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A rendering of the proposed stadium complex behind Mandalay Bay.
Published Friday, May 6, 2011 | 11:21 a.m.
Updated Friday, May 6, 2011 | 3:31 p.m.
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As the public arena battle has raged between Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International, Texas entrepreneur Chris Milam has quietly assembled the building blocks for his own project near the south end of the Strip.
He has signed the minor league baseball 51s to a contract, which would have them move from Cashman Field to a site just west of Interstate 15, opposite Mandalay Bay. The complex would include a ballpark, a stadium and an arena.
The so-called Las Vegas National Sports Center is designed to also house a Major League Soccer franchise and, if the stars align, an NBA team, too.
This may sound like pie in the sky — and anyone who has lived here for a while has heard this before — but Milam seems as determined and deliberative as anyone before him.
Milam announced Friday he has entered into a contract with Stevens Baseball Group LLC to purchase the Las Vegas 51s for an undisclosed price. Subject to league approval, ownership of the franchise is expected to be transferred by the end of July.
Acquiring the franchise, Milam said, is an important step in the creation of the sports center and will “allow for the expansion of professional sports into the Las Vegas market.”
The Legislature is expected to be involved soon, helping Milam pass a measure that would allow him to create a taxing district on the land, which he is negotiating to buy from banks. This could all happen as soon as next week. Considering the project’s proximity to one of its properties, I can’t imagine the MGM folks will be too upset with this one.
Don Logan, longtime general manager of the Las Vegas 51s, said Milam’s proposal “is by far the most innovative and realistic opportunity” to create a new stadium for the team.
An economic impact statement commissioned from economist John Restrepo shows some impressive numbers, including the creation of 2,710 jobs. You can hear lawmakers crowing about that number during a session in which they haven’t had much to crow about.
Could this be one step closer to a pro sports franchise? Let’s hope so.
The proposed site is currently just dirt from what I can see.
http://goo.gl/maps/pi8m
Thats too bad, I like cashman field, and the 51s may not be major league but their games are inexpensive and way fun.
It is an interesting development. Hopefully they keep public funding and special tax districts off the menu.
One concern is that area of the freeway is already very busy. On these plans if an event takes place, the turn-offs will be a backing up the freeway to Charleston.
milam again, there is more chance of me building on that site that him
That looks like the same picture from the arena that was supposed to go downtown... Same group? Sorry too lazy to look it up...
Here we go again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx9nKsHAW...
What, no parking lot?
This is the best location I have seen thus far.
Imagine that traffic on Friday or Saturday night.
No parking and WAY TO MUCH TRAFFIC. Not gonna happen.
@Jafo: If you visited any of the newer minor league parks, you would see just how antiquated and behind the times Cashman Field is. I moved here from Oklahoma City, and the new ballpark there (now about 12-13 years old) is one of the finest in the minors. Cashman isn't even close. It is long overdue for replacement.
This is great. Build it and they will come.
1. Cashman Field is antiquated and in a bad area. Most visitors to Las Vegas skip it for this reason.
2. Building a new sports complex will bring much needed construction and more jobs to the area. What's not to like?
3. Las Vegas is not only worthy of major league sports, it's amazing a town this size doesn't already have it.
4. To those who think there's no parking.. I'd just bet Mandalay Bay will let 'em park there so long as they bet after the games. Having been in Detroit this past week with Baseball, Hockey and concerts all letting out.. the MGM and other casinos were packed and they know it.
5. If you got the money, build it and they will come.
Isn't that the area they want to put the Desert Express train station?
The negativity is so pathetic, just a bunch of bored old men sitting on their couch watching the world past them by i.e. mred... trying to build a city for the future, and yes Vegas deserves a team before AL, AK,MT, ID, ND, SD, WV,RI,VT,HI,NM,WA, etc...bring a team NBA!!!
Looks like a mirage to me
Parking is a non-issue,it can be underground just like at many resorts on the strip. Traffic will suck, but I'll take jobs over no traffic every day.
Vegas does not need a pro sports team to fill an arena regularly. Between concerts, UFC, wrestling and many other events, it will get filled often! With a pro team it will be filled more often.
This is exactly what is needed to fill hotel rooms. It is common sense to have another draw for visitors. More visitors = More jobs = Better economy.
I'd love to see a sports complex built in Las Vegas, but honestly I think this location is bad. The traffic and conjestion in that area is almost unbearable as it stands now. Can you imagine what it will be like if they build that thing.
I also would like to know about parking as well. Im sure thats all figured out. Perhaps underground?
"Could this be one step closer to a pro sports franchise? Let's hope so."
