN
MARTINEZ - OWNER: DAN MARTINEZ AND STEPHANY MARTINEZ - Request for a Special
Use Permit FOR A PROPOSED MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT at the northwest corner of Eighth Street
and Carson Avenue (APN 139-34-612-083), C-2 (General Commercial) Zone, Ward 5 (Weekly).

108. SDR-12249 - SITE DEVELOPMENT PLAN REVIEW RELATED TO SUP-12250 - PUBLIC
HEARING - APPLICANT: JUSTEN MARTINEZ - OWNER: DAN MARTINEZ AND
STEPHANY MARTINEZ - Request for a Site Development Plan Review FOR A 47-STORY MIXEDUSE
DEVELOPMENT CONSISTING OF 352 RESIDENTIAL UNITS AND 6,505 SQUARE FEET OF
COMMERCIAL SPACE; AND WAIVERS OF THE STEPBACK AND BUILD-TO-LINE
REQUIREMENTS OF THE DOWNTOWN CENTENNIAL PLAN on 0.89 acres at the northwest corner
of Eighth Street and Carson Avenue (APN 139-34-612-083), C-2 (General Commercial) Zone, Ward 5
(Weekly).

---------------------------------
109. SUP-12279 - SPECIAL USE PERMIT - PUBLIC HEARING - APPLICANT: JMA
ARCHITECTURE STUDIOS - OWNER: ADAS, LLC - Request for a Special Use Permit FOR A
PROPOSED 638-FOOT TALL BUILDING WITHIN THE McCARRAN AIRPORT OVERLAY
DISTRICT at 2210 South Las Vegas Boulevard (APN 162-04-813-075), C-2 (General Commercial) Zone,
Ward 1 (Tarkanian).

110. SUP-12280 - SPECIAL USE PERMIT RELATED TO SUP-12279 - PUBLIC HEARING -
APPLICANT: JMA ARCHITECTURE STUDIOS - OWNER: ADAS, LLC - Request for a Special
Use Permit FOR A PROPOSED MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT at 2210 South Las Vegas Boulevard
(APN 162-04-813-075), C-2 (General Commercial) Zone, Ward 1 (Tarkanian).

111. SDR-12278 - SITE DEVELOPMENT PLAN REVIEW RELATED TO SUP-12279 AND SUP-
12280 - PUBLIC HEARING - APPLICANT: JMA ARCHITECTURE STUDIOS - OWNER:
ADAS, LLC - Request for a Site Development Plan Review FOR A PROPOSED 46-STORY MIXEDUSE
DEVELOPMENT CONSISTING OF 246 RESIDENTIAL UNITS AND 2,345 SQUARE FEET OF
COMMERCIAL SPACE on 0.53 acres at 2210 South Las Vegas Boulevard (APN 162-04-813-075), C-2
(General Commercial) Zone, Ward 1 (Tarkanian).

Does anyone know anything about these?

sky-of-webs

Apr 24, 2006, 12:38 AM

^^^ No info, but it's good to see a project amend it's height upward instead of the usual chopping. #26....34 to 43.

ScottG

Apr 24, 2006, 2:11 AM

check this out at VTAT: http://www.vegastodayandtomorrow.com/panorama.htm

nice photos- it is said here that tower three broke ground ?!

also. a couple nights ago on the news they were explaing how theres alot of celebrities buying at the panorama (and other high rises in vegas) because they are stil cheaper than california.....it was mentioned that panorama is scheduled to have 4 towers......and they bought a site for a possible FIFTH TOWER!

GeorgeLV

Apr 25, 2006, 1:28 AM

ScottG, yes it's true.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Apr-24-Mon-2006/business/6968934.html

Taylor International is the general contractor for Panorama tower 3.

ScottG

Apr 25, 2006, 3:02 AM

^^^^ thats great

also.i noticed today that turnberry towers (tower 2) now has a crane up.! that is not under way. i drove by juhl, nothing but a cleared lot. vegas 888 has alot goin on. they are almost finished with their sales office, laid concrete for a parking lot, and fenced up the lot to make it 'presetable. they are goin all out. ima keep an eye on this one- wouldnt doubt its goin to go up up UP!. palazzo has major stuff goin on- they are pretty tall (out of the ground now). That parking garage behind harrahs is HUGE! its a 15 story steel beast! also it seems there are two f them. or at least another garage goin up near by.

speakin of garages- city centers (or bellagios) garage is mamoth!-

also at hughs center there is a tall office goin up, at least up to the 8th floor already . (?)

world market center phase 2 looks great! i love the greyness. it looks almost complete. wynn (encore) has a small crane onsite. :shrug:
allure is taking shape-and lookin good. newport is gettin up there.

turnberry place (tower 4) is almost done. Platnum is 98% finished. turnberry residences (@ MGM)-tower 1 is done (exterior) tower 2 is following from below and tower 3 is getting visible.

west ward ho is cleared- eerie lookin, but good thing they are makin moves on that site.

sky is a beauty- looking good up there.

Hilton GVC looks nice- even tho its taller than tower 1- it is finished and compliments each other- towers 3 and 4 will look great behind them.

trump is getting tall- you can tell that will be a big one.

the palms (fantasy tower) is STILL under construction. that top is almost complete- tower looks-----busy.

panorama tower 1 looks done, but still has a crane up. tower 2 follows close behind.

PICTURES?

Nope sorry- was driving around for work and passed all these. i guess its a tease that you cant se what i see. next time people. next i will bring a camera!

