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Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman recognizes local hockey player Jason Zucker today at the mayor’s weekly press conference at city hall. Zucker, who grew up in Las Vegas and attended Bonanza High School, has been a key player on the U.S. National Under-17 hockey team, and is the first Nevadan to play in the national program.
By Dave Toplikar (contact) 
Thursday, June 10, 2010 | 12:30 p.m.
Sun Coverage
- Strip sports arena has very little support (6-10-2010)
- Mayor: New sports arena should be in downtown Las Vegas (4-8-2010)
- Cowboys Stadium poses Texas-sized threat to Vegas (3-21-2010)
- Jerry Jones says Cowboys, NFL will lift boxing (3-9-2010)
- Cordish projects include sports-anchored developments (11-4-2009)
- Goodman: 20,000-seat downtown arena could lure NBA team (10-29-09)
While at least one effort to build a new sports arena on the Las Vegas Strip has stalled out, Mayor Oscar Goodman is holding out hope that a top-of-the-line sports arena can still be built downtown to lure professional hockey or basketball teams.
"Not just a box. First-class, something that could compete with anything in the world, because we're number one, " Goodman told reporters today at his weekly press conference.
Goodman plans to meet Friday in Baltimore with officials from the Cordish Companies Inc., the city's downtown developer.
Cordish, which is known for its sports developments around the country, entered in November into an exclusive two-year negotiation agreement with the city council to see if a sports arena, an entertainment district and a new hotel-casino are feasible for downtown.
Goodman says he prefers the area be built in Parcel P-Q in the northern end of Symphony Park. Another site is on 13 acres the city owns east of the existing city hall at Fourth and Stewart.
"Hopefully we'll have some kind of a definitive statement to make, if and when we're going forward on the downtown arena project," Goodman said.
The mayor said he read in this Sun this morning and had also spoken with Clark County Commission members about the status of the three other proposed arena sites.
"It looks like at least one of those projects that made a presentation to the county commission has gone by the wayside," Goodman said. "And I hear that another may be teetering. So maybe we will be last man standing and be able to sail through and have a wonderful arena in our downtown."
Goodman said his plan to travel to Baltimore to meet in person with Cordish representatives shouldn't be misinterpreted that some kind of an announcement is imminent.
"I'm having a meeting about it, face-to-face, in person. I do better in person than on the phone," Goodman said. "I like to look at somebody in the eye and find out if our discussions are getting any place or whether we're just treading water. . . I'll be able to tell you whether it's real."
Under the city's agreement with Cordish, the company is looking into building a casino/hotel on the 7.75 acres that is now the site of City Hall and the Stewart Avenue Parking Garage.
On the site just east of city hall, the company is to check into the feasibility of an arena with at least 18,000 seats and an entertainment district that would include retail shops, restaurants and bars.
The agreement calls for Cordish to determine the economic viability of an arena, including seeing if public financing is available. Cordish would look into recruiting an NBA or NHL team and an arena operator.
Cordish would also develop a strategy for getting tenants for what it calls a "Live District" and for the casino/hotel. It would set up business terms for acquiring and developing the two sites.
The company would work on a viable financing plan, using a combination of public and private funds for the Live District and hotel/casino.
Goodman said he has noticed some smaller business projects under way in the downtown.
"I think it shows the economy is coming back," he said. "... I think a lot of people are showing they want it to come back, and they're doing their fair share. We give certain incentives to make it more attractive to open up in the downtown and I think people are taking advantage of it."
He said he believed that much more activity is coming about in the downtown.
"That's one of the reasons I'm going back to speak to Cordish to make sure that everybody's on the same page as to what's happening," he said.
An arena so we could have sports teams that no one cares about. I'm sure the mayor could dig up some cash to throw down on this disaster. Like the $50million sitting in the city's account untouched. Or is that money for the Gin Museum, Oscar?
re: VegasVegas
"Worst Mayor in the country. He only appeals to the low I.Q. locals who are so ignorant they don't know any better."
And who fits your mold of a good mayor? And don't say Jan Jones, because I have plenty of things to say about her that I don't think would be appropriate for this forum, especially for the LVSun.
So who is it? Antonio Villaraigosa, Gavin Newsom, Richard Daley, or Michael Bloomberg? I'd take Oscar over any of them.
If you think the spaghetti bowl is bad now. . .
A pro sports team does nothing for your community?
What do people like you do with your time? Really - what do you do? Are you miserable people never wanting anything to help the city become actually a major league place to live?
Education System - Go talk to your buddy Jim Gibbons, he has that issue. The Mayor of Las Vegas does not manage public education.
Outdated Convention Center - Last time I looked there were 2 privately funded convention centers that were empty waiting for the LVCVA to actually sell into them. Look at the Sun this week and see all of the business that Vegas got from the Nashville flooding of Opryland. All because the hotels here in town are not full. LVCVA not exactly filling all of the nice convention space here in town.
Sports teams no one cares about? Again - who are you?
They are having a parade in Chicago celebrating their team.
Los Angeles and Boston are cities enjoying watching their teams in the NBA FInals.
Washington DC just got to see a great pitcher have one of the most memorable first time performances ever.
We need a real stadium and we need an arena. Right now, lets fund an arena that is major league level.
Jobs do get created.
Companies who actually like to have a high quality of life prefer to be in cities with professional sports as it draws better workers.
We have locals who own a pro basketball team who dont have a new arena and could move here.
Please dont come to any events when this building gets done! Go and find someplace where you can complain about this and that.
Improving Las Vegas is exactly what Oscar wants to do. Keep up the Arena development and ignore these complainers.
How successful would an arena be after Susan "acute" Angle bans beer?
Would this be an integrated facility? or would it be a Libertarian - private property rights facility?
Two problems; do not use tax dollars or tax credits to get an arena built! And like posted above; TRAFFIC! Worst place to build an arena would be "downtown". Course someday you could use the "F" street underpass....lol.
Careful, Vegasvegas;
You are insulting 83 percent of the voting population that chose Goodman in 2007...
Have another Gin Mayor, you are laying off people, cutting services, shutting down fire trucks, and you are talking about public financing for an arena
"The agreement calls for Cordish to determine the economic viability of an arena, including seeing if public financing is available. Cordish would look into recruiting an NBA or NHL team and an arena operator."
Carnac the Magnificent says "Cordish tells the Mayor, YES, it is a grand idea Mayor, have another Gin, cut more services, lay some more people off, and don't forget as part of the legacy we will call it "Goodman Arena".......
Rebuilding the downtown and bringing in new entertainment is good. The only problem with projects like this these days is they always want to hang the tax payer out to dry by making them responsible. All the buzz phrases sound good in the paper, but the truth is, if these projects fail the tax payer picks up the tab and loses all sorts of city services in the mean time. I do wonder how the mayor and council can commit to something like this that requires tax payer support and at the same time reduce service and lay people off. Something smells fishy.
Don't believe everything that the Mayor says:
His track record is not good
City Hall won't be paid for out of the general fund money
FALSE!!! It is and will be by over 11 million a year in payments and millions in interest, crazy!!!
The Mob Museum was old money FALSE!!!!
New money is spent every six months to pay back a loan on the museum.
If an arena is built it would not be built with public funds, a campaign promise of the Mayor. FALSE!!!!
Public/Private money to build a live district and a hotel, you have got to be kidding me!!!!
When does it end Mayor, please, please, go back to following the city charter and provide the general services to your citizens you are supposed to provide, period.
Time for some new leaders in our city, soon I hope, soon.
Byjustfacts;
you have a lot of people to convince...about 83 percent of those who voted in the last election. Good luck. I will vote for you in the next mayoral election.