Why should we hope so? Pro sports franchises enrich the already-wealthy while draining money from the public at a greater rate than the entertainment options they already enjoy. Add in the frequent misguided tax incentives given to the multi-millionaires that run these ventures, and they are almost universally a *bad* thing for the communities in which they reside. They don't bring in notable numbers of tourists, and they don't magically create jobs from nothing. The high prices at major sports venues mean that the jobs created will be more than offset by jobs lost as less money is spent on other leisure activities.
If this developer things he can build a successful venue, he ought to be welcome to try, but NOT with any preferences from taxpayers. This article could have benefited from describing exactly what a tax district is.
Exactly what is a Tax District?
My interpretation would be.
1. Money collected as a tax from with in a certain area that goes to the developer either directly or indirectly, But never goes to the community coffers, Or
2. Privatizing profits and socializing the expenses.
Can someone clear this up for me I ask because I don't know. Thanks
After looking at the drawing and googling the satellite imagery of the lot, I could see parking becoming an issue unless a Strip shuttle were to run to the complex (and even then). More likely the businesses west of the complex will be pushed out by parking vendors & sports bars/restaurants -- but that shouldn't be too bad, given all the empty buildings in this city they could move to.
A taxing district is used so that a portion of the tax collected in that district is used to pay for the project.
If they do it, then please do it correctly and DON'T cut any corners...i.e. parkng, size, price of tickets for middle class and lower income families..etc, OR is this going to be a "high roller" type of stadium?
I don't think LV will support major league sports. We barely support the 51s. But a new stadium for them is needed so let's hope that happens. Hockey might work. The Wranglers do OK, but I'm not sure that we could fill 17,000 seats every nite. Pro basketball will flop. Way too expensive to watch primadonnas play a simple game.
And we need a stadium to keep the rodeo. Otherwise Jerry Jones will steal it for Dallas. UNLV could play there once they get better. And a bigger bowl game would work too...
To be honest, those stadium designs look like bed pans/toilet seats! However, I'm sure the design will look and be state of the art as the article states.
This is a fine project if funded privately. If any tax funds are used, it's a no-go!
I am a huge baseball and prior to moving here I would take my family to see our local AAA franchise every other week. We moved to Las Vegas and within a month we were heading down to Cashman to see the 51s. It was so bad compared to what we were used to we have never been back nor do we have any intention of going back. The stadium is dated and the surrounding neighborhood sucks. The 51s are due for an upgrade. How do people expect to get a pro franschise here when they cant even get the 51s a premiere AAA stadium?
No way Vegas is ever getting an NBA team. MLS is possible, but most of the big sports franchises are scared witless of this place. They must know something that I don't, because I've never seen them so nervous about expanding anywhere. Having been to Vegas before, off the strip, I wouldn't be surprised if the reason is because the casino resort economy doesn't provide enough middle-class jobs. Las Vegas is poor. How many tourists care about going to a pro sports game while they are there?
More construction jobs, as well as more employment once the complex is open, are both welcome with open arms.
LV, Clark County and the State should be doing EVERYTHING possible to make something like this happen. Too many people think "local." This is GLOBAL if teams are tied into world wide known sports leagues and brings TONS of additional attention in a very competitive world.
They should include a pedestrian bridge from Mandalay Bay over the freeway to the facility.
I wonder if Milam is buying the team without condition, or if it is based on getting approval of some parts of the stadium deal?
This thing has no chance and it is becoming a detriment to the valley for all these crackpot schemes to be floating around. The best location is downtown and the best arena design is the Roski/UNLV proposal. There has to be a way to match these up, although UNLV will have to drop out, and probably should.
A major league sports team might be welfare for billionaires, but American society is sports crazed, especially at the hyper-competitive leadership level (both private and public sectors). When a city makes the ivestment in themselves, they are seen as major league and become more attractive to people in charge of companies and government agencies. Just look at Oklahoma City, we have invested heavily in ourselves (that means tax dollars to fix up the town), built an arena and grabbed the opportunity when Katrina made us a temporary home for the NBA Hornets. The name of our city gets repeated constantly 10 months out of the year, making impressions in the minds of so many people across the country. That type of investment is what will help transform Las Vegas from Sin CIty to Big League City.
JLOKC, give me a BREAK.
A freaking team is not going to elevate Oklahoma City to New York level status!
Get some light rail and mass transit, if you don't already have it. That helps a hick town become a real city a lot more.
To bad this Texas entrepreneur's last project, the Las Vegas Tower monster at a 142 floors on Wet and Wild land defaulted on a first 40 million dollar payment and that doesn't include his plans for a second behemoth on that sight. Maybe this stadium group will fly for him.
i believe we have the fan base fo an arena,you need to think of the home team fans and all the home team fans of all the teams that come to play our team because las vegas is in fact the place everyone wants to visit so this will be one more reason to visit.