(sorry)

JonVegas

Apr 25, 2006, 8:52 PM

MsuMix

Apr 25, 2006, 10:09 PM

Center Strip in the street? I was gonna say it might be clearing for the sitework being done on CityCenter which is right next to Cosmo.:shrug:

vegasrain84

Apr 25, 2006, 10:27 PM

Does anyone know why the center strip landscaping has been removed near the cosmopolitan site? It's been out for a while but I've been wondering about it.

While we're on the topic, what do you guys think of the center landscaping sections with artificial grass? I honestly prefer it to that red rock that everyone seems to be laying down lately.

Not sure why they are doing that.. But I think I prefer the fake grass to all the desert landscaping.. I know, I know.. We live in a desert and we have to conserve water.. but I am from the east coast.. you know where grass grows naturally..

But I was walking downtown on Sunday, for the AFAN Walk with Penn and Teller and I noticed a lot of the activity going on down there.. kinda.. Well the lot for Juhl is a parking lot, no steel or anything, not even sure there is a sales office.. And Club Ren has the lot cleared, still no steel cranes or anything.. I saw the sales office for HUE, I hope that project gets built.. Newport is coming along well, up the the 9th or 10th floor, and Soho had some finishing touches being added when I was down there.. Other than that, I didnt see much activity. Golden Nugget has all of a section of 1st street blocked off for their new tower, and their remodel is continuing.. WMC phase 2 is almost completed for the exterior anyway. Molasky is going up fast, and is already to the 7th floor. I didnt see the Streamline site..

On the strip, I know that Palazzo is up the 3rd floor, and the elevator shaft is up to at least 7 or 8 floors. Trump was up to about the 9th floor on Sunday. It looks like the Boardwalk is about to bite the dust in the next few weeks. Its an empty shell. Can't wait until Project CityCenter is going up alongside Cosmo.. Cosmo is digging still.. I didnt see if Planet Hollywood towers were going up because I didn't go down Harmon, maybe sometime this week I will have someone drive down to take pictures of construction progress..

Great news on Panorama tower 3.. Tower 1 looks amazing! I cant wait to see what the Harmon Corridor will look like in the next 5 years..

SpeedyFarrar

Apr 26, 2006, 7:33 PM

Does anyone know why the center strip landscaping has been removed near the cosmopolitan site? It's been out for a while but I've been wondering about it.
I'm guessing for the realignment of the Harmon/LV Blvd intersection?

Ho-Dog

Apr 26, 2006, 9:43 PM

Thanks for the updates ScottG, and Vegasrain.

Couple of articles today, one is an article on Jorge Perez of Related, and the other is an optimistic look at the LV High-rise market.

Condo developers find tough time in Vegas
MATTHEW HAGGMAN
Knight Ridder Newspapers
Two years ago Miami developer Jorge Perez said the Las Vegas market was ripe for the high-rise condominiums he has built so successfully in Florida. But Sin City has not been kind to South Florida's "Condo King."

In January Perez canceled a twin-tower condo called ICON Las Vegas. Now he's weighing selling the 25 acres on which he, along with actor George Clooney, planned to build a massive - and much-hyped - 11-tower condo project, Las Ramblas.

The $3 billion project was to rise near the Las Vegas Strip, and full-page newspaper ads heralded the arrival of Perez, Clooney and team as the second coming of the Rat Pack. But now Perez says demand is lower than expected and construction costs much higher - in fact, he says, Las Vegas' condo market has dropped off more sharply than any of his other markets.

His experience reflects that of some other South Florida developers who gambled on Las Vegas: Going West has turned out to be not quite as easy as it looked. As Las Vegas grew, these developers figured it was poised to become a second-home destination. But now, some wonder if the Las Vegas market is not yet ready for projects centered on condos rather than on the tried-and-true formula of hotels and casinos.

A decision will be made in the next two weeks about Las Ramblas' fate, Perez said. Options include going forward, bringing in another investor, or selling - which may still bring a profit, he said. But it would leave the builder without a project in a city he proclaimed the next South Florida.

"Did we misjudge the levels of demand and costs in Las Vegas?" said Perez. "The answer is yes."

Two years ago Perez and several other South Florida developers - including Miami Beach's WSG Development, Miami-based Fortune International and Royal Palm Communities in Boca Rato - decided Las Vegas might be the next hot condo market. At the time, only Aventura-based Turnberry Associates had successfully built condos in Las Vegas.

Like South Florida, Las Vegas was growing. Just as South Florida drew buyers from the northeast, Las Vegas drew the massive Southern California market. And neither Nevada nor Florida has an income tax.

Sprawling development and chronic traffic was whetting the appetite for urban living - i.e., condos near The Strip. And, the hope was Las Vegas would do as well with Asian buyers as South Florida had with Latinos.

Now some South Florida developers are less sure.

Fortune International CEO Edgardo Defortuna considered a Las Vegas project but backed out."The reality is that there are such wonderful, gorgeous hotels at very reasonable prices," said Defortuna. "Why would you stay in a condo when you can stay in a hotel in the middle of the action and not pay that much price?" http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/business/14401340.htm

Expert: LV in 2nd phase of 'Manhattanization'

By HUBBLE SMITH
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Paul Murad is constantly being questioned about his expertise in high-rise luxury condominium development.

He's young -- named to the National Association of Realtors' Top 30 Under 30 list a couple of years ago -- and inexperienced.

Still, he wrote the book, "Manhattanizing Las Vegas," and has his own $200 million, 39-story Gateway Las Vegas condo tower in the works for downtown Las Vegas.

