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By Paul Takahashi (contact) 
Friday, Feb. 15, 2013 | 2 a.m.
Don Snyder is putting his head down and moving forward despite news this week that could cripple the UNLV Now stadium project he is trying to shepherd into reality. MGM Resorts International, the first hotel-casino backer of UNLV Now, said it "cannot support the current UNLV Now concept," arguing its price tag of $800 million to $900 million was too prohibitive. The statement raised doubts about MGM's $20 million pledge for the "mega-events center." In addition, the Nevada Resort Association and Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority tempered their endorsement of the 60,000-seat stadium. The LVCVA, from which stadium officials ...
UNLV
4505 Maryland Parkway Las Vegas,
NV 89154
MGM cannot support the "current" concept, just because of the price tag? Maybe they should re-do the whole thing with a reduced capacity of 50.000 and a not-so-fancy video cube in the center. That would certainly reduce the size of the whole building and make it symmetrical. Fact is, that there are no ohter serious stadium proposals for LV, and if this one isn't built, none will be. I am very curious about the fact, why only one proposed design exists. It should be at least 3 or 4, with a public discussion about which would suit best. If the stadium makers want more public support, then they should INCLUDE the public in the process of decision making!
Money? You know, the Smith Center..500 million dollars later? The stadium seems to be a bargain..oh, but wait, the opening price is never the ending price tag..just ask the Smith Center. What ever happened to being real. We do need the massive stadium to compete...but where and how much and who has the most influence. Still in the wings, waiting to see...
Does this public/private partnership include public/private profit sharing, or do the taxpayers just wait around for the indirect benefits? The short-term benefits of construction are a big selling point: If the Chamber manages to drive down prevailing wage, as it intends, how will the economic impact numbers be affected? What would a service tax and reduction in sales tax do in this district? When will this tax district expire? My money says never.
Nevada is desperately in need of additional revenue. Whether it is a margins tax or a service tax, it is hard to support any increase in taxes when the city and state compel new and diverted taxpayer revenue to be invested in tourist venues or private ventures. Taxpayers should not be supporting entertainment, tourism, and retail. They can scarcely afford education, safety and basic services.
For all the libertarian, free-market rhetoric emanating from this state, our fiscal and tax policy increasingly force taxpayers to subsidize every industry. It's one dollar for the taxpayers and three for the developers... I don't like the way public private partnerships are paying the public.
The lack of support from MGM shouldn't be a problem. $20m is only 2.5% of the proposed $800m project.
The real problem is costs are rising as we go along and the revenue projections are coming up short. That suggests there is going to be a huge hole in the financing and the logistical costs of traffic management haven't even begun.
I think the whole project needs to be realistically evaluated. It is a great project, but the costs have been drastically underestimated and the revenue overestimated.
All along I feel we have ignored Sam Boyd stadium and developing that area in to a campus. UNLV doesn't need to be located so close to the Strip, in fact there are considerable benefits if the campus was moved.
where is steve wynn and sheldon adelson????? wynn seemed to have no trouble putting 125 million into the macau university fund???? what is wrong with the place that made you all your money and got you going mr wynn???? amazing how these hypocrites who made a fortune here in nevada now seem to only give money to their own church or the communist.
MGM does not want to lose more events to a bigger more flashy Arena that has state of the art luxury suites. Pretty simple. Instead of updating their basic Arena, just shoot down the competition. MGM does not want to lose a big UFC card to a building down the road, they want to force it into the MGM Grand and it's narrow hallways and poor concession stand food.
The comments from Snyder about the types and volume of events that this new building would be able to host are very out of touch. Pro sports, unless it is an NBA, NHL or Soccer exhibition, are out of the question. Many of the other events require people outside of UNLV to bring the event to the city. Synder is the same person not too long ago was pushing everyone in Vegas to support a high speed train from Southern California that only went to Victorville - a plan that anyone who understands Southern California geography knows does not get the job done.
The Speedway was the one when no one from LA or UNLV wanted to touch Electric Daisy who stepped up. Does anyone want to go indoors to watch this spectacle over the vast space of the speedway? Also, where does UNLV expect people to park? Does UNLV also believe that the hotels with Convention Space or the new fast tracked renovated Las Vegas Convention Center are going to support a UNLV Stadium that is trying to book conventions or meetings away from them. NO
A new building is needed for UNLV Football. Yet the team has a Coach that has not won and they can not pay off his contract to get a Coach who could win. There is a need, but there are alot of holes. Can anyone who does not have an agenda please stand up?
I can't imagine how bad the traffic getting to and away from an on-campus stadium would be on game day. A departing basketball crowd from the Thomas & Mack already has a difficult time getting through the tunnel and out to the 215, or really away from the arena in any direction. The businesses and residents surrounding the campus on every side would be paralyzed by each event that draws attendance potentially three times the size of the present crowds.
You notice that a traffic study has not been produced that even preliminarily suggests this concept is feasible in any way shape or form. The developer would say the traffic study should come later in the approval process, hoping that otherwise positive momentum would overcome for decision makers the sure "Level Of Service F" that dooms projects in every other State and jurisdiction besides Clark County, NV.
This project will never happen.
As a Nevada resident, I personally see this as a "must have" project for UNLV and Las Vegas. Not only do I think the revenue potential for the city, county, and state is enormous, but I think the potential impact on education quality in Nevada is significant.
If the UNLV Now project will reform the image of campus, include more on-campus housing and retail, and promote more of a "traditional campus" environment, I think UNLV could quickly compete for many of the higher-quality out-of-state students who are unwilling to consider UNLV because they are searching for a "traditional" on-campus environment - particularly as freshman.
I love the idea of an on-campus stadium, but I love the idea of creating a campus environment that will compete with other southwestern universities.