Resorts try to bridge the gap

Adrienne Packer

Thursday, May 20, 1999 | 11:34 a.m.

Lawyers representing two of the largest Las Vegas Strip resorts said Wednesday that they were nearing a compromise with the owner of a small restaurant who believes a mid-block pedestrian bridge would hurt his business.

The Clark County Commission, acting as the zoning board, granted Mirage Resorts Inc. and the Venetian hotel-casino a two-week delay to allow representatives to work out a deal with the Venetian's next-door neighbor, the Rosewood Grille.

The proposed compromise, which neither Venetian attorney Paul Larson nor Rosewood Grille owner Alan LeWinter were willing to discuss, was pitched minutes before Wednesday's late-starting meeting.

"The proposal came from Rosewood to try and work this out," Larson said. "They made a suggestion to the county and the county communicated it to us."

LeWinter appealed the Clark County Planning Commission's January decision to allow a footbridge to link the Mirage and Treasure Island to the Venetian. While footbridges are typically built at major intersections, the resorts proposed building theirs 900 feet south of the Spring Mountain Road-Las Vegas Boulevard intersection.

The county's planning staff recommended against it because it feared the bridge would set a precedent for other mid-block overcrossings. LeWinter, however, objected for different reasons.

He said an escalator on the eastern side of the Strip was designed to scoop people off the sidewalk and into the Venetian before guiding them over the pedestrian bridge and to the Mirage casinos.

The Rosewood Grille has been in business since 1961 and much of its success is due to the fact tourists walk past the restaurant when they stroll along Las Vegas Boulevard. LeWinter said the escalator would prevent pedestrians from passing by.

He said Wednesday that Rosewood Grille's proposal would "minimize the diversion that's happening as a result of the bridge," but wouldn't offer further details.

"It was something that was discussed in the last moments and we'll have to see where it goes," LeWinter said. "It's such a sensitive area, I don't want to comment on it too much."

Attorneys for the Venetian and Mirage appeared before the commission to seek permission for variances that would allow the bridge. The hotel-casinos are responsible for proving they have a legal hardship to receive the variance.

Their response was that the touch-down point for a bridge at the intersection would interfere with Treasure Island's popular pirate battle.