Hotel threatens to derail monorail

Diana Sahagun

Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2001 | 11:05 a.m.

Stratosphere executives pushing for approval of a giant thrill ride could sideline a downtown monorail plan that has been the focus of efforts by city and state officials for years.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., have been working for more than two years to secure federal funding for the two-mile downtown monorail, which would connect with the Sahara Hotel and stop along key casino properties, including the Stratosphere. The downtown leg would be linked to the privately funded $650 million monorail system that would extend four miles from the MGM Grand to the Sahara.

Stratosphere executives, though, are threatening to pull back their support -- and their financing -- for the downtown leg of the monorail if the company is not given approval by the City Council Nov. 7 to build a 700-foot thrill ride.

At 6 tonight at Fremont Middle School, 1100 E. St. Louis Avenue, executives will hold a meeting with neighbors and city officials to discuss concerns about the proposed thrill ride.

Richard Brown, the chief operating officer for the Stratosphere, said he has grown frustrated with what he calls a lack of leadership from the mayor and Councilman Gary Reese to help the company reach a compromise with nearby residents.

In the past week, Brown has warned of the repercussions if the ride is not approved. City officials are taking his statements seriously, especially if they affect redevelopment efforts.

If the giant thrill ride -- expected to draw 3.4 million tourists to the property per year -- is not approved, there would be no need for a monorail station at his property, Brown said. Without the station, he said, the Stratosphere would not chip in for the monorail's cost.

That price, however, is nothing compared with what the city would lose in new taxes from the ride, he said.

Goodman said this morning that the Stratosphere's statements are premature because the vote has not yet been taken. Determined not to create a panic situation before it's warranted, Goodman said he would have an open mind when the item comes before the council and would vote in the best interest of the entire community.

The downtown leg of the monorail currently is slated to run from behind the Sahara hotel-casino on Paradise Road and cut across several businesses before resting at the Stratosphere. From there, it would continue along Main Street.

Brown warns that the nearby residents who have been fighting the ride would endure the monorail running through their neighborhoods along Paradise Road if the station is relocated.

"Why would I spend any more money on a monorail project when the city shows us they can't even get a ride approved?" Brown said.

He added that the casino could resurrect plans for a gorilla-themed ride if the thrill ride is not approved.

The Las Vegas City Council approved the ride in 1996, when Reese, Larry Brown, and Michael McDonald were on the board, and there is no time limit for its development, a spokeswoman for the city's Planning Department said.

Reese said he didn't remember much from the approval in 1996, but said Monday, "It was the ugliest thing I have ever seen in my life, and it still is."

Reese, who represents the area, said the Stratosphere is using threats to apply pressure, but said he doesn't respond well to threats. Reese said he would side with residents on this issue and would not let Brown's statements affect his vote.

"The monorail is going to go forward, whether they want it in front of their store or not," he said. Diana Sahagun

can be reached at (702) 259-2320 or by e-mail at diana@lasvegassun.com