The Las Vegas City Council said no to a controversial plan to build the "Jackson Hotel and Harlem Nights Casino" and high-rise condominium complex in Vegas' Historic Westside in a fiery Wednesday meeting.
The meeting became contentious when Mayor Shelley Berkley threatened to remove developer Shlomo Meiri from the room for constantly interrupting Councilwoman Shondra Summers-Armstrong.
Key takeaways
- The Las Vegas City Council rejected the Harlem Nights resort plan over zoning limits and neighborhood incompatibility.
- April tourism in Vegas dropped 5.1% year-over-year, with gaming revenue and domestic travel both declining.
- The city approved a new A’s stadium for the former Tropicana site, with completion targeted for the 2028 MLB season.
Meiri voluntarily left the meeting just before the council voted twice, 6- 1, to deny the project land-use entitlements.
Councilwoman Victoria Seaman was the project's sole yes vote. Meiri's proposal called for two towers, a 20-story hotel and casino resort, and a 336-unit apartment tower, on a 1.95-acre site, much higher than the neighborhood's seven-story zoning limit.
City planners and Planning Commission staff also recommended denial because the project was incompatible with the historic neighborhood where it would be built. Summers-Armstrong indicated the size wasn't compatible with the neighborhood.
Meiri, who reduced his proposal from a 60-story building, claimed city officials were being casino-industry motivated and made personal charges at the hearing.
April Las Vegas gaming and tourism revenue down
The Harlem Nights project's rejection wasn’t the only recent blow to Sin City.
According to Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority figures and airport numbers, gaming and tourism revenue in April experienced another dip. Harry Reid International Airport received 4.7 million visitors, down 3.4% from last year, with domestic travel the largest decline.
The Strip had only slightly more than 3.3 million monthly visitors, down 5.1% from April 2024. Year-to-date visits now dropped over 6%. Strip gaming income decreased nearly 3%, as well, help driving a broader decline in statewide gaming tax revenue.
Convention attendance remained robust, however, at 574,000 convention-goers for WrestleMania and other events, up 14% from 2024. Downtown Vegas had a modest gaming income gain, and international visits remain up, but overall trends suggest a pattern of lower tourism and spending despite the city's visible activity.
Las Vegas ballpark project overcomes zoning obstacle
Despite declining tourism and failed development proposals, plans for a new Las Vegas Strip baseball stadium advanced a step toward reality recently, when Clark County commissioners voted to approve special use permits and zoning for the new venue.
The commission unanimously approved the project, which would be built on a roughly nine-acre site on the old Tropicana Hotel and Casino property at the intersection of Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard.
The planning documents reported the Oakland Athletics' new ballpark will have a seating capacity of 33,000 fans and 30,000 fixed seats. According to team officials, construction is expected to begin in 2025 and be completed before the 2028 MLB season opens.
The A's will be based in West Sacramento, California, for three years while the stadium is built. The approval is an important step toward relocating the team to Nevada and redeveloping the south Strip with a large professional sports arena.
