Arena Plans at a Standstill
Posted on Friday, May 9th, 2008 at 5:11 pm | Leave a Comment
By: Las Vegas Now Staff
By: Las Vegas Now Staff
The softening economy is hurting major construction projects. Mayor Oscar Goodman is admitting the plan for a downtown Las Vegas arena has basically ground to a halt.
The hope is a state of the art arena will help to attract a major pro sports franchise to town, but developer REI Neon has struggled to secure financing for a facility estimated to cost as much as $400 million.
“My dream, I think, was in jeopardy the moment they proposed the idea. There are no sure things. I really do feel that we are getting to the point that somebody has to put a shovel in the ground if we are going to get an NBA team,” said Goodman.
The mayor says he's still working the phones to try to salvage the plan to bring an NBA franchise to Las Vegas.
There has been a lot of talk of bringing an NBA team to Las Vegas. I, personally am not a big fan of basketball. (The All-Star game was a fiasco.) I understand there may be a second NASCAR race during The Chase, and I think that is terrific. But I wonder how many Las Vegan’s (not tourists) would prefer a MLB baseball or NFL football team in the valley. A rivalry with Phoenix, or LA, for any team seems inevitable, so why the line at an NBA team. Seattle (I moved here from there more than 2 years ago) is struggling to keep their Sonics in town because the team (and the NBA) are so greedy. Key Arena (yes, it is aging) is no longer good enough for them. What if they built it (an arena) and nobody came? This does not seem like the only way to revitalize downtown. (Personally, I think it would do the opposite.) And aren’t we just looking for some form of entertainment for those living and moving here that the residents actually want? I think most would rather drive ten miles south, than into town for a good game. But I could be wrong. Is there a study that shows I am wrong?
Comment by C David Ericson — May 11, 2008 @ 1:11 pm