UNLV Campus Improvement Authority revived
The board that led the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' bid to build an on-campus football stadium in 2014 is back in the game.
The UNLV Campus Improvement Authority, comprised primarily of university regents and casino industry executives, agreed Tuesday to see what a committee that will make recommendations on a variety of tourism infrastructure improvements decides on a stadium proposal before determining what action it will take next.
The UNLV group, which last met in September 2014, studied a number of on-campus stadium projects before shelving plans after the committee rejected proposals from Majestic Realty, which originally proposed building a stadium in conjunction with a retail center and campus housing.
The committee also was discouraged that the Federal Aviation Administration objected to a campus stadium site that was in the direct path of runways at McCarran International Airport and there were concerns about the height of the stadium.
The authority board, now chaired by Regent Michael Wixom, will wait until late March to determine what it will do next. The Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee will discuss March 24 a $1.2 billion stadium proposal that was pitched last month by Las Vegas Sands.
The Sands proposal includes a 65,000-seat domed stadium that would be built on 42 acres at Tropicana Avenue and Koval Lane. It's far enough away from McCarran's north-south runways that height restrictions wouldn't be an issue.
Steve Hill, executive director of the governor's economic development office and chairman of the Tourism Infrastructure Committee, briefed the UNLV committee about its review process at Tuesday's meeting.
The infrastructure committee is considering recommendations on several projects, including a stadium, an expansion and refurbishing of the Las Vegas Convention Center and a variety of road, highway and transit improvement projects that would be beneficial to Southern Nevada's tourism economy.
Committee members figured they could wait for the outcome of the March meeting to determine their own course of action.
The UNLV committee is required to issue a report to the Nevada Legislature by the end of September and the Tourism Infrastructure Committee will deliver its recommendations in a report to the governor by the end of July.
The Review-Journal is owned by a limited liability corporation owned by the family of Sands chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson.
Contact reporter Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Find him on Twitter: @RickVelotta
