By Kelly Hughes, project coordinator at G.C. Garcia Inc.
Have you ever wondered how our growing professional sports industry is impacting the Las Vegas valley? Here is a look at how Las Vegas has rebranded itself as a professional sports destination – from an urban planner’s perspective.
Diversifying the Las Vegas Brand
Las Vegas is renowned as the “Entertainment Capital of the World.” According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the city is home to more than 150,000 hotel rooms and welcomed nearly 39 million visitors in 2022, further proving itself a formidable tourism-based industry. The addition of professional sports franchises attracts an entirely new tourism consumer and creates multi-purpose facilities that can be utilized year-round to host an array of events. This diversification fuels dollars into our economy from a host of secondary markets in addition to providing hundreds of new jobs.
Planning Involvement
This concerted effort to transform Las Vegas involves public and private development and urban planning professionals every step of the way. These professionals are tasked with ensuring that new development is both compatible with, and beneficial to, its existing environment.
- Location, Location, Location
Most of Nevada’s land is government owned – nearly 84% of the state’s land is currently unavailable for private development. This has had a uniquely difficult impact on professional franchise relocations that require significant land reserves. Determining the best site location and development plan is unique for each franchise, and planners have succeeded in both re-structuring existing buildings for future uses (MGM Michelob Ultra Arena/Las Vegas Aces), determining locations that allow for private participation (T-Mobile Arena/Vegas Golden Knights), and creating public/private partnerships (Allegiant Stadium/Las Vegas Raiders). Extensive cooperation between developers, planning professionals and government agencies have created unique ways to make room for these structures from our limited land supply while supporting new and existing infrastructure. - Infrastructure Impact
Accommodating such large-scale developments requires extensive urban planning and development involvement. Effective transportation plans determine vehicle and pedestrian accessibility in and out of the surrounding areas, as well as any necessary roadway improvements or expansions. Utility access and conservation efforts are evaluated to ensure that these facilities can operate reliably and efficiently. Land use and zoning codes are assessed to provide for the secondary growth market that often follows a sports franchise relocation, including practice facilities, team headquarters and areas for fans to congregate safely. The creative redevelopment of the infill area surrounding T-Mobile Arena, now known as the pedestrian friendly Toshiba Plaza, is a hallmark of innovative planning involvement. - Another example of innovative planning involvement is Clark County’s Stadium District Plan that addresses the land use and redevelopment of the established industrial and commercial areas surrounding what is now Allegiant Stadium. This plan illustrated where existing infrastructure, namely pedestrian crossings and walkways, needed improvements as well as surrounding roadways which were implemented not only to mitigate the impact of increased traffic to the surrounding area but to improve road and foot traffic to the site. Zoning regulations were created to provide a thoughtful approach to how the surrounding land would need to be developed to support both the arena and surrounding new businesses, while maintaining compatibility with existing businesses in the area. This special district implementation demonstrates the commitment of urban planners to not only protecting, but improving the communities in which significant new developments may occur.
- Community Effects
The introduction of these franchises to southern Nevada has led to additional development and added community benefits beyond where each team plays. Allegiant Stadium led to the Raiders training facility in West Henderson, which helped to drive infrastructure including roads and sewer lines in the area to ensure that the facility was completed in time. Similarly, the Golden Knights franchise paved the way for the Lifeguard Arena on Water Steet in Henderson. This, and a concerted effort by the City of Henderson and other private developers, boosted redevelopment of downtown Henderson. It also opened the door for the Dollar Loan Center Arena, which spurred the redevelopment of the slowly deteriorating Henderson Pavilion. These developments not only revitalized areas but brought higher paying jobs, increased tax dollars and a boost to surrounding businesses.
A Win for Everyone
The most notable benefit of Las Vegas establishing itself as a professional sports destination may appear to be the two championships that our home teams have brought home to the desert, but the indirect benefits of these franchises will have a far more lasting impact. Residents will continue to benefit from the variety of entertainment options at these multi-purpose venues, continue to see roadway and infrastructure improvements, and enjoy new supportive businesses. Lastly, urban planners will continue to work to evolve and improve our living environment to better accommodate successful growth into the future.
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Kelly Hughes is a project coordinator at G.C. Garcia Inc., a Nevada-based land planning and development services firm that has been in business for more than 25 years. For more information, please visit www.gcgarciainc.com or call (702) 435-9909.
