Raiders’ plans for stadium employee parking gets county’s backing

Clark County officials Tuesday approved a lease agreement for the Raiders to use 20 acres of the 100-acre Tropicana Detention Basin for Allegiant Stadium event-day employee parking.

The use of the allotted land located just off Russell Road on Decatur Boulevard and Oquendo Road was approved with no discussion at Tuesday’s County Commission meeting. The leased land has space to accommodate 2,760 parking spots.

County Commissioner Michael Naft said using a detention basin for multiple purposes is nothing new for the county and allows it to maximize efficiencies.

“The area being utilized for employee parking for the stadium is above the floodplain and encompasses only 20 percent of the basin,” he said. “This lease agreement will provide our hardworking stadium employees a safe and accessible parking solution while allowing Clark County taxpayers to benefit from an otherwise unused asset.”

The lease states no parking will be allowed in the basin if a flood occurs on an event day, Naft said.

County Director of Planning Nancy Amundsen said the parking area was chosen to be out of the path of areas likely to be affected by heavy rain.

“One thing to note is that the parking would be on the perimeter and not down in the stormwater management retention area,” Amundsen said.

Raiders President Marc Badain told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the team has other parking lots it can use for employee parking should a flood occur on an event day.

A shuttle bus system will be in place to transport employees to and from the stadium on event days, Badain said.

The Raiders will pay $86,798 per year to lease the land for 34 event days and will be charged an additional $2,993 per day if the team uses the lot more than the allotted days.

Provided background on the lease shows the Raiders believe locating employee parking over a mile away from the stadium would lessen impacts in the immediate area surrounding the stadium.

The Raiders are responsible for all parking-related improvements needed at the detention basin and for operating the lot on event days.

Paving the parking area would require all necessary approvals, including a drainage study, Amundson said.

The lease agreement also states that any improvements on the site shall not interfere with the flow of stormwater to the basin.

The off-site lot falls in line with the Raiders parking plan. The team wants visitors to enter and exit the stadium from all directions.

The team is spending $50 million to secure land for parking and improve properties within the stadium district.

The Allegiant Stadium parking plan calls for 25,000 spaces near the stadium, with 15,000 of those within walking distance.

Plans call for having 7,000 tailgating spots, including 5,000 within walking distance of the stadium.

A wayfinding app will be used to alert motorists to where parking is available.

The Raiders project 15,000 people will arrive by ride-hailing service, with up to 30,000 people expected to walk to the stadium from the Las Vegas Strip, according to Badain.

There will be multiple areas for ride-hailing services, taxis, shuttles and limousines to drop off and pick up fans.

Obtaining as many off-site parking spots as possible is key for the Raiders, as only 2,725 spaces will be available on-site.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.