Murad, keynote speaker at Tuesday's Las Vegas Perspective, is an opportunist who has studied high-rise markets around the world, from China to Eastern and Western Europe and Canada and interviewed hundreds of people.

He said Las Vegas is on a parallel with Miami and has just "scratched the surface" in attracting affluent people to town, from wealthy foreigners and baby boomers to retirees and movie stars.

"This first phase of Manhattanizing is over," Murad said. "Now we're entering the second phase. What happened in Las Vegas over the last few years is amazing, going from a couple of high rises to a hundred. That hasn't happened anywhere else in the world."

Signs of a cooling housing market began to emerge last year and unsold inventory has increased for both condos and single-family housing, but Murad said demand for housing in Las Vegas remains strong, although the form of housing is changing.

The trend is toward vertical construction and retail that serves that market, he said.

Steffen Bandilla, a marketing strategist for mid-rise and high-rise developers, said the last couple of years were "crazy."

"It seems like every high-rise and mid-rise that started construction is successful," he said. "Sales is not a problem. It's mostly construction financing. They all have nice beautiful renderings, but they can't find construction financing."

The Las Vegas housing market is becoming one of specialization, said Linda Rheinberger, president of the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors and one of about 750 people attending Las Vegas Perspective.

It's not just single-family residential, but low-rise, mid-rise, high-rise and condo conversions, and the builders are getting younger, Rheinberger said.

"You know what it is with a lot of young people? They don't sit there and talk. They do. They don't look for reasons why things can't work. They jump in. They're flexible and they make adjustments along the way so projects are a success," she said, "and they recognize opportunity."

A demographic overview in the 120-page 2006 Las Vegas Perspective book showed a consensus forecast of 4.5 percent population growth for Clark County. Population has grown from slightly more than 1 million in 1995 to 1.81 million in 2005.

Median household income is $47,320, with nearly 20 percent of households making $50,000 to $74,999. The median age of adults is 47.9 years.http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Apr-26-Wed-2006/business/7050668.html

kazpmk

Apr 27, 2006, 4:49 PM

Does anyone know if actual foundation work has already begun at Panaroma III??

Bender13

Apr 27, 2006, 5:24 PM

I drove by Panorama 3 and saw drilling equipment on the site but no actual concrete or steel going in.

I have a question. There is major construction going on at the South East corner of Koval and Sands, across from the Sands convention center. There are a bunch of steel and concrete columns going up. Does any one know what this is? Is it an expansion to the convention center or another parking garage?

I didn't have my camera to get a close up picture, but here's a picture of it from the Stratosphere webcam.

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j64/osorno13/sands.jpg

ScottG

Apr 28, 2006, 6:37 PM

so that crane AT WYNN i told you about a couple days ago....today was a GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY FOR ENCORE. on the new this morning they announced today construction hgas started on encore.....

also. today 4/28/05 is the 1 year anniversery of WYNN's opening, and Steve wynn's wife's birthday.

Lecom

Apr 28, 2006, 8:46 PM

On a related note, I just got accepted to U of Nevada Las Vegas.

LMich

Apr 28, 2006, 10:19 PM

What made you decide University of Nevada?

Ho-Dog

Apr 28, 2006, 11:29 PM

On a related note, I just got accepted to U of Nevada Las Vegas.

Nice.

Anyway here is a news clip on the Encore groundbreaking.
http://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=4834761&nav=15MV

Using the stratosphere web cam I took a picture of the massive parking garage UC behind Harris.

http://img56.imageshack.us/img56/3864/11459954870050517dc.jpg

GeorgeLV

Apr 29, 2006, 1:05 AM

The satellite imagery for the Strip/Downtown on google maps seems to have been updated recently. You can pick out most of the major projects under construction now. The off-Strip imagry is comically out of date, with no signs of the Palms Fantasy tower or Palms Place.

GeorgeLV

Apr 29, 2006, 1:24 AM

New agendas are out.

49 floors, 580ft, 1,700 room hotel/casino once one of the MGM Grands parking lots.

http://dsnet.co.clark.nv.us/dsnetapps/agendaweb/Data/P0174917.htm

Two more condo towers at the MGM
45 floors, 550ft, 576 units per tower. On the theme park land next to the u/c Signature @ MGM condos.

http://dsnet.co.clark.nv.us/dsnetapps/agendaweb/Data/P0175647.htm

New 19 floor, 210 foot, 375 room tower for the Silverton.

http://dsnet.co.clark.nv.us/dsnetapps/agendaweb/Data/P0175645.htm

South Strip Fever
HIGHLANDS RESORT, LLC
A resort hotel consisting of an up to a 330 foot high tower with 954 hotel rooms.
Up to 315 foot high towers with 1,106 resort condominiums.
Up to 266 foot high towers with 1,013 residential condominiums.

http://dsnet.co.clark.nv.us/dsnetapps/agendaweb/Data/P0175659.htm

Related Project on Dean Martin/Harmon

300 room resort hotel. Resort condominiums consisting of 2,035 units.
Buildings including, low-rise, mid-rises and 3 high-rise towers up to 580 feet

http://dsnet.co.clark.nv.us/dsnetapps/agendaweb/Data/P0175661.htm

Mixed-used on Valley View/Twain

2 mid-rise towers with a total of 448 units (220 ft, 14 stories on top of a 3 level parking garage) Includes a grocery store.

