$8 million approved for outdoor plaza in Henderson

By Liz Benston (contact)

Wednesday, July 14, 2004 | 9:34 a.m.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's board of directors Tuesday unanimously approved an $8 million grant to Henderson to develop an outdoor plaza adjacent to City Hall and the Henderson Convention Center.

The grant -- the same amount as the Las Vegas received in 1993 to build the Fremont Street Experience light show and mall -- includes distributions of $1 million each year to the city starting next month. It marks Henderson's first capital improvement grant from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority since 1980, when it received $1 million to construct its convention center.

Henderson is expected to spend another $8 million on design, construction, utilities, street improvements and debt service related to the plaza.

In a presentation to the board, Henderson City Manager Phil Speight said the plaza would help the entire Las Vegas Valley by allowing the city to hold new and expanded special events luring more out-of-town visitors. Tourists would generate more room tax revenue for Las Vegas, as well as gambling revenue for the state, he said.

With the expansion of high-end hotel rooms and casino space at Green Valley Ranch Station and Lake Las Vegas casinos in Henderson, the city has hotel inventory and room taxes that now rival other tourist destinations in Southern Nevada, Speight said.

Henderson is expected to generate more room taxes than Laughlin next year, while Henderson's hotel room inventory will surpass Mesquite next year, he said.

Average room rates in Henderson have grown to about three times the average rates in Laughlin and Mesquite, while the number of rooms in Henderson will nearly double from 2000 through 2005 as Laughlin and Mesquite remain flat, Speight said.

Last year city-sponsored special events and tournaments in Henderson drew 31,688 out-of-town visitors and generated $38.2 million in economic spending, including gambling worth $7.4 million, according to data collected by the city.

The board, which is chaired by Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson, was scheduled to vote on the grant in February but the city delayed the vote so officials could have more time to meet with board members to discuss the plaza.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which is funded through hotel room taxes, has doled out millions of dollars in capital improvement grants over the years, including $2.5 million for a recreational facility in Mesquite and another $7 million for upgrades to the Fremont Street Experience.

Speight said Henderson generated about $2.5 million in room tax revenue in 2003 but received only about $1.8 million that year from the LVCVA -- the city's share of a percentage of room taxes redistributed to cities that charge room taxes.com