5 acres set aside for arts center in downtown Las Vegas

Judy Odierna

Thursday, May 22, 2003 | 11:04 a.m.

The Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday unanimously set aside 5 acres on the former Union Pacific Railroad yard downtown for a performing arts center.

The city entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Las Vegas Performing Arts Foundation, co-chaired by Boyd Gaming Corp. President Don Snyder and local cardiologist Dr. Keith Boman to build a 2,500-seat theater for first-run Broadway shows and a 650-seat theater for smaller performances like community theater.

Details on the cost, or whether the 5 acres would be given or sold to the group, would be discussed at a later date, City Manager Doug Selby said.

"This is a commitment by the council to negotiate a development agreement for that site," Selby said later. "Whether we will transfer the land to them, or just what the city involvement will be, will be addressed later. This is just the first step."

Mayor Oscar Goodman's vision for the 61 acres has always included a performing arts center, alongside high density residential and an academic medical center. Goodman also reiterated Wednesday an interest in bringing a major league sports team to the area along with a stadium.

His main concern Wednesday was to get the performing arts center going.

"I would hope that you will put this on the fast track," Goodman said to Snyder and Boman.

"When we enter into this agreement, there will be significant benchmarks of progress that have to be met. If you don't accomplish those objectives, then the land would go back to the city."

The foundation is nonprofit and is made up of political heavyweights including former Las Vegas Mayor Jan Jones, Nevada Ballet co-founder Nancy Houssels, MGM MIRAGE Vice President Gary Jacobs and former Sen. Richard Bryan.

The group plans to raise $50 million from private donations to cover operational costs, Snyder said.

It also plans to ask the state Legislature for the $120 million needed to build the center, raised through revenue bonds, which would come from taxes on something like hotel rooms, he said.

Snyder said the group hopes to break ground in 2005 and open by 2007.

"Nothing excites me more than to be here today to talk about a world-class performing arts center," Snyder said. "A performing arts center really does need a place and this will help to build the (area) around it, creating a synergy of what is possible for that site."

Performing arts centers traditionally have been built to spur downtown redevelopment. One of the most recent examples was the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, which opened in October 1997 on a 12-acre site.

The facility, with its 2,750-seat Great Hall and a 500-seat Victoria Theater, took a decade of planning and a $187 million capital campaign to build.

A second group, Las Vegas Performing Arts Center Inc., also is trying to build a performing arts center in Las Vegas but has maintained that such a facility would not work downtown and should be built in Summerlin.

A leader of that group, Donald Kemp, said that's still their plan, but he didn't tell the council Wednesday that downtown was the wrong the place for the center.

"I didn't think it was appropriate at that meeting to stand up and oppose the deal," Kemp said. "We do need facilities and if they are successful, then it will certainly be an addition to our town. We don't know what the realities are, and we certainly don't think we should close up shop because of this.

"Maybe we will look at those facilities they're building and make an effort not to duplicate it."