http://dsnet.co.clark.nv.us/dsnetapps/agendaweb/Data/P0175570.htm

Yet another mixed-use condo proposal

398 units, 20,000 sq ft office, 7,700 sq ft retain. Rear tower 446 feet (32 stories), front tower having a maximum height of 300 feet (18 stories). An 11 level parking garage, 3 of which are subgrade, is proposed that will connect the towers at the lower levels, with the towers separating on the 9th floor at a height of approximately 96 feet.

http://dsnet.co.clark.nv.us/dsnetapps/agendaweb/Data/P0175016.htm

Another mega development

320ft 1,300 room hotel/casino
4 325ft condo towers 5,000 units
Convention center consisting of 180,000 square feet and shopping/office complex consisting of 800,000 square feet is located in the center of the site.

http://dsnet.co.clark.nv.us/dsnetapps/agendaweb/Data/P0175817.htm

Project CityCenter

http://dsnet.co.clark.nv.us/dsnetapps/agendaweb/Data/P0175809.htm
http://dsnet.co.clark.nv.us/dsnetapps/agendaweb/Data/P0176303.htm

Lecom

Apr 29, 2006, 1:35 AM

What made you decide University of Nevada?
Quality, price, southwest is awesome, not at home, almost West Coast, I loved Vegas (you may say it's boring and sprawly but hey, I'm from NJ ;) ) and palm trees kick ass. So there is a chance that I'll be joining all yall as a regular thread updater on here and abandon my near and dear NYC updates for years to come.

BruceH

Apr 29, 2006, 4:10 AM

I don't think the problems with Las Ramblas and ICON had anything to do with demand falling off the cliff in Las Vegas as Perez puts it. Demand for Las Vegas luxury condos is still happening. Our supply is far less than that of Florida, the buyers for our condos are global and demand is solid but no longer speculative as occuring in Florida. Creating good design (not 11 towers on small acreage), knowing your construction costs up front, proper branding and quickly going from reservation to contract to construction has a lot to do with how succcessful you are as a developer in Las Vegas.

We're getting lots of calls from buyers out of Miami, Naples and other Florida cities where they believe the 60,000 condos in the current construction pipeline are a train wreck waiting to happen. They are pulling out of Florida and investing in Las Vegas. Just sold a $4.6 million penthouse to one of them this week and getting more inquiries from Florida than we've seen in months.

Look at the May issue of Inc Magazine and Business 2.0. Las Vegas is the #1 pick and is THE place to work and live. Not Florida.

Las Vegas is in an excellent position to see a smooth, normal condo high rise market as only a limited number of high rises are being built at this time. The next wave won't be for another 1-2 years which further helps smooth out the demand/supply curve. Florida will be making the bad news investment headlines, not Las Vegas.

ScottG

Apr 30, 2006, 3:01 AM

http://www.vow2.com/library/images/reml/user/3/d9b808465d0191ce654d946d09a98e0d.jpg

news pics released at manattanization.com of vegas 888.

palms will be lost behind 888

JonVegas

Apr 30, 2006, 7:53 AM

That's kind of a shame. I really liked the way the Palms complex was shaping up. The view on Flamingo heading towards the 15 is amazing.

Edit: Ok, my directions were reversed. This should look great from Flamingo.

leebuddy

May 1, 2006, 3:42 AM

wow, great projects going on in vegas. men i'm jealous...i live in salt lake city and we don't have shit going on here. :slob:

Bender13

May 1, 2006, 4:23 AM

I had to go downtown today and took a few pics. Sorry not the best quality they were taken from a moving car.

Newport Lofts
http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/5237/newport21vd.png

Club Renniasance, site is cleared, but not much else going on
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/4733/clubren3nk.png

World Market Center 2
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/1636/wmc24pj.png

mhays

May 1, 2006, 4:48 AM

http://www.vow2.com/library/images/reml/user/3/d9b808465d0191ce654d946d09a98e0d.jpg

news pics released at manattanization.com of vegas 888.

palms will be lost behind 888

Surface parking?!

LMich

May 1, 2006, 5:13 AM

Huh?

JonVegas

May 1, 2006, 6:10 AM

It looks like a valet circle to me.

LMich

May 1, 2006, 6:47 AM

Even if it was a surface lot, we're talking Flamingo, a suburban strip, here. The city is auto-depent, for the most part, so it wouldn't be strange, at all, to have some amount of surface parking along this strip.

Ho-Dog

May 1, 2006, 7:40 AM

Thanks for the pictures Bender.

Yeah, Vegas has a lot going on right now, just hope it lasts.

Anyway speaking of Surface parking lots. Take a look at "East Villages," website. The concept looks ok, but the huge surface parking lot around it... kills it for me, almost laughable.
http://www.eastvillagelv.com/intro.html
That is my non-high rise related rant for this morning.

Finally, some news from the "Rumor Mill."
MGM may buy the Hard Rrock...(take a breather MGM :))

INSIDE GAMING: Could MGM be suitor for Hard Rock?

Sources say MGM Mirage is taking a serious look at buying the Hard Rock Hotel and the Hard Rock Café at the corner of Harmon Avenue and Paradise Road. The idea is that MGM Mirage would operate the hotel-casino, build the adjacent $1 billion condominium project that owner Peter Morton canceled and relocate the curbside restaurant to the area around Showcase mall on the Strip. It would be premature, however, to say actual negotiations are under way with Morton and the Rank Group, owner of the Hard Rock Café, to complete a sale and operating deal.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Apr-30-Sun-2006/business/7067879.html

philip

May 1, 2006, 7:32 PM

Have they started construction of Encore at Wynn Las Vegas? If they do, can anyone post a construction pic? Thanks.

