Brief: Non-gaming hotel wants to convert to gaming

Monday, Nov. 30, 1998 | 11:29 a.m.

The Alexis Park Hotel, a non-gaming hotel on Harmon Avenue, across from the Hard Rock hotel-casino, is asking Clark County Planning Commission permission to convert its existing lobby into a 7,079-square-foot casino.

The Alexis Park is also asking for permission to expand its 500-room hotel by converting a 208-unit adjacent apartment complex into hotel rooms, and by building a 120-room addition.

"The applicant indicates that he would like to get approval of the casino use prior to the Senate Bill 208 deadline," states a planning staff report.

The bill, passed in 1997, will impose a plethora of tough new requirements on casino proposals filed after Dec. 31. Exempt will be casinos proposed for the Las Vegas or Boulder Strips or other designated resort areas. Local planning departments have been flooded with last-minute casino requests in recent months as developers rush to beat the deadline.

While it appears the Alexis Park will get its casino, it may not be so lucky with all of the requested hotel rooms. The Clark County planning staff is recommending approval of the casino and the apartment conversion, but is recommending denial of the 120-unit hotel addition.

At issue is the number of parking spaces the expanded Alexis Park would offer. The hotel wants 571 spaces, the planners say 1,045 spaces are required.

"Approval of this variance would set an undesirable precedent," states the staff report.

By denying the 120-unit addition, the planning commission will ensure enough spaces for the rest of the resort, says the staff report.