LAS VEGAS | Boom Project Rundown! 2.0

[MrVegas]

Steel is beginning to rise for the Fontainebleau Tower.



Two tower cranes at the Planet Hollywood Towers site are being assembled.

[VegasBound]

Originally Posted by Silas

Why, why, why would they want to enhance North Strip experience for everyone else at their own expense? They would not.

I am with those that disagree with this statement. The only thing that would stop MGM from going full throttle ahead with enhancements of their North Strip properties would be a general downturn in the Vegas economy. I would never say that could never happen but it is not going to happen any time soon.

Although I would love to see Circus Circus scraped or at least majorly remodeled, I hope the rush to luxury that seems to be happening does not leave the strip short of middle tier and family friendly offerings. A good mix will be healthiest for the strip overall.

[sky-of-webs]

Exactly! I read everyone's posts almost on a daily basis, but rarely post myself - mainly because I believe CC is just another HUGE tourist trap. To me, that project makes a lot of sense for MGM, and people who have more money than they know what to do with and just want to be able to say that they own something in CC, or on the strip. To think that someone would consider living in that project on a full time basis, or even a second home that they plan on spending any good amount of time in, is a joke! I have lived in Vegas for almost ten years, and I avoid the strip like the plague. If you lived in CC, and worked in CC or neighboring property - okay, maybe. But honestly, have these buyers ever driven LV BLVD, or any street that runs perpendicular? To deal with that mess on a daily basis, you'd have to be out of your mind. Yes, I am a huge fan of downtown, because after all, it is the true center of the city, and the only place in Clark County that makes sense for people to live in a high rise on a full time basis. I know there are other projects like One LV, Queensridge, and even Sullivan Square - but where are they, and walking out the front door of the lobby, what do they have? They have the developer's idea for restaurants and shops, and the other amenities of the complex. It isn't the same as other great cities across the country where those who live in the true core of the city have the freedom to step out of the lobby and walk to other buildings for all of their everyday needs and wants - without having to fight with hundreds of thousands of tourists each day. Architecturally, CC is may be the next wonder of the world - but let's get real - it is the next "newer, bigger, better" LV tourist trap.

LVHIGHRISE

Originally Posted by BruceH

It's more like urban versus suburban living. Our clients who bought CC already come from cities like Shanghai, Tokyo, London, Toronto, NYC etc where they are use to urban and high rise living. I live on the Strip in a high rise and love it. Can't stand the traffic going to suburbia. I can get to restaurants, airport, services etc all around the Strip in 15-20 minutes. Trip to Summerlin now takes about 30 to 45 minutes or worse depending on traffic. Demand for CC is high as are luxury condos like Sky Las Vegas, Turnberry Place and Turnberry Towers etc for residential living in the core Strip area. It will only get better with the billions of dollars being invested in all the new casino hotels in the main and North Strip areas.

LVHIGHRISE is pointing out the fact that there is no residential component to the casino condo towers beyond the living space. If someone lives in these props including sky,turnberry, and allure the only place to eat is a couple of 5 star restraunts costing a fortune or the casino food court or buffet. There is no supermarket and never will be. At CC a resident is locked into a tourist geared setting with no easy access to the real world. People from the highrise cities mentioned are accustomed to urban living yes, but having a home in the center of Disney Land is not the kind of place a majority of people rich or not are looking for.

A quick poll here. With the current allignment of the casino and other towers, who here thinks Echelon has any chance of being a profitable property.

I don't.

[LMich]

As with countless other downtown redevelopments across this country where residential come first, and then amenities later, this will be no different. Why you're painting this as entirely different situation is beyond me. I know from my little city center undergoing redevelopment residential is being built without even a hint of amenities to service these in sites. For awhile, people will have to commute outwards to get serviced, but as the number of units becomes self sustaining the retail will follow just as it always had and always will.

[ScottG]

one las vegas - tower 2 is not topped out (we havnt really followed up on this project much)

trump tower 2 will make its appearance on the apprentice sunday (today)

the teams have to come up with marketing plans.


get this,
apparently trump las vegas tower 1 and 2 is trump most expensive project to date

[SpeedyFarrar]

Originally Posted by ScottG

trump tower 2 will make its appearance on the apprentice sunday (today)

the teams have to come up with marketing plans.

That episode aired 2 weeks ago.....

[mdiederi]

Some where I read that CityCenter will have a grocery store. I think you can also order groceries over the internet from Albertsons and they will deliver them.

....

I think the humongous convention center planned at Echelon Place is a big part of their strategy for filling rooms. But I too hope the towers get a redesign.

....