ScottG

May 2, 2006, 9:21 PM

TIME 100: The People Who Shape Our World
ILLUSTRATION FOR TIME BY MARK STUTZMAN

From the Magazine | Builders & Titans
Steve Wynn
He Didn't Invent Las Vegas. He Just Makes It Work
By JOEL STEIN
http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2006/0605/wynn0508.jpg

Posted Sunday, Apr. 30, 2006
Your first reaction is to stifle a giggle, as you would listening to a little kid get really serious about his ideas for inventions. I'm going to build a giant dancing water fountain in the desert ... Nice, wholesome American families will fly to Vegas to gamble ... Slot players will pay to see Picassos and Gauguins ... People want to see two fey Germans play with white tigers ... And I'll have puppets pop out of the waterfall. Sure you will, Steve. Now it's time for your bath.

But Steve Wynn, 64, is not only a great salesman of insane ideas and a clever real estate player but also the gaming industry's most brilliant designer. For the Wynn Las Vegas, his $2.7 billion, 2,716-room hotel (an additional 2,054-room tower is on the way), he spent a year walking the 215-acre Strip property, jotting down ideas for the space and changing the rules he had created to make Vegas boom in the '90s. Instead of luring the suckers with beacon attractions right on the Strip—like his dancing waters at the Bellagio, pirate ship at Treasure Island and volcano at the Mirage—with Wynn Las Vegas, he hid the waterfalls, puppets and giant screens behind man-made mountains, reserving them for his diners, gamblers and guests. The draw isn't glitz; it's buzz. He dropped the theme-hotel motif and made the hallways low and intimate. He broke the most basic rule of casinos by flooding the place with natural light. And he focused on small, calm spaces.

It's Vegas not as wild insanity but rather as an escape from the wild insanity of daily life. Wynn has become the anti-Trump, hiding the bling, de-gilding the chandeliers, putting the Ferrari dealership in the back. The greatest creator of spectacle has redefined spectacle as an inner experience—or at least as much of an inner experience as you can have while playing blackjack. Which means playing it by the pool.

The newly meditating grandpa Wynn is moving a bit more slowly than he used to. But his ideas are getting only bigger. He's going to export his vision of Vegas—the übercapitalist, guilt-free overindulgence—to China, with the Wynn Macau, scheduled to open Sept. 5. If someone can teach the Chinese how to skip the ugly growing pains of capitalism and get right to the pretty parts, it's Wynn. Plus they already love tigers.

If they're smart, they'll listen. Because in the next millennium, when people study the U.S. empire, they won't be looking at buildings created by Frank Lloyd Wright or Frank Gehry. They'll be looking at our temples of pleasure, the buildings where we packed in as much America as would fit. And, somehow, Steve Wynn has done it in a way we won't be ashamed of.

Bender13

May 2, 2006, 11:36 PM

Good article, few men have had the influence on Las Vegas that Steve Wyn has had.

I found a couple news stories, first W Las Vegas http://www.lvbusinesspress.com/articles/2006/05/02/breaking_news/01news.txt
W Las Vegas unveils project details
By TONY ILLIA
BUSINESS PRESS

The new W Las Vegas Hotel, Casino and Residences at Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane is taking shape. The $2.5 billion development will consist of two 50-story, modern glass towers housing a combined 4,000 hotel and condo-hotel units. Residences run from 500 to 3,000 square feet, with prices starting at $650,000. The 24.5 acre complex is being jointly developed by Edge Resorts and Starwood Hotels and Resorts.

In January, the project secured $232.5 million in pre-development financing from Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking. Utility installation work is now underway, and construction of the $5 million, 7,200-square-foot welcome center is nearly complete.

M.J. Dean Construction, the firm responsible for Mandalay Bay, is the project's general contractor. Lacina Heitler Architects of New York is the design architect, with Klai Juba as architect-of-record. Charles Allem will design the interiors. Ground breaking is tentatively set for 2007 with completion in 2009.

"Securing our development team for W Las Vegas is a huge step forward," said Reagan Silber, Edge Group co-chairman.

W Las Vegas will feature 20 restaurants, bars, lounges, plus a spa and fitness center. There will also be numerous outdoor pools and Jacuzzis as well as 100,000-square-feet of retail space and 300,000- square-feet of meeting/convention rooms. It will additionally house a 75,000-square-foot casino.

Notable early reservations include Dave Navarro and Carmen Electra, Anne Heche, Paul Walker, DJ AM, and Ahman Green of the Green Bay Packers, among others. Paris Hilton, a frequent staple of the Vegas club circuit, reserved an exclusive penthouse, as did poker pro Phil Hellmuth.

"The market is clearly excited about a W Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas," said Adam Frank, Edge Group president. "The interest in our project and the depth of demand for our condo-hotel residences has far exceeded our lofty expectations."

But the project comes at a time when many neighboring Harmon Avenue corridor development plans are falling by the wayside, including Related's $3 billion, 4,400-unit Las Ramblas and the Hard Rock's $1.4 billion, 1,420-unit Flats, Bungalows, and Residences.

The second is from the RJ, that huge piece of land across the freeway from Mandalay Bay has been purchased. http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/May-02-Tue-2006/business/7145278.html

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/May-02-Tue-2006/photos/business.jpg

Here's part of the article.
One of the largest pieces of undeveloped land near the Strip has been sold, and its new owners are promising to build an iconic resort that befits its setting along "the gateway to Las Vegas."

Just don't expect something eye-catching to break ground soon.

