Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak — one of the people most responsible for the Raiders-to-Vegas move — recently visited the Las Vegas stadium site to talk about the 2 billion dollar project. He covered a handful of topics and brought up a few interesting points…
The Parking Problem
The current location doesn’t have nearly enough parking for a 65,000-seat football stadium. It’s solvable but the solutions are all pretty expensive. The team will need to buy one or two nearby properties, turn them into parking garages, and develop a plan to shuttle people back-and-forth between the stadium.
Officials hope the Las Vegas Monorail can be extended to a nearby location, so large volumes of fans can be dropped off and only have a short walk to the stadium. Uber and Lyft are also expected to play a big role in getting people to the site.
UNLV Football
Part of the $750 million deal Las Vegas made with the Raiders is to allow UNLV to play their home football games in the stadium. The Rebels have been playing at an old, run-down stadium on the edge of Vegas for many years. Now they’ll be in a world-class stadium, which officials hope helps get them into a Power 5 conference.
No matter what, having such an amazing stadium should help with recruiting big time!
A Better Community
The addition of a $2 billion stadium is expected to help “build a better community” for all Southern Nevadans. Everyone from UNLV students to local construction workers to Vegas families should see major benefits from the project.
Tourism Boost
City leaders expect a year-around boost in tourism after the stadium is completed. “Raider Nation” fans from California and around the country will come by the 1000s, obviously, but so will the visiting team’s many hardcore fans.
Concerts and other sporting events are expected to keep the stadium full even when the NFL isn’t in town. There’s even talk of bringing the World Cup to Vegas one day. The “opportunities are endless” in terms of what the complex can be used for!
Bali Hai Golf Club
The large golf course across highway I-15 from the stadium location would make an ideal parking complex, so many people are wondering why the Raiders don’t just buy it. But the situation is actually fairly complex due to legal issues related to ownership and unpaid taxes.
Some interesting trivia: the land is actually controlled by famous sports gambler Billy Walters, who was just sentenced to 5 years in prison for insider trading.
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