Goodman says arena deal could come next week

Diana Sahagun

Friday, Nov. 9, 2001 | 9:22 a.m.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman as soon as early as next week expects that the city will complete a deal with a developer to build a 9,500-seat downtown arena, providing a venue for events such as minor-league hockey and the Harlem Globetrotters.

Goodman and Co. are negotiating with San Diego developer Bill Lightbody and Idaho developer Larry Leasure, who want to build an arena on 2.5 acres at the corner of Main Street and Stewart Avenue. The property, owned by Boyd Gaming Corp., is near the downtown post office and is used as an overflow parking lot for the Main Street Station.

Leasure is affiliated with the National Hockey League, and Lightbody has ties to the Harlem Globetrotters. Goodman said he has also had discussions with the Community College of Southern Nevada, which could use the arena as a home court for its new men's basketball team.

To facilitate the selection process, Goodman formed a nonprofit company on Sept. 21 -- Las Vegas Events Center, Inc. -- with Mark Paris, president of the Fremont Street Experience, and Don Snyder, president of Boyd Gaming Corp.

The trio on Wednesday reviewed both proposals and will decide as early as next week, Goodman said Thursday.

"We will have an arena by the end of my term," Goodman said.

Goodman said Boyd Gaming would turn over the parcel to the nonprofit corporation in exchange for being forgiven from a city requirement to build a parking garage on a different parcel.

Rob Stillwell, a spokesman for Boyd Gaming, said when the company acquired Main Street Station in 1993, it was required by the city to build a 900-space parking garage between the Union Plaza and the casino by Dec. 2002.

At the time, there was a shortage of parking space downtown, Stillwell said, though parking garages have been built for the Fremont Street Experience, Neonopolis and the city.

"Our intention is bigger than trying to avoid building a parking garage," Stillwell said. "Our intention is to promote downtown, and an addition of an entertainment venue would be something that would not only benefit us, but all of downtown."

While the 2.5-acre downtown parcel may not leave much room for parking, Goodman said a similar arena in Boise, Idaho -- built by Leasure -- includes a novel approach. In Boise, patrons park blocks away and walk to the events, many of them stopping to shop as they go to and from their cars. A similar setup would work perfectly for downtown, Goodman said.