Nathan Schweigart, president of the NDL Group, poses in the parking lot of his business near Allegiant Stadium Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. Schweigart said he spent about $4,000 in upgrades, including chains, to prevent stadiumgoers from parking in his lot.
Friday, Aug. 13, 2021 | 2 a.m.
Some 68,000 country music fans packed Allegiant Stadium last month for the first capacity event there since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
By all accounts, the Garth Brooks concert was a smashing success. But for Nathan Schweigart, it was a huge mess.
The day after the concert, Schweigart, owner of NDL Group, a contracting and engineering firm, found the parking lot of his business covered with trash.
Security camera footage revealed what happened. With limited parking at the stadium, concertgoers used his lot a mile away, near Tropicana Avenue and Valley View Boulevard, to park and party before the show.
“It was ridiculous,” Schweigart said. “We had trash all around on our landscape and had 19 cars parked in my 10-car lot. Now, we chain up our lot every night when we leave.”
With the Las Vegas Raiders set to kick off their first season with fans, property owners near the stadium are bracing for more of the same. Some are taking steps to secure their lots to keep fans out, while others are looking for ways to cash in.
“Myself and my neighbors, we’re all now putting in posts and chains, largely because of what happened with that Garth Brooks concert,” said Schweigart, who spent about $4,000 for concrete barriers and chains.
Just the same, he said, he understands the importance of the stadium to the community and is taking things in stride. “It is what it is,” he said with a tone of resignation.
The nearly $2 billion Allegiant Stadium sits in an industrial area just west of Interstate 15. The domed, climate control facility has commanding views of the Las Vegas Strip and is considered one of the best venues in the NFL.
What it doesn’t have is lots of parking.
There are just 6,500 parking spots immediately adjacent to the stadium, though there are more than 35,000 designated spaces within a mile of Allegiant, including at numerous remote lots. Spaces go for $40 to $100 on game days.
Those don’t include lots owned by third-party businesses that may rent out spaces.
At 4 Wheel Parts, an off-road vehicle parts and specialty shop southwest of the stadium, near Russell Road and Valley View, store manager Dan Raymond said the company has hired a firm to manage its parking lot on Raiders game days.
The business installed bollards in front of its main entrance to keep people out and plans to charge $100 to park on game days, Raymond said.
Raymond said he’s really trying to protect the property. “I can’t be worried about people getting drunk and possibly messing up our building,” he said.
At NDL, Schweigart said he considered renting out parking spaces but decided it would be too much of a hassle.
“We might get $50 or $75 per space, but we’d have to have somebody out here sitting in a chair,” Schweigart said. “It was just easier to chain it off.”
On Sunday, Raiders fans descended on the neighborhood for an open practice at the stadium for season-ticket holders. They will be back Saturday for a preseason home game against the Seattle Seahawks and on Sept. 13 for the season opener against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football.
After Sunday’s practice, Raiders fan Eduardo Gonzalez and a friend were walking south along Polaris Avenue at Russell Road. They planned to get a rideshare a few blocks from the stadium.
Gonzalez said he was able to get a ride for about $20, though Raiders game days could be more expensive.
“I know there are places at some of the businesses around here where you can park for maybe $75 or $100 for games,” Gonzalez said. “I’d rather save that money, walk a little and spend the money on drinks at the game.”
He said he was also on the lookout for hidden spots where he might be able to park for free within walking distance of the stadium.
Daniel and Emily Rocha, meanwhile, were walking with a small group of people from the stadium to their tattoo parlor near Russell Road and Polaris Avenue.
“We’ll definitely go to some games,” Daniel Rocha said. “It would be hard not to because the stadium is right there. We can just leave our vehicle at our business and walk right over.”
For those not interested in hoofing it, there are also public transportation options.
The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada last month announced a shuttle service from a handful of resorts — including the M Resort and Green Valley Ranch — on Raiders game days. The shuttles will cost $2 each way per person.
The commission’s double-decker Deuce buses, which run 24/7 from North Las Vegas through the Strip corridor, can take fans to Mandalay Bay, which is a walk over the Hacienda Avenue bridge to the stadium.
Fans can also take a taxi or use a ride-hailing service to get to and from games.
