Friday, March 21, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Consider it the calm before the storm.
After a string of megaresort openings in recent years culminating with January's unveiling of New York-New York, 1997 does not figure to see another debut of a new Strip gambling palace.
But that doesn't mean the industry's expansion is slowing down.
Mirage Resorts' massive Bellagio is under construction and expected to open its doors in 1998. Meanwhile, several existing resorts, including MGM Grand, Aladdin and Caesars Palace, are adding rooms and attractions to keep pace with the new competitors on the block.
The most ambitious of them all, however, is Circus Circus Enterprises, which already operates the Luxor, Excalibur and Circus Circus hotel-casinos, and co-owns the Monte Carlo with Mirage Resorts.
At the south end of the Strip, Circus Circus has plans for a hotel-casino complex with a total of 13,800 rooms.
The Clark County Planning Commission voted 6-0 Thursday night to give the company use permits to develop 121 acres on the west side of the Strip and 15 acres on the east side from the Luxor south to Russell Road.
The commission voted on three specific Circus Circus projects:
* PROJECT Z: Five hotel towers from 31 to 43 stories totaling 8,000 rooms on the west side, as well as 750,000 square feet of casinos, shops, restaurants and other amenities.
* LUXOR EAST: On the east side of Las Vegas Boulevard, the plan calls for a 2,000-room, time-share hotel and a 243,000-square-foot shopping mall. The site is now used for parking.
Greg Borgel, consultant for Circus Circus, said the company plans to build a pedestrian bridge over Las Vegas Boulevard connecting Luxor and the Luxor East project. He estimated the cost to the company at $4 million.
* PROJECT PARADISE: Previously announced plans for the $800 million resort were revised slightly, Borgel said. The room total was reduced from 4,000 to 3,800 and the buildings were rearranged.
Project Paradise will replace the Hacienda hotel-casino, which was demolished on New Year's Eve.
Sarah Ralston, spokeswoman for Circus Circus, said the plans represent a total buildout of the property the company owns south of the Luxor. She said the development will occur over five to seven years.
The theme of Project Paradise is an ancient South Seas culture, "as if a Forbidden City were discovered on an exotic jungle island," according to company literature.
A separate, 400-room Four Seasons hotel also is planned for the site. It will aim to become the first five-star resort on the Strip.
Circus Circus has dubbed the hotel-casino complex its "Master Plan Mile." The goal is to serve every segment of the Las Vegas gaming and tourism market.
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