Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

At a glance: Downtown arena

Downtown/Cordish arena

Courtesy

Artist rendering of the proposed downtown/Cordish arena.

Downtown/Cordish arena

Artist rendering of the proposed downtown/Cordish arena. Launch slideshow »

Audio Clip

  • Mayor Goodman talks about the chance that more tourists than locals will use stadium

Las Vegas officials envision a $400 million arena with about 20,000 seats, large enough to house an NBA team, with additional retail throughout. It would go on the northeastern edge of Symphony Park, close to the Smith Center for the Performing Arts.

Principals behind proposal

The project is a private/public partnership between the city of Las Vegas and the Cordish Cos.

Political landscape

The city wants it, but so few details have come out about financing that opposition, if any exists, has been muted.

Likelihood of attracting a professional team

The city hopes an NBA team, even an NHL team, would make the new arena its home. Although there is no guarantee that building a first-class facility would lure a team to town, NBA Commissioner David Stern has been on record saying Las Vegas wouldn’t be considered without a proper facility.

Financing and/or enticements

Details of financing mostly are being held secret by the city and Cordish officials. Cordish has about another year to act on an agreement made with the city in late 2010. Some form of public assistance — being able to keep sales tax revenue, for instance, to leverage against bond sales — is anticipated.

Legal and legislative obstacles

What hurdles remain won’t be known until the project’s financing scheme is revealed and whether it would be conditioned on government approval.

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