Downtown mall shoppers to have more places to park

Thursday, Oct. 9, 2003 | 9:32 a.m.

Some shoppers at the new Las Vegas Premium Outlets Mall could soon be allowed to use the ample parking available at the Clark County Government Center across Grand Central Parkway.

Since the mall opened in August, the county -- concerned about liability and security issues -- has tried to chase away shoppers who have tried to park in the government lots.

The commission, however, voted to approve an agreement with New Jersey-based Chelsea Property Group that allows shoppers to use the lots on a case-by-case basis. Assistant County Manager Virginia Valentine said shoppers should not try to use the lot on a regular basis.

"Basically it allows them with prior approval of the county to use the westernmost lot, provided that the county is not using it," Valentine said. "It's primarily for times when our public customers, our employees and the community don't need to use the facility."

The use could be for special shopping events such as Thanksgiving weekend, she said.

The mall would have to pay $500 for every day of use and include a cash deposit of $2,500, from which costs for security, cleanup or maintenance would be deducted. The agreement is good for five years but could be revoked by the county at any time.

Valentine said that as development continues to progress in downtown Las Vegas, other arrangements to handle parking will probably need to be made.

"We will continue to be impacted by development," she said. "We want to be as supportive as we can for the city redevelopment effort."