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Three-facility downtown stadium proposal would compete with UNLV dome
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Special To The Las Vegas Review-Journal
Shown is an artist's rendering of the $1.58 billion sports stadium project that would include separate facilities for football, baseball and basketball. International Development Management said its proposal for Symphony Park near downtown would not require public financing.
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An overhead view of the $1.58 billion, three-stadium project being proposed by International Development Management that would be built in Symphony Park. Special To The Las Vegas Review-Journal
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Updated: Feb. 9, 2011 | 8:51 a.m.
The dazzling Feb. 1 presentation by a development group promising to not only build a 40,000-seat domed stadium at UNLV but remake its campus appears to have hit its first significant hurdle.
A separate group, International Development Management LLC, that hopes to construct a three-venue sports complex downtown is lobbying the Board of Regents to vote against approving an exclusivity negotiating agreement for the UNLV venture.
The regents have called a special meeting for Friday to discuss whether to enter into such an agreement with a group led by Southern California billionaire builder Ed Roski and Silverton Casino president Craig Cavileer.
On the face, it appears the two projects have little in common, but the first to build a stadium in the valley probably ends the chances of a second being constructed in the near future.
IDM also hopes to attract UNLV's basketball, football, baseball and soccer teams as tenants for $1 per year plus event expenses. The group plans to construct a 50,000-seat stadium, a 17,500-seat arena and a 9,000-seat ballpark that also could house the Triple-A 51s.
51s executive director Don Logan said previous stadium proposals that fizzled have taught him to temper his enthusiasm before true progress is made.
"You just want to get to the whole root of it," Logan said. "I think everybody (with the 51s) is aware of the talk, but at this point, it's just talk."
IDM says its $1.58 billion project could be ready to begin construction by October and open two years later. Spokeswoman Lee Haney said this project has been in the works for two years and has quietly lined up financing. An IDM document states no tax money is needed.
"We need the regents to be aware we're moving forward and our project is viable," Haney said. "We don't want them to tie their hands and have a situation where they couldn't work with us."
The project, called the Las Vegas National Sports Center, would be on a 70-acre parcel in Symphony Park. City of Las Vegas spokesman Jace Radke noted the city can only discuss an arena project in that location with the Cordish Cos., a Baltimore-based developer that the city has been negotiating with for years.
Radke said the city has not been in talks with IDM CEO Chris Milam "because we have an (exclusive negotiating agreement) with Cordish. We're bound from talking to anybody else."
Haney said IDM is "working in conjunction with Cordish" because they have similar interests. She said IDM is interested in the sports complex and Cordish in the retail side.
"They are having discussions with Cordish," Radke said. "That's our understanding."
IDM clearly is a competitor of the UNLV Now project presented by Roski and Cavileer that not only would build a stadium on campus but create student housing, hotels and parking garages that would almost completely change the face of the university.
Haney pointed out that by the competing group's own admission, it was light on specifics and not far along.
The IDM document also is critical of placing a stadium so close to the airport and of the disruption that would be caused by changes to Swenson Street. IDM also stated Roski and Cavileer's group seeks $100 million from UNLV alumni to get started.
Attempts to reach Cavileer for comment were unsuccessful.
Regent Mark Alden said "unless something changes," he won't vote to give UNLV Now exclusive negotiating rights.
"Anybody who reads the material and does a full analysis would vote no," Alden said. "If they wouldn't, they're not very bright."
Regents chairman James Dean Leavitt said he planned to enter the meeting with an open mind.
"Absolutely, and I always encourage other members to do the same," Leavitt said.
UNLV athletic director Jim Livengood said he was aware of the downtown proposal, but didn't have enough information to comment on it. University president Neal Smatresk did not respond to a text message for comment.
There probably would be concern on the part of UNLV officials about moving four of its sports downtown, but Haney said playing in what would be professional facilities would help recruiting.
She said IDM has talked to different pro leagues about bringing a team to one of the potential new venues. Haney said, however, no agreement is in place and that, contrary to reports, there never was one with an NBA team.
Review-Journal reporter Alan Choate contributed to this report. Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914.
SILVER STATE ARENA
Capacity: 17,500 (basketball)
PREMIUM SEATING
Six court-level bunker suites; 20 people per suite
56 suites
Thirty-six 16-person suites. Twenty 12-person suites
20 loges
Four people per loge
Two lower bowl clubs
2,450 lower bowl club seats
SILVER STATE BALLPARK
PHASE I
Capacity: 9,000 (AAA)
PREMIUM SEATING
30 suites. Fifteen 16-person suites. Fifteen12-person suites
One lower bowl club
750 seats
PHASE II
36,000 seats (MLB), 60 suites
ROOF
Partially enclosed. Tensile roof structure
SILVER STATE STADIUM
PHASE I
Capacity: 50,000 (college football, soccer)
PREMIUM SEATING
25 suites. Fifteen 16-person suites. Ten 12-person suites
Two lower bowl clubs
3,500 total seats
PHASE II
75,000 seats (NFL), 300 suites
ROOF
Partially enclosed. Tensile roof structure
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I believe the *only* pro sports stadium ever to be built with (something like) private funds was Joe Robbie Stadium.
Why don't you sports fanatics search NYT to read how financing for Yankee/CitiSHEA stadia was greased. Absolutely appalling (though not surprising). As if our crooked policians can be trusted to do things differently.
