Las Vegas Metro Development News

[dragonsky]

Resorts World Las Vegas’ goal: Make a bigger pie

K.T. Lim, chairman and CEO of developer Genting Group, is interested in growing the entire local tourism market, not vying for someone else’s share of the pie, said Las Vegas architect Paul Steelman, who is behind Resorts World’s design.

“He wants to expand the Las Vegas market rather than doing something better than someone else,” Steelman said.

What are some of the “wow” amenities? Everyone talks about the Great Wall of China replica and the panda habitat.

The panda habitat is going to be moved to phase two, as will the water park.

There are, of course, many other attractions, starting with our ball that drops on the outside of the building, the Chinese village, the Great Wall and all the integration of that with the Strip.

Our goal in anything we design is actually very simple: We want to make you smile. If we get somebody with a simple smile, they’re going to come back.

That new phase is going to be more attraction-based. I think attraction-based tourism is going be greater, and I think the attractions will be diversified.

http://vegasinc.com/business/2015/jun/07/resorts-world-las-vegas-goal-make-bigger-pie/

[dragonsky]

• Video Link

Exotics Racing Welcome Center at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Grand Opening
http://lasvegassun.com/vegasdeluxe/2015/jun/09/0-to-60-mph-26-seconds-217-mph-exotics-racing-/
http://www.exoticsracing.com/

[dragonsky]

Details of massive Project Neon unveiled

But when all that construction pain ends, the $1.5 billion Spaghetti Bowl interchange rehabilitation known as Project Neon not only will provide a smoother, safer transition between U.S. Highway 95 and Interstate 15 but will provide superior access to downtown Las Vegas, the resort corridor and nearby medical facilities.

The 3.7-mile overhaul of the state’s busiest freeway interchange and the region just south of it will be the largest transportation infrastructure project ever done in the state.

While all the final flourishes could take up to 20 years to finish, four phases that represent the meat of the project will be undertaken in the next four to five.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/traffic-transportation/details-massive-project-neon-unveiled

[dragonsky]

UNLV hopes to secure site for football stadium by December

he University of Nevada, Las Vegas hopes a deal to buy 42 acres for a 50,000-seat campus football stadium can close Dec. 18.

The closing date was part of a stadium update that UNLV business official Gerry Bomotti offered to a Board of Regents committee Thursday on the university’s attempt to acquire land from Wells Fargo at Tropicana Avenue and Koval Lane for $50 million. Technically, the UNLV Foundation, the university’s nonprofit fundraising arm, would transfer the option on the property to UNLV.

UNLV wants to buy the land for a football stadium because the current venue, Sam Boyd Stadium, is 8 miles from campus and lacks many modern stadium amenities.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/columns-blo...es-secure-site-football-stadium-december

[dragonsky]

• Video Link
Romantic Las Vegas

[N830MH]

Originally Posted by dragonsky

http://www.reviewjournal.com/columns-blo...es-secure-site-football-stadium-december

Hey! Wait it minutes!?!? Is that near LAS Airport? I see a empty land. This is where they going to built. I don't think they have a height restrictions. Due to FAA. Is that allowed more than 400 feet or below.

[dragonsky]

• Video Link

Wet'n'Wild Las Vegas announces the world’s first waterslide gaming experience

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/...waterslide-zipp-zapp-zoom-300087647.html
http://wetnwildlasvegas.com/rides-and-attractions/slideboarding.asp

[dragonsky]

SPEEDVEGAS is the newest adrenaline inducing experience in Las Vegas, opening in early 2016. This new experience is located just 10 minutes from Las Vegas on Las Vegas Boulevard.

The track features an incredible 2,000' straight, over 60 feet of elevation change, and 12 banked corners. Each challenging corner works together to create one of the greatest places to drive an exotic supercar on a real racetrack.

The $30 million SPEEDVEGAS motorsports complex was designed by an international team of award-winning architects, designers, and track experts, and is the result of nearly four years of planning, preparation and development. No expense was spared to create this world class experience. The result: one of the greatest places to drive a supercar on a racetrack.

