As it continues negotiations with the Oakland Raiders for a new Las Vegas stadium, UNLV is retaining attorney Daniel Etna of Herrick Feinstein LLP.
Etna will work UNLV as it hammers out the details of a joint-use agreement with the Raiders that could lead to the university’s football program using the stadium. An early draft of the agreement surfaced this month, covering several areas of UNLV’s potential use of the facility, including a proposal that would allow the Raiders to use more than 80 acres of university-owned land for game day and event parking.
The Las Vegas Sun reports that Etna’s services will come at a cost of $745 per hour, and that the agreement between UNLV and the law firm can be extended for up to two years. UNLV officials are stressing that by retaining Etna, the university could put itself in a better position as negotiations with the Raiders continue. More from The Las Vegas Sun:
“Getting the best possible use agreement for UNLV will dictate its future in athletics,” [university Regent and attorney Trevor] Hayes said. “I support spending money to hire the best experts. Even if it costs $100,000, that equates to $3,333 per year for the 30-year life of the (lease). A poor use agreement will put UNLV out of the Division I athletics business.”
The Sun reported exclusively on the first draft of a state-mandated joint-use agreement between UNLV and the Raiders, who will share their new $1.9 billion stadium with the Rebels football program as a condition of receiving $750 million in public funding toward the facility.
In that document prepared by the Raiders, the team asked UNLV for fee-free usage of more than 80 acres of land owned by the university for game-day and event parking. The Raiders plan just 2,400 parking spaces at their 62-acre Russell Road stadium site, which is less than 15 percent of the amount mandated by Clark County code.
The team also wants exclusive first rights to sell luxury suites and club seats, as well as major limitations on university advertising partners. All are major revenue sources university officials want to optimize to increase the take from their dates in the stadium. The parties also must agree on a rent formula that measures UNLV’s actual cost of using the stadium, which will not be a simple negotiation.
As part of the planning process, the joint-use agreement is one of the documents that must be completed in order to receive approval from the Las Vegas Stadium Authority. Officials are still working to have the stadium ready in time for the 2020 NCAA and NFL seasons.
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