We have a confirmed new lead contender for the location of a Las Vegas NFL stadium: a 140-acre site located south of Mandalay Bay along Las Vegas Boulevard currently used as the Bali Hai Golf Club.
The site is basically served by two freeways — I-5 on the west and I-215 to the south — and contains enough land to build both a new domed stadium (estimated to cost between $1.6 billion and $2.1 billion) and enough parking for a sea of tailgaters, many of whom would presumably be making the drive from Los Angeles. Why is this important? Owner Mark Davis is promising to move the Oakland Raiders to Vegas if a new stadium is built (and offering $500 million toward the price tag), and the Raiders still maintain a large fan base in Los Angeles dating back to the team’s tenure at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Add to that locals and and the typically large number of tourists making their way to Las Vegas on a typical weekend.
There are multiple sites under consideration to host a new Las Vegas NFL stadium. What’s ended up complicating things: proximity to McCarren International Airport. That airport fuels the local tourism industry — by far the leading economic generator in the region — and some of the formerly leading sites, such as two locations near or on the UNLV campus — have basically been rejected because they could lead to fewer flights in and out of McCarren. While that’s a partial issue with the Bali Hai site, organizers are confident a stadium on the north side of the property will avoid any FAA objections. The project is being pushed by Las Vegas Sands Corp., Majestic Realty and the Raiders. From the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Andy Abboud, vice president of government relations and community development for Las Vegas Sands, said Saturday that the Bali Hai site, a 140-acre 18-hole golf course on Las Vegas Boulevard south of Russell Road and the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino, has emerged as a consensus best option by the developers, government officials and gaming industry leaders.
“We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from our colleagues on the Strip and (Clark County) has been anxious about doing something different with the site,” Abboud said….
The land on which the Bali Hai course lies is owned by Clark County and under lease to golf course developer and professional gambler Bill Walters. Abboud and Sisolak said the stadium developers would have to negotiate with Walters to acquire the lease in order for the site to be used for a stadium.
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