$600M Las Vegas Convention Center renovation moves closer to reality

A committee whose responsibility is to oversee development plans for Las Vegas Convention Center renovations gave unanimous approval on Wednesday to the plan for a three-year, $600 million project beginning in April.

The seven-member Oversight Panel for Convention Facilities in Clark County greenlighted the development plan after presentations by Terry Miller, the LVCVA’s consulting builder representative on the project, and Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President and CEO Steve Hill.

The Oversight Panel’s review was the final approval needed for the project to move ahead. It launches a period of anxious months leading up to the awarding of the first construction contract for the project, in the midst of a volatile market.

Fielding questions from Oversight Panel Chairman William Ham, Hill explained that the LVCVA and Miller have accounted for potential market volatility in the financing of the project.

Hill explained that high construction demand coupled with supply chain issues ramped up construction costs by as much as 40 percent during the two years that COVID-19 raged. During that period, many construction projects were canceled nationwide resulting in a financial reversal in the market.

“For example, roofing materials six months ago were almost impossible to find,” Hill explained. “Now, you can find them.”

In the six months leading up to the beginning of construction, LVCVA officials will draft documents for four sequences of projects that will begin in April, right after the end of the 2023 ConExpo-Con/Agg construction industry trade show, and continue through the end of 2025.

The massive renovation project will begin with work at the east end of the South Hall where a new entrance will be developed, and new executive offices and a board meeting room will be built and completed by the end of 2023.

The relocation of the executive offices and boardroom will enable construction of the most visible portion of the renovation — the addition of a climate-controlled connector that will enable conventioneers to move to and from every exhibition hall without going outdoors.

The facade of the renovated Convention Center has been designed to resemble the architectural features of the new West Hall with its sweeping “snow cone” ribbon that extends from the West Hall across Paradise Road to the old building. A similar ribbon will flow from the North Hall to the Central Hall, but there are no plans to extend it further across Desert Inn Road to the South Hall.

LVCVA planners meticulously planned construction in partnership with its major trade show customers to avoid conflicts during events. They agreed to put off construction during major conventions so those shows won’t be disrupted.

The North Hall will be temporarily closed from the end of February 2024 through the end of August. Work will begin at the end of January 2024 and run through the end of the year on North Hall renovations, refurbishing the hall and meeting rooms and construction of the main lobby and the north end of the climate-controlled walkway between the North Hall concourse and the west side of the South Hall.

The Central Hall will temporarily close between the middle of March 2025 to mid-September while work continues on the main lobby and Central Hall connector, as well as more meeting rooms and enhancements to the parking lot and landscaping.

The entire project is scheduled to be completed by the end of December 2025, in time for CES 2026.

Wednesday’s vote by the Oversight Panel essentially completes the work of that board, which was established when Senate Bill 1 — the special session legislation that provided state funding through hotel room taxes for the construction of Allegiant Stadium and the renovation of the Las Vegas Convention Center — was approved by lawmakers.

The committee was required to approve LVCVA decisions on the renovation and went on hiatus after the LVCVA delayed later phases of its renovation plans during the pandemic.

But Hill indicated the committee could be called upon again in the future, especially with the volatility of the construction industry in play.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.