Friday, Sept. 17, 1999 | 10:51 a.m.
Committee members studying the feasibility of a sports arena and performing arts center for downtown Las Vegas were bolstered with more good news Thursday but said they will likely need a consultant to sort through the available research.
Although the 29-member committee of private sector and public officials seems unified in its desire to bring both facilities to Las Vegas, there are dozens of ways to go about it.
Two studies conducted by GLS Research were presented to the committee at its meeting at the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.
The first, which surveyed 400 tourists on the Strip, downtown and on Boulder Highway, determined modest interest in both professional basketball and hockey games.
In fact, the study determined that if 80,000 tourists were in town on an average night, 8,052 of them would probably go to see basketball and 4,419 would go to a hockey game.
More compelling was a phone survey of 1,000 residents living within 250 miles of Las Vegas who could, on impulse, decide to drive or fly to Las Vegas for a game.
The survey estimates that 660,000 people who live within that distance, but outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area, would likely come for basketball. Another 339,596 would likely come for hockey.
Although those surveyed did express interest in sports and vacationing where gambling is offered, pro sports could "present an additional demand," said Gary Stieger of GLS Research.
"They might make one more trip to Las Vegas if there's an NBA team here," Stieger said.
Rossi Ralenkotter of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which commissioned the studies, said 1 million visitors would spend $1.5 billion on non-gaming activities while in town.
But LVCVA President Manny Cortez warned that more study is needed to determine whether an arena is a positive addition.
One concern Cortez raised was whether 18-year-old sports fans who can't legally gamble would take away airplane seats from gamblers who spend more money here.
Then there's the issue of location.
Although most public sector officials are lauding the downtown Union Pacific and Lehman Brothers owned site, two suburban locations are still viable options to proponents of a performing arts center.
Dr. Keith Boman, a cardiologist who represents the planned Las Vegas Performing Arts Center, said his group is interested in land on West Charleston Boulevard.
Boman also seemed concerned by committee co-chairman Oscar Goodman's comments that if the NBA doesn't want a franchise in Las Vegas the whole project is off.
"The performing arts center is still not a moot issue," he said.
City Centre Development Corp. President Mike Forche said the committee will have to decide whether the arena and performing arts center should both be considered, and whether conference facilities should be planned for an arena.
A 19,000- to 21,000-seat sports arena, he said, would need a bit more than the 53 acres UNLV's Thomas and Mack Center uses. Although a sports arena would fit on the 61 acres downtown owned by Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., a performing arts center and parking would not fit.
Spin-off development of restaurants and shops that typically accompanies an arena, when added to parking and a performing arts center, would require using most of the adjoining Union Pacific property as well.
Mark Paris, president of the Fremont Street Experience, presented a plan to have Deloitte & Touche figure out what would work best.
The auditing and research firm would be asked to conduct a study for $40,000.
That amount is based on Lehman Brothers' offer to fund one-fourth of a study, with its share not to exceed $10,000. The city, Clark County and the Chamber of Commerce also have agreed to pay $10,000 each.
But even Paris admitted sorting through all of the information on a $40,000 budget within 60 days would "be a stretch."
The committee will next meet Oct. 14, and by then will know whether the NBA and NHL commissioners would allow teams to come to Las Vegas. That answer will come Sept. 28 when a local delegation visits New York.
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