The SPEEDVEGAS complex is designed with over 20,000 square feet of meeting space, outdoor terraces, and entertainment facilities, and is ideal for groups and events of any size. The complex is conveniently located on South Las Vegas Boulevard, just 10 minutes from all major resorts.

http://www.speedvegas.com/
http://www.vegaschatter.com/story/2015/6...eedVegas+Slated+For+January+2016+Opening

[trev71]

Any word on when Wahlburgers will be open in Vegas. I remember seeing them on tv last year saying they are opening a Las Vegas location

[dragonsky]

Luxury movie theater expected to break ground downtown next month

A luxury movie theater complex is expected to break ground in Downtown Las Vegas next month.

After securing state and federal tax credits earlier this year, developers think Eclipse Theaters could open as soon as March.

The three-story, luxury complex will span about 72,000 square feet near the Arts District, at 3rd Street and Gass Avenue. It will have eight screens, a restaurant, a lounge, an outdoor patio and space for private parties.

http://lasvegassun.com/news/2015/jul/09/luxury-movie-theater-expected-break-ground-downtow/

[dragonsky]

MGM Resorts to build 5,000-seat theater at Monte Carlo

MGM Resorts International said Wednesday it will build a 5,000-seat theater at the Monte Carlo resort, creating another entertainment attraction as part of the company‘s Park development.

The theater, which is expected to open at the end of 2016, will offer seating flexibility that allows for easy transformation into multiple configurations.

MGM did not give a price for the project. The retail, dining and entertainment Park development, currently under construction between New York-New York and Monte Carlo, will cost $100 million. A $350 million, 20,000-seat sports arena, will anchor the Park. The Park and arena are expected to open in April 2016.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/mgm-resorts-build-5000-seat-theater-monte-carlo

[trev71]

Originally Posted by dragonsky

http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/mgm-resorts-build-5000-seat-theater-monte-carlo

20,000-seat sports arena ? Sounds like a pitch for a nhl team to come to town !

[BigDan35]

Originally Posted by trev71

20,000-seat sports arena ? Sounds like a pitch for a nhl team to come to town !

That's the plan. The stadium is currently under construction and the exterior is pretty much finished. I drive by it every week. Las Vegas just submitted their proposal for an expansion team to the NHL last week.

[trev71]

Originally Posted by BigDan35

That's the plan. The stadium is currently under construction and the exterior is pretty much finished. I drive by it every week. Las Vegas just submitted their proposal for an expansion team to the NHL last week.

See that they have 13500 Season tickets already sold and prepaid for. I see the expansion fee is $500 Million US. That is quite a bit.

[dragonsky]

University officials look at monorail link to proposed stadium

It's strictly at the brainstorming stage, but University of Nevada, Las Vegas consultants have floated the idea of extending the Las Vegas Monorail to a 42-acre site at Koval Lane and Tropicana Avenue to serve a potential UNLV football stadium and then extend the monorail to the Thomas & Mack Center and the rest of the UNLV campus.

UNLV officials hope to acquire the stadium site land from Wells Fargo for $50 million in December.

UNLV's transportation planning taps into an initiative by Gov. Brian Sandoval, who launched a committee in July to study tourism infrastructure needs, including getting people to and from convention centers, stadiums, arenas and airports. The Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee (SNTIC) meets monthly.

"We are assuming the SNTIC will indeed be looking at the stadium project we have been working on," said Bomotti, the committee's vice chairman.

UNLV's consultants, SmithGroupJJR, have drafted the stadium transportation ideas. The $523 million, 50,000-seat stadium also has no funding, as university officials plan to use Sam Boyd Stadium eight miles from campus for the immediate future.

- See more at: http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/university-officials-look-monorail-link-proposed-stadium

[dragonsky]

Mandalay Bay Convention Center opens major expansion

Meeting space at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center grew to 2 million square feet Tuesday with the opening of the property's $70 million, 350,000-square-foot expansion.

And, it's already in use.

