Goodman negotiates with Idaho developer for arena

Diana Sahagun

Friday, July 20, 2001 | 11:35 a.m.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is pushing hard for a downtown arena he hopes will attract thousands of tourists who will stop at nearby shops and casinos on their way to a concert or hockey game.

Goodman said Thursday the city is negotiating with a developer from Boise, Idaho, Larry Leasure, to build an arena that would seat 7,000 to 10,000 people. The arena would be the site for hockey games, concerts and other special events.

Leasure helped build a similar sized arena in downtown Boise that would be the model for the Las Vegas project.

Leasure has experience building retail shopping centers, office centers, hotels and other projects across the northwest.

Leasure is negotiating with Boyd Gaming Corp., which owns 2.5 acres at the corner of Main Street and Stewart Avenue, for the arena. That property, next to the downtown post office, is currently a parking lot for the Main Street Station.

While the two acres many not leave much room for parking if an arena is built, Goodman said the Boise arena has found success despite a lack of nearby parking. Patrons park blocks away and walk to the events, many of them stopping to shop as they go to and from their cars.

In downtown Las Vegas, redevelopment projects have been popping up in the last several years, but critics say there often isn't enough foot traffic to encourage tourists to venture outside of the casinos.

Goodman said he hopes people walking through downtown to get to the arena will stop at Neonopolis, a shopping complex that includes movie theatres, visit the Fremont Street Experience, with its laser light shows, and spend money at other redevelopment projects.

City officials said an arena could help create a sense of community, where people can play and live.

While Goodman has parleyed plans for Southwest Sports Group to build a 12,000-seat stadium on 61 acres downtown, the mayor said the projects are "two different ballgames."

Goodman has told the Southwest Sports developers that he will not approve a stadium on the 61 acres near the Clark County Government Center because it would likely have to be paid for with public funds.

Goodman said the downtown arena would be built without taxpayers' expense and the naming rights will draw millions of dollars to the city. He expects to make an announcement on the project within the next 60 days.

Goodman flew with City Manager Virginia Valentine, Fremont Street Experience President Mark Paris, and others earlier this year to tour Leasure's arena in Boise.

Paris said he was skeptical before making his first trip to the Boise stadium because of its size, but left impressed with the way the facility was built and operated.

Paris said the arena is an "intimate, community-oriented facility" where families and friends can meet and socialize. Paris said he sees the potential for Las Vegas, like other downtowns, to become a place where tourists can eat at a restaurant, shop, watch a game, and then gamble at the nearby casinos.

"I was very impressed with what it had done to the community," he said. "It helped bring in new businesses, new landscaping, and more tourism."

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