Las Vegas NowI-Team: New Plan Could See Tallest Building in U.S. Built in Las Vegas
Could Las Vegas soon have the tallest building in the entire country? If developers get their way, the answer will be yes. And it will be on the site of the old Wet n' Wild water park on the Las Vegas Strip.
New documents submitted to county officials this week outline the project. Even though developers do not yet have final approval for this project, they are moving forward with getting plans reviewed.
The project is going to be called Crown Las Vegas. It's a partnership between an Australian billionaire, a Texas developer and a New York investment firm. Crown Las Vegas would tower 1,888 feet above the north end of the Las Vegas Strip.
That's more than 700-feet taller than the Stratosphere and more than 400 feet taller than the current tallest building in the country -- Chicago's Sears Tower.
Public documents reveal plans for 5,000 rooms, including retail, restaurants, gaming, spa, convention center and unspecified water features. At the top of the tower itself, restaurants, an observation floor and an outdoor terrace.
The project is a joint venture between Australian billionaire James Packer, Texas developer Chris Milam and New York investment fund York Capital Management. Packer already owns Crown casinos in Australia and Macau but does not yet have a Nevada gaming license.
One major issue will be the height. In November of last year, the FAA issued a "notice of presumed hazard" since the tower is just two and a half miles north of McCarran Airport's runways.
As of now, the FAA says anything over 700 feet on the Wet n' Wild site would constitute an air hazard, but it has not yet made a final ruling on Crown Las Vegas and what the FAA ultimately rules is going to be life-or-death -- at least when it comes to the height of this proposed tower.
Clark County code prohibits approval of any building that the FAA determines is a 'hazard to aviation.'
Preliminary documents submitted to the county show a completion date