Large Strip land parcel to go on the block

Friday, May 31, 2002 | 10:51 a.m.

One of the last few large available parcels on the Las Vegas Strip may go to the highest bidder next week.

Roughly 65 acres of land on the southwest corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Warm Springs Road -- across from the Belz Factory Mall and east of Interstate 15 -- is to be auctioned by commercial broker Resort Properties of America on Monday.

Both local and out-of-town buyers have expressed "considerable" interest in the site, Resort Properties President David Atwell said.

They include three major shopping center developers, he said, declining to reveal their names.

Like the rest of the Strip, the land is zoned H-1 to accommodate hotel-casinos, timeshares and commercial retail users.

Buyer interest, neighboring tenants and past plans for the property indicate that it could just as likely become a retail complex as a casino, Atwell said. "There might be multiple uses," he added, noting that the property is larger than most of the casinos on the Strip.

Several developers of big box retailers have considered the property. More recently, plans for a 3,000-room, European-style hotel and casino on the land were derailed after Sept. 11.

Eight developments, including a golf course, all-suite hotels and timeshares, have been built in the past two years within a mile of the site.

The auction, conducted in conjunction with auctioneers Robert Deiro & Associates of Las Vegas, will be held at noon at the Las Vegas Country Club board room, 3000 Joe W. Brown Dr. Las Vegas real estate expert Richard Lee, senior vice president of First American Title Co., will speak at the event and offer a video presentation on local property trends.