Advertisement

David Edelstein, a prominent New York developer who co-owns the Desert Passage at Aladdin shopping center, said he's part of a group that on Monday paid more than $200 million for 63 vacant acres on the west side of Interstate 15 near Russell Road.

The off-Strip parcel, in the shadows of Mandalay Bay and Luxor, is big enough to house multiple hotel-casinos, a shopping center and accompanying high-rise towers, much like MGM Mirage's planned $7 billion Project CityCenter and Echelon Place, a similar $4 billion development planned by Boyd Gaming Corp.

Unlike the backers of those two Strip projects, however, Edelstein said his group will wait a while before it decides what to place on its prized new holding.

"There's a ton of development going on now that's driven construction prices up," Edelstein said. "There's a shortage of manpower, labor and good managerial power out there. It's prudent that we sit and wait to see how the market shakes out."

ScottG

May 3, 2006, 6:41 PM

from VEGASTAT (WHERE ELSE?).....http://www.vegastodayandtomorrow.com/wynn.htm

4/28/06 Encore Breaks Ground

Many city officials, local dignitaries and a mix of Wynn Las Vegas Employees gathered this morning with Steve and Elaine Wynn for the official groundbreaking of Encore at Wynn Las Vegas..

Steve revealed some details including a beach-style pool club which is reminiscent of his haunt in St. Tropez. He said the weather is the issue with having a pool based club in Vegas. This pool will have a retractable glass roof. The area will be heated in the winter, air conditioned in the summer and left open in the spring and fall.

The curved tower will be of the same glass and white stripe design and will be turned to focus on the north strip. Don't expect any renderings from Wynn's team.

Encore at Wynn Las Vegas is scheduled to open between Thanksgiving and Christmas of 2008.

Once Encore opens, Wynn plans to go ahead with his plans to redeveloped the golf course. The plans call for at least four boutique hotels which will surround a large lake. The existing employee parking garage (bordering Encore's north side) will be demolished and that area will used to act as the Las Vegas Blvd. entrance to the new development.

Other News and Rumors: Wynn may be looking to purchase the Chamber of Congress site to append the golf course redevelopment project.

Construction has been spotted on the Wynn-owned land to the east of Sands Expo. Reports suggest that it looks like a parking garage.

also, check out new palms photos: http://www.vegastodayandtomorrow.com/palms.htm

and platinum update photos: http://www.vegastodayandtomorrow.com/platinum.htm

and aluure coming along: http://www.vegastodayandtomorrow.com/allure.htm

gota love it!

MsuMix

May 3, 2006, 11:46 PM

That Boardwalk implosion should be interesting:D

ScottG

May 4, 2006, 2:05 AM

from manhattanization.com:

Centex Destination Properties plans to break ground next week on the repackaged $1.5 billion, 2,400-unit "Urban Village" mixed-use project on Las Vegas Boulevard South, between Fry’s and Pyle avenue. The firm purchased the 50-acre site and project plans from Diversified Real Estate Group in December.

Although the sale terms are confidential, county records show that Centex paid $35 million for 13.59 acres being used for the first phase, or $2.575 million per acre. Diversified, by contrast, purchased the entire site in 2004 for $34.8 million, or $696,000 per acre, county records show.

"We have launched reservations for the initial 212 brownstones," said CJ Julin, vice president of marketing for Centex Destination Properties. "The master plan, architecture and brownstone theme are all similar to Diversified's original plan, but we've upgraded the level of finishes and amenities package."

Original Rendering
The first units range from 938 to 2,225 square feet in size, with asking prices of $375,000 to $795,000, or about $357 to $400 per square foot. Single-family homes, by comparison, averaged 2,223 square feet in February, with median sale prices of $175 per square foot, reported Home Builders Research Inc., a Las Vegas residential market research firm.

Urban Village will eventually consist of five neighborhoods with buildings up to 12 stories, housing a combination of brownstones, live-work spaces, flats, lofts and condo-hotel units. The project additionally will offer shops, restaurants, a pool complex, fitness center, jogging paths and parks. Other features call for secured parking, rose gardens, pet stations, outdoor grills and a bocci court. The development is expected to reach build-out in eight years, Julin said.

Diversified, meanwhile, is reportedly moving forward with its planned 60-story Club Renaissance condo high-rise at Casino Center Boulevard and Bonneville Avenue. The 906-unit downtown condo project sits on a 1.5-acre parcel that Diversified bought for about $110 per square foot.

...
AND
...
W Las Vegas Starts to Clear Ground
New Renderings Available
The W Las Vegas: Rendering
more images
M.J. Dean Construction has been named general contractor of the 24.5-acre W Las Vegas Hotel, Casino and Residences project located at Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane. Also named to the project are Klai Juba Architects, Lacina Heitler Architects and Charles Allem Designs. The W Las Vegas is being developed through a partnership between Edge Resorts and Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. The project will encompass a mix of hotel and condo-hotel units and compelling lifestyle amenities.

Edge Resorts owns 75% of the development joint venture and Starwood owns the remainder. Edge Resorts is owned by Edge Group LLC, a development and investment company formed in 2004 by principals Trevor Pearlman, Reagan Silber and Adam Frank. Starwood Hotel and Resorts is a New York-based public company that owns, operates and franchises several hundred hotels and resorts under a variety of brands including St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Sheraton, Westin and W.

"Securing our development team for W Las Vegas is a huge step forward," said Reagan Silber, Edge Group Co-Chairman. "M.J. Dean and Klai Juba are among the most respected names in casino-resort development and Lacina Heitler and Charles Allem are two of the world's most visionary design firms."