After reading the article and the comments. I am rather disturbed at the lack of consensus about this. After all, one would never really know if a major team would work in Vegas until it happens.
Think of the Dodgers moving to L.A. in 1957 and then the Lakers doing the same just a couple of years later.... if those shortsighted naysayers had their way back then, neither team would be as prominent today in their respective sports..... and with a heavily rumored NFL stadium being built next to the Staples Center in downtown L.A., I would strongly suggest to those in Vegas to keep your eyes open if not already inebriated.
With all that said. I love to see UNLV have its innovative new stadium on campus, it looks very promising. And this proposal in downtown is a bit overkill. Just start with a top-notch arena just for the NHL/NBA and then a postmodern version of Chase Field that would host an eventual MLB team plus occasional high profile football game(s). If Vegas misses the boat on this one, it will never be a relevant major city, just Reno three times over that has to rely on the LVCVA for its initiatives and regard UNLV as their one and only.
@CJJame- "Its a win for the taxpayers because private money is paying for it..."
Not so fast there, cheerleader. Roski and Cavileer offered little in financial details and proposed a special tax district to help pay for their proposal. A TAX district! Money confiscated from the public by government is NOT "private" money.
If the UNLV One discusssions have been ongoing for a year (they haven't), it's rather disturbing how little detail was offered. At this point the only difference between the two plans, in terms of reality, is the location.
The problem with all of these proposals except the UNLV Now one is that they are all dependant on getting a pro team. So, after the stadium is built, if a pro team does not come, the whole project fails and the taxpayers are on the hook.
The UNLV Now project is different. The UNLV Now Stadium is for UNLV Sports, NFR, some CES, and could handle a pro team IF they wanted to come here, but its designed to survive without one. Its a win for the taxpayers because private money is paying for it and the Sam Boyd Stadium would be demolished so the land could be sold to private companies for development. Most importantly, UNLV Now is guaranteed not to become a Fountainbleu because its part of the campus. The exclusivity contract for UNLV Now will be discussed Friday and these guys appear only four days before? At least the UNLV Now discussions have been taking place for at least a year.
Regent Alden needs to take another look and think like the accountant he supposedly is.
Here we go again. The state is billions of dollars in the red, and now the brains of this community want to take a chance on sports stadia that might go belly up and leave state taxpayers holding the empty cash bag. Do we really need this if it costs any one of us a single 1 copper penny? No. Let them build, but let them pay for it totally themselves. No guarantees, no backup from the taxpayers , no second guesses, second mortgages, no more open-ended bonds…If they want to build they must provide all of the cash. Let them sell their own bonds but with nothing from this state. Suckers and the super jock program supporters that want a stadium or a 3 stadia mega-complex can invest in bonds from the builder. We need a first class education system from K through college not a first class sports center. %. Oscar Goodman is a nice guy and a retired millionaire lawyer who is drooling at the thought that maybe, just maybe he could get his name on the sports mega-complex in downtown LV. Let him invest some of his millions if he wants it that bad…Oscar, lead by example. Show us you believe it will be such a success that you will invest about 10 million of your own cash in this project…then, and only then, will I believe it might be less of a risk to my tax dollars than now. I approved this message and I am not running for office.
That meeting was Feb 1st? Dang it I missed it. I had my plan for a stadium I wanted to present too. I got a little behind because I ran out of Legos and I had to go get more to finish my stadium model. I will build it for $1.57 billion, and charge UNLV $1 a rent a year too. All privately financed by me, I promise!!
The rail lines are still here and not used for local transportation. Parking areas, then load up; to the stadium area and continue on to Coyote Springs where a 150,000 people community is being built. There could be a turn around to bring those people here that work here and keep from clogging the freeway. Rail would be used 7 days a week and specials for the stadium. Might even pay for itself. Just something to toss around and another area to pull people from, including Mesquite.
Same developer. Whole bunch of stuff on this co. What will happen on a renege? We (taxpayers) will pay... Apr 3, 2007 ... The 1888 foot 'Las Vegas Tower' project, proposed for construction on the former 'Wet N' Wild' site near the Sahara may be dead. The developer, Christopher Milam, missed a $40 million payment to the landowner, Archon Corp., this past weekend. For a developer working on a $4.8 billion project to miss isn't a good sign for the project....He has projects all over the world and we would need an agreement to hire local workers to protect us. He might bring in workers from other countries. Just a thought.
"Independent, I seem to recall the Jazz playing in Las Vegas about twenty years ago,"
20 years ago? Are you serious? A team temporarily playing here 20 years ago has absolutely nothing to do with the sustainability of our own team now. Try again.
Tigerm, you make a good argument, but if they really do have the financing, why not? And as for the monorail, it would help if it actually took you where you want to go. If it did, I don't see why it wouldn't work. It doesn't connect anywhere and we are shocked that it's not profitable? Connect it to the airport, UNLV and downtown, and it might actually turn a profit.
Las vegas is missing the big picture. We don't need a pro team. We should use everyone else's. Build the Stadium complex, establish deals with all of the major sports leagues to host games in Vegas on a regular basis. Arrange for the casinos to block betting on games played in Vegas. The loss of wagers for one or two games a week will be vastly offset by the income from rooms, food and beverage, and general gambling. It would also open the chance to host other sporting event like the Superbowl, Pro bowl, BCS and the like. How soon would the venues pay for themselves if ther operate every weekend, not just when there is a home game. Not to mention the jobs directly and indirectly related to these events.