FAA reduces comment period for proposed Las Vegas Raiders stadium
The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday shortened by three weeks a public comment period for a study that will determine whether the Raiders’ proposed 225-foot-tall stadium would impact jetliner traffic at McCarran International Airport.
Moving the commenting deadline to Aug. 30 could help keep construction on schedule so that the stadium can open in time for the 2020 NFL season, Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak said.
“The FAA routinely works with project sponsors throughout the U.S. and tries to understand their constraints and deadlines,” FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said in a prepared statement.
“When possible, we can reduce the comment period, providing it doesn’t affect our ability to conduct a thorough review of the project,” Gregor said. “Because critical milestone dates for the Las Vegas stadium project would be affected by a 30-day-plus comment period, we were able to reduce the comment period without affecting the integrity of our airspace study.”
The Raiders could not be reached for comment.
A preliminary report issued by the FAA Wednesday found that flights at McCarran International would not be impacted by the Raiders’ 65,000-seat domed venue located about 1 1/2 miles away on Russell Road, just west of Interstate 15. Contractors began drilling on the site this week for soil sampling.
The FAA had initially given a Sept. 22 deadline to submit comments before it issues a final determination for the height obstruction study, which would have prevented the Clark County Commissioners from considering zoning permits until October at the earliest.
Moving the public commenting deadline to Aug. 30 means that the county could consider a use permit, development waivers and design reviews for the stadium as soon as Sept. 6, assuming the FAA’s final report is completed.
Sisolak said he has not received any assurances from the FAA that would happen. The FAA has not said when the final report will be released.
“It’s good news that they shortened this by a few weeks because it makes it easier to move the project forward,” Sisolak said. “Even if the report isn’t out by Sept. 6, we can still do some grading and other preliminary ground work on the site.”
Contact Art Marroquin at amarroquin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Find @AMarroquin_LV on Twitter.
Public comments
You can submit comments related to the Federal Aviation Administration's ongoing height study of the Raiders stadium be submitted through a news deadline of Aug. 30.
Comments can be mailed to: Mail Processing Center, Federal Aviation Administration, Southwest Regional Office, Obstruction Evaluation Group, 10101 Hillwood Parkway, Fort Worth, Texas, 76177.