The Men's Apparel Guild in California (MAGIC) fashion trade show, which began Monday, is the first occupant of Mandalay Bay's new space.

"This is an important day, not only to Mandalay Bay and MGM Resorts, but to all of Las Vegas," said Chuck Bowling, president and chief operating officer of Mandalay Bay.

While the main convention hall is open, a second phase will be to repurpose existing meeting rooms, a project expected to be completed by January.

The expansion features a 70,000-square-foot ballroom that is divisible by five for flexibility and break-out areas for corporate groups. The company also is expanding the bandwidth of its Wi-Fi technology.

Atop the new space is an 8-acre rooftop solar photovoltaic array that will go live by fall. Combined with an existing 20-acre array already in place at the convention center, the facility would produce 3.4 million kilowatt hours a year, enough to power the equivalent of 1,300 homes.

It's the largest solar array on a convention center in the world.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/ca...-convention-center-opens-major-expansion

[dragonsky]

They say you always remember your first—your first kiss, your first alcoholic drink and, probably, your first time inside Omnia Nightclub. The 75,000-square-foot space makes for a remarkable experience, but it’s the chandelier—the 33-foot-wide, 22,000-pound metal mass with eight concentric rings moving overhead—that imprints its swirling image onto your brain. It’s as breathtaking as it is technologically astounding: futuristic and opulent and completely unforgettable.

http://lasvegasweekly.com/nightlife/2015/sep/03/omnia-chandelier-instagram-know-how-it-works/

[dragonsky]

Sandoval appoints 5 to high-speed rail board
By Richard N. Velotta
Las Vegas Review-Journal

Five Southern Nevada residents, including a financial expert, the general manager of the Regional Transportation Commission and an engineering professor, have been named to the new Nevada High-Speed Rail Authority.

Gov. Brian Sandoval announced his appointments Thursday to the board planning connection of Southern Nevada and Southern California with a high-speed rail system.

The board was formed in May when Sandoval signed Senate Bill 457 into law.

"Nevada is internationally known as the standard bearer when it comes to travel and tourism and our state is also now recognized as an emerging destination for advanced manufacturing," Sandoval said in a written statement.

"To maintain our competitive edge, we must demonstrate that we are willing to pursue options which will expand and strengthen our engagement with neighboring states," he said. "The men and women appointed today represent some of the brightest minds in transportation and business development."

The authority must select a franchisee on or before Oct. 1. That franchisee is expected to be Las Vegas-based XpressWest, which has been working since 2010 on a system to link Las Vegas with Victorville, Calif. Once XpressWest received a record of decision in November 2011, it began working on environmental approvals on the route and opened discussions with California rail officials to tie its system to that state's high-speed rail system at Palmdale, 50 miles west of Victorville.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/traffic-transportation/sandoval-appoints-5-high-speed-rail-board

[dragonsky]

World’s largest Hooters celebrates grand opening at Palms

http://lasvegassun.com/vegasdeluxe/2015/sep/15/worlds-largest-hooters-palms-celebrates-grand-open/

[dragonsky]

A high-speed rail from L.A. to Las Vegas? China says it's partnering with U.S. to build

A long-discussed high-speed rail project linking Southern California and Las Vegas will be built by a U.S.-China joint venture, Chinese officials said Thursday, though many details about the agreement remained hazy..

Announcement of cooperation on the XpressWest project adjacent to the 15 Freeway comes days ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the United States. Financial terms of the agreement, and the cost of the project, were not immediately clear.

XpressWest, a private venture formerly called DesertXpress, has been under discussion since at least 2007. Chinese officials described the project as a 230-mile train linking Las Vegas and Los Angeles, though XpressWest's website says the route is planned as 185 miles from Vegas to Victorville, 85 miles northeast of downtown L.A.

XpressWest agreed this month to form a joint venture with China Railway International USA Co. to build and operate the railway, Shu Guozeng, deputy head of the government's Office of the Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs, said at a news conference Thursday, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency. Shu claimed the project could begin construction as early as September 2016.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-vegas-la-chinese-high-speed-rail-20150917-story.html