In January, W Las Vegas secured $232.5 million in pre-development financing led by Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking. Utility installation work has begun on the site and the W Las Vegas Residences Welcome Center is nearly complete.

"The market is clearly excited about a W Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas," said Adam Frank, Edge Group President. "The interest in our project and the depth of demand for our condo-hotel residences has far exceeded our lofty expectations."

The project's general contractor, M.J. Dean Construction, is one of Nevada's most prolific firms, managing the construction of 18 hotel/casino projects, many involving high profile Las Vegas mega-resorts on tight schedules including Mandalay Bay, Monte Carlo, LUXOR, Circus Circus, and Hard Rock. M.J. Dean is currently building the 7,200 square foot, $5 million Welcome Center at the site of the future property.

Rendering of the Pools
Las Vegas based Klai Juba Architects and Lacina Heitler Architects of New York City are designing the property. Klai Juba is credited with designing many of Las Vegas' premier projects including Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, THEhotel at Mandalay Bay, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and Four Seasons Hotel. Boutique firm Lacina Heitler's designs for the W Las Vegas were selected from an international group of competing firms.

Charles Allem Designs has been commissioned to design the hotel interiors and condo residences. Allem has been recognized by Architectural Digest as one of the top 100 interior designers.

Rendering Interior
The W Las Vegas will be located on 24.5 acres at the intersection of Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane, 500 meters east of the famed Las Vegas Strip. The development will be comprised of a mix of hotel and condo-hotel units, offering owners the benefits of being attached to a W Hotel.

The W Las Vegas will embrace the stylish, signature comforts W is renowned for, including striking architecture, multiple restaurants, exhilarating nightlife and a destination spa. It will also be the brand's first property with a casino.

The property will feature a significant collection of restaurants, bars, lounges and nightclubs. Renowned designers will create unique and captivating venues that will be paired with celebrated restaurant, club and bar operators and promoters.

Bliss(R) Spa will offer its trademark treatment menu of facials, massages and body treatments. Founded in 1996 and embraced by beauty obsessed buzz makers, there are currently six Bliss spas worldwide, including those at W Hotels in New York, San Francisco and Chicago.

Additional project plans incorporate a theatre and show venue, distinctive shopping, a premier high-end meetings facility and an expansive pool area.

W Las Vegas
Studios, one-bedroom units and suites ranging from 500 to 3,000 square feet will be available for purchase and can be combined to form larger residences. Residences will go on sale to the public in mid-2006. Contact us to join the list of Reservations.

Owners will have the benefits of being attached to a W Hotel, including maid service, room service and Whatever/Whenever(TM) concierge services, along with preferred access to dining, nightlife and other amenities.

Residence owners have the option of placing their condo-hotel unit into an organized rental program, allowing owners to make their unit available through the hotel reservations department when they are not using it and share in the revenue that the unit generates.

Notable names reserving residences at the W Las Vegas include Dave Navarro and Carmen Electra, Anne Heche, Paul Walker, DJ AM, Ahman Green of the Green Bay Packers and others. Paris Hilton, a frequent staple of the Las Vegas social scene, reserved an exclusive penthouse, as did poker pro Phil Hellmuth. The World Poker Tour champion bested 50 celebrities and poker professionals to win the W Las Vegas Poker Invitational and celebrated his victory by immediately applying his studio condominium grand prize as a down payment on a $2 million penthouse.

LMich

May 4, 2006, 9:21 AM

Where are the renderings? I see the placeholders indicating renderings.

Does anyone know if Sandhurst, downtown, has started construction yet? I haven't heard anything about this site in months.

ScottG

May 4, 2006, 3:56 PM

check out palazzo!

http://www.vegastodayandtomorrow.com/images/palazzo050106.jpg

illmatic774

May 4, 2006, 8:53 PM

philip

May 4, 2006, 9:58 PM

Where are the renderings? I see the placeholders indicating renderings.

http://www.manhattanization.com/news/w-las-vegas-starts-to-clear-ground.rub

http://www.manhattanization.com/las-vegas/w-las-vegas/images.rub

CHAPINM1

May 4, 2006, 11:22 PM

What is the update on Club Renaissance? It is listed as under consturction and I heard it broke ground on February 17, anyone know as to how far it has been coming along?

vegasrain84

May 5, 2006, 1:17 AM

I had some time to kill today, and so I went along the strip and downtown, and along Harmon Ave. from UNLV to the strip, and I thought I would give you a quick rundown on construction stats.

The Strip area:

Sky:
Taller than HGVC next to it. It is up to the 40th floor, and only has 5 more to go. It will be topped out by June.

Allure Tower 1:
up the 16th floor.

Turnberry Tower 1:
up to 26th floor.

Turnberry Tower 2:
Now Under Construction! I went by the site today, and they have a crane up, and steel reinforcement is being placed into the elevator shafts. Here are a couple of photos of the site from the Stratosphere webcam.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e392/vegasrain84/Turnberry2.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e392/vegasrain84/turnberry2steel.jpg

Trump Tower 1:
Up to 12th floor.

Palazzo:
Up to 4th floor above ground level, 5 floors below ground level. Total height: 9 floors.

Encore at Wynn:
Drilling equipment on site, some dirt being removed.

Sands Parking Garage:
Its big, all steel structure is up to the 15th floor. Below are some photos from Stratosphere.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e392/vegasrain84/SandsParking.jpg

Harmon Corridor:

Cosmopolitan:
Lots of digging and drilling for the underground Parking Garage. Some small cranes on site.

