Call for more downtown bars, clubs creates a buzz

Diana Sahagun

Thursday, Feb. 28, 2002 | 11:08 a.m.

Las Vegas officials want to revitalize a rundown downtown neighborhood east of the Fremont Street Experience by bringing more taverns and nightclubs into the area.

Following the lead of cities such as West Palm Beach, Fla., and San Diego, which have hip "entertainment districts," Las Vegas officials hope to transform a dilapidated six blocks into a center with bars, restaurants and nightclubs that will attract more people downtown.

"I've been talking about the need for this whole sense of community downtown," Mayor Oscar Goodman said. "With one bar after another (and) nightclubs, the whole object is to create a place where people can walk and frequent these establishments."

Las Vegas is trying to build on the attraction of the Fremont Street Experience and the adjacent Neonopolis, an entertainment project scheduled to open in May. The area just east of those two venues is bound by Las Vegas Boulevard, Ogden Avenue, Eighth Street and Carson Avenue.

To create the area, the city is considering eliminating the zoning code that requires as separation of 1,500 feet between taverns.

The historic El Cortez is the lone holder of a liquor license in the area east of the Fremont Street Experience, city planners said.

Mark Paris, Fremont Street Experience president, said the six-block area isn't ready for a cluster of taverns and clubs because several projects -- such as Neonopolis and the mayor's ambitious redevelopment plan -- are pending. And he said the area still faces issues such as crime and homelessness.

"I don't think it's a good idea until you have a significant amount of redevelopment moving forward," Paris said. "There are too many opportunities for people (who) will take advantage of an inexpensive way to sell liquor to the element that the city is trying to remove."

Las Vegas Business Development Director Lesa Coder, who has been working on the proposal, said the city could create other incentives for business owners, including reduced licensing fees and relaxed parking requirements.

The City Council is expected to discuss the issue Wednesday.

"I love it," Councilman Lawrence Weekly, who represents the area, said. "Las Vegas is a place for it because we have that market for locals (who) are looking for something like that. The Strip is cool, but there are times we don't want to get caught up with all the tourists."

Margo Wheeler, city planning manager, said the 1,500-foot restriction is a standard code to keep bars spread out in a community. But city officials said it doesn't necessarily work for downtown, where the concentration of taverns can add to the excitement. Schools aren't located in the proposed district, and the one church is in the process of moving, Coder said.

City officials are hoping such an area would enhance ongoing redevelopment efforts east of Fremont Street, the site of small hotels and gift shops.

"When you cluster these uses together, you get a higher level of security, cleanliness and a more cohesive area that allows the general public to go place to place in close proximity so they get variety," Coder said.

Businesses could be asked to form an association that would work to keep the area clean and secure, as is the case with the Fremont Street Experience, she said.

Cities nationwide have injected new life into downtowns by creating walkable districts that include retail shops, restaurants and trendy nightclubs. In San Diego, for example, the "Gaslamp District," with its sidewalk cafes, shopping and dance clubs encompassing 21 blocks, attract thousands each year.

The Las Vegas district would be modeled after West Palm Beach's 60-acre downtown area called "City Place," Coder said.

Goodman said new restaurants and taverns are critical to the success of a proposed 7,500-seat arena at the corner of Main Street and Stewart Avenue planned by Idaho developer Larry Leasure.

What makes the Boise, Idaho, arena, which is serving as a prototype for the Las Vegas arena, successful is that tourists spend time walking among restaurants and bars on their way to the game, Goodman said.

The local district would be adjacent to Neonopolis, the $99 million, 240,000-square-foot project that will include theaters and retail stores. It is slated to open in May at the corner of Fremont Street and Las Vegas Boulevard.

But Paris said the city shouldn't approach the topic of a new entertainment area until it has a significant plan, quality businesses committed to opening there and a real handle on the social problems downtown. He said the plan could backfire because the streets are not yet attractive to tourists.

"It's down the road a long way," he said. "I wouldn't want to do that today or tomorrow because all it will do is exacerbate the problem."

Coder said she plans to meet with property owners to seek their input after she gets the City Council's go-ahead. Ultimately, the city would have to draft an ordinance creating the district and forward it to the Planning Commission and council.

Weekly said the area has problems because it has long been ignored. Infusing new energy into the district will rid the area of its criminal element, which has been permitted to linger.

"(The area) has problems because when you leave a building or leave something to deteriorate, and you don't go in and treat it, that's what you attract," he said.

"If some life is breathed into that area and we put some vibrant things down there, of course it would be something new, and people would patronize it."