Long-delayed Millennium Arena won't be built

Plans for the Millennium Arena in North Las Vegas have officially been scrapped.

For more than three years residents have heard promises of a 4,500-foot arena and a 160-seat country restaurant with limited gaming at the Millennium site, where ground was supposed to be broken in October 1998.

Only a chain-link fence and a sign have marked the plot of land at the corner of Van Der Meer Street and Las Vegas Boulevard North.

There were early signs of problems when the company's use permits expired in 1997. But Millennium Arena Inc. applied -- and received -- a year's extension in January, saying the project was going forward. At one point the company applied for a grant through the redevelopment agency, saying it was having trouble financing the project.

Today the chain-link fence has been removed, and city officials said Wednesday night that Millennium Arena Inc. has gone bankrupt and the land is in escrow.

Although escrow closes July 11 and there is a potential buyer for the site, city staff members already are discussing the possibility of acquiring the land if it becomes available.

The land, 12.4 acres, is the largest vacant parcel in the city's northern redevelopment area.

Redevelopment manager Kenny Young discussed purchasing the property with bonds if it becomes available.

"It would be a real buy for us," he said. "For the most part, it could give us the opportunity to really direct what type of development would occur on the parcel."

If the city were to purchase the land, it would have greater leverage for interested developers, he said.

The council members agreed that purchasing the land could bring a needed burst of development to a mature part of town, easing the gap between it and the northwest.

"I always think buying property is a good idea," Mayor Michael Montandon said. "But I personally am more interested in buying property we can use for public facilities like parks."

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