Noticed that they are dismantling the tower crane at Spanish View Towers, after being stalled for almost a year. Not sure if they are totally giving up or if they got a new contractor who wants to replace it with their own crane?

[williasj]

i have heard that a whole foods is planned as a part of the turnberry town square project. So there will be a grocery just south of the mandalay bay. There are other grocery stores in the area, not on the strip give you, but not to far either. Everything is an evolving process

[Vtown420]

Originally Posted by mdiederi

...part of the problem with the Arts District is that the buildings down there don't really lend themselves very well to a live-work type of set up for artists and the architecture has absolutely zero style or charm or cohesiveness or functionality. The street layout is tightly woven, by Vegas standards, so it would be a good walkable area if it had the right type of buildings, but it doesn't. There aren't any buildings at all with residential lofts or apartments upstairs and shop space down stairs. Hopefully all the highrise condo proposals will generate a better market for galleries and specialty shops and restaurants in the area and more live/work type of buildings will be built. Holesome Lofts is a good attempt at what the Arts District should do with some of the existing buildings, but most of the businesses in there are hurting pretty bad from what I've heard because the rents are higher than places like the Arts Factory and there isn't a strong clientele in the area. There are quite a few empty lots and condemned buildings down there right now. Not sure how Neon Nights is configured, but if they put the arena and casino towards the railroad tracks on the west side and put the condo towers on the east side, it might actually help development of an urban village setting in the arts district. But, If they put the casino and arena on the east side of the site it would definitely hurt the development of an urban village in the Arts District. I did notice the other day a couple more proposals in the city planning agendas for live/work type of buildings around 4th street and Charleston.

You’re absolutely right. It could be a great walkable neighborhood, all it needs are some better buildings where people can live. The streets downtown and in the arts district and are laid out so it can become a great urban area. Downtown has so much potential, I can’t wait until it becomes a better place to live, hell I might even condsider buying a condo down there some day. I hope in ten years it will resemble downtown San Diego. Right now, I don't think there is even a grocery store downtown.

I was really hoping the arena would be across from city hall or somewhere close by so the crowds could empty out onto Fremont Street. But now that I think about it, if they plan Neon lights right, it could really become an interesting area. It seems like they don't really have a plan for an arena. They keep throwing out new locations and are just desperate to get it built. So what do you guys think is the best location for a new arena?

[Vegas Grows Up]

SKY OF WEBS

You said "There is no supermarket and never will be"



There will be a small supermarket at Vdara, this is a fact and confirmed.

Whole Foods will now appear at Town Square from what I hear.

[gmcclenon]

Few days late on posting these. Took them on Friday 4/27.

LVTI lot is being used for Fontainebleau staging:



Fontainebleau foundation really taking off now that they have fixed their original design:



Turnberry Towers don't get much attention:



Trump/Echelon and Wynn-Wynn:




And finally - one more HO on the street:

[mdiederi]

HA! LOL! I wonder if these sign people intentionally keep leaving the "HO" on the signs when ever they get the chance? LOL!

[mdiederi]

Originally Posted by gmcclenon

Fontainebleau foundation really taking off now that they have fixed their original design:

From ground level I couldn't tell if that was part of the hotel or the convention area, but your great vantage point makes it pretty clear that the hotel is rising.

[ScottG]

what do you mena after they redesigned fountainebleau foundation is goin fast- what redesign?

[beets281]

Nice pictures!

[philip]

Did they redesign the Fontainebleau? They haven't even released the first official design yet.

[gmcclenon]

Originally Posted by ScottG

what do you mena after they redesigned fountainebleau foundation is goin fast- what redesign?

Hey Scott - there was no change in the shape of the foundation of the main tower just a change in the depth and strength. On the most easterly end and the middle portions of the foundation, they changed plans (or corrected errors) and had to dig out and jack hammer the concrete of the drilled and poured pilings. They left the remaining steel and dug much deeper and built larger re-bar reinforced footings around them and went from there. Here's the before/during and after/during shots.

You can see the guys standing on the exposed pilings starting the demo part of the redesign. Photo taken at the end of March:



And in this one you can see how much deeper they ended up digging. You can also make out how much concrete had to be jack hammered out in this after-shot taken on 4/27:

[Silas]

Wow -- is that kind of blunder common?

Does anyone think that the overall integrity of the building will be in doubt?

[gmcclenon]

Might be a blunder or it might be a cheap hedge in case they get their original 1000 foot design ok'ed after their 1888' neighbor to the north gets approved tomorrow. Then I woke up.

[theWatusi]

I would hate to be the poor bastard that has to stand out in the sun all day long and jack-hammer out someone's clerical error.