Project gets first official tenant

Diana Sahagun

Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2001 | 11:08 a.m.

The much-delayed downtown Neonopolis entertainment project has its first official tenant and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, a frequent critic of the project, can't wait until the 2,000-square foot Mexican restaurant opens.

"I'm looking forward to having Beefeater (gin) margaritas," Goodman said Monday after hearing the news that La Salsa had signed a lease to open inside Neonopolis.

Tourists are more apt to find La Salsa's famous strawberry margaritas "by the yard" at its locations inside the Boulevard Mall, the Forum Shops at Caesars and the Luxor.

Representatives from World Entertainment Centers, the company building Neonopolis at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street, are scheduled to appear Aug. 23 before the Planning Commission. They will request a special-use permit for the proposed 2,162-square-foot La Salsa, which is part of a national chain.

La Salsa is the first official tenant seeking the necessary paperwork to open inside the more than 200,000-square-foot Neonopolis, which is scheduled to open in March 2002.

World Entertainment Center suffered several setbacks to the project, including the announcement in November that it had lost its anchor tenant, Mann Theatres.

But the company announced in May that Connecticut-based Crown Theatres had penned a letter of intent to head the $99 million project that would include 11 movie theatres with 3,000 seats. At least 30 shops and restaurants are expected to fill Neonopolis, but so far only Crown Theatres and La Salsa have been announced. Chardell Steves, a leasing agent for Neonopolis, could not be reached for comment.

Neonopolis was seen as the first new project in years that would help redevelop downtown, but several other projects have been announced recently that could rival the entertainment project.

Chelsea Property Group announced plans last month for a high-end retail mall that will be built on 39 acres at the corner of Grand Central Parkway and Bonneville Avenue. The project is expected to open by Thanksgiving 2002.

Fremont Street Experience President Mark Paris said Neonopolis will be an important asset to downtown, offering shopping and restaurants reminiscent of the 1950s. "We think it's very exciting and very promising to have movie theaters and retail, shopping and restaurants downtown," Paris said. "It will help the Fremont Street Experience and I think it will also help be a catalyst for development in areas nearby."