Bellagio/CityCenter Parking Garage:
Up to the 10th floor.
By the way- Boardwalk Casino is going to be imploded on Tuesday 5-9-06 at 2:30am.

Panorama Tower 1:
Topped out, looks beautiful especially the blue color, and curved structure. Exterior almost completed. Some windows on the south side still need put into place.

Panorama Tower 2:
Almost topped out. Only 2 floors to go, plus the top of curved structure.

Panorama Tower 3:
Drilling and Dirt removal. Equipment on site. No Cranes (yet).

Here is a photo of Panorama from the Stratosphere.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e392/vegasrain84/Panorama.jpg

Planet Hollywood Towers:
Parking lot being removed and digging on site. No Cranes (yet).

Marriott Grand Chateau Wing 2:
Fencing in place, no equipment on site, no construction in progress, even though VegasTodayandTomorrow said that it is U/C.

W Resort:
Sales office under construction. Construction of a white barrier wall along Harmon Ave., from Koval Ave. to Harbor Island.

Signature at MGM (formerly known as Residences at MGM):

Tower 1:
Topped out, nearly completed.

Tower 2:
Almost topped out. Only 2 or 3 more floors to go.

Tower 3:
Up to the 14th floor.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e392/vegasrain84/MGMRES.jpg

Off Strip:

3883 Hughes Center:
Even though it is listed on the diagrams page as 9 floors, I drove by it on my way to Starbucks, and counted 10 floors. Below is an image from Stratosphere webcam.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e392/vegasrain84/HughsCorporate.jpg

Palms Place:
Two tower cranes in place. It is up to the 2nd floor.

Downtown:

Molasky Center:
Going up fast. Steel frame is up to the 7th floor. Only 10 more floors to go.

Newport Lofts:
Steel frame now extends up to 12th floor. Moving up very fast now. Elevator shaft is up to at least 15th floor.

Club Renaissance:
Site is cleared. No equipment on site. Not under construction (yet).

Soho Lofts:
looks great. Should be finished soon.

Sandhurst:
Not much going on. Site is empty for the most part.

Streamline Tower:
Site preparations continuing.

World Market Center Phase 2:
HUGE! Even though its only 20 stories, it is massive when you are traveling along I-15 north. It looks like it’s almost topped out. I noticed more steel going up on top of it today, not sure if it is for additional floors or something else.

Lecom

May 5, 2006, 1:46 AM

Venetian is shaping up to be one giant casino hotel complex. Are the canals going to be extended into the new Palazzo area?

Bender13

May 5, 2006, 2:55 PM

ROFL, the NIMBYS in "The City of Henderson" are trying really hard to keep The Summit from being built. Saw it on the news this morning.

How can anyone live that life of solitude? At least jobs will be coming toward their area, and tons of retail it looks like.

Henderson pisses me off.

When you first wrote this I had no clue what you were talking about. Then I found this in the RJ. I had never heard of this proposal before.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/May-05-Fri-2006/news/7237233.html

May 05, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

High-rise project gets flat-out thumbs down

Henderson crowd hostile to Gibson Road proposal

By HENRY BREAN
REVIEW-JOURNAL
A clothing magnate's plan for a high-rise commercial development in Henderson was thoroughly dressed down by its neighbors Thursday.

A decidedly hostile crowd of more than 125 people attacked nearly everything about the project during a neighborhood meeting hosted by representatives for the developer.

Fred Nassiri, whose wholesale clothing company is based near McCarran International Airport, has proposed construction of several high-rises and other buildings on 64 acres at Horizon Ridge Parkway and Gibson Road.

Plans for The Summit include a 27-story residential and office tower, a second 24-story tower, and three other buildings of at least 10 stories. The project's 22 buildings would total more than 2.2 million square feet.

"I don't know how much plainer I can put it: We don't want it," said Henderson resident Danielle Blomquist.

Her comments drew loud applause from the crowd gathered in a conference room at the Fiesta Henderson hotel and casino.

Nassiri did not attend the meeting, which left his team of consultants and architects to bear the brunt of the abuse.

Chief among the concerns raised were the height of the buildings, the amount of traffic they might draw and the impact on neighboring homes.

One audience member referred to the proposal as "land rape."

Others complained that more people weren't notified about the meeting, which many of those present said they learned about from the media rather than the developer.

The largest of The Summit's towers would rise some 371 feet from the northeast corner of the intersection and eclipse Sunset Station as Henderson's tallest building. Its retail component would be roughly three times the size of The District at Green Valley Ranch Resort.

Henderson Community Development Director Bristol Ellington, who quietly watched Thursday's meeting from the back of the room, said several "valid issues" were raised that Nassiri and company will need to address. Asked to name a few, Ellington said, "Height for one ... and how they interface with their neighbors."

The project is slated for a public hearing before the Henderson Planning Commission on June 29. From there, it will go to the City Council.

Nassiri can't develop The Summit unless city officials agree to a zoning change. The property is zoned for low-density residential and neighborhood commercial development.

He would also need the city to waive height restrictions that limit buildings to 60 feet.

Audience members Thursday made it clear that no such approvals should be granted.

One woman suggested that any member of the City Council or Planning Commission who votes in favor of The Summit deserves to be recalled from office. A man seated on the opposite side of the room said if Nassiri's project goes through the city should toss its master plan in the fireplace and burn it.

With all the NIMBY opposition I doubt this will get built. I sounds like a cool project that would give Henderson a nice core area that's pretty close to their crappy downtown. It would help make Henderson more of its own city rather than a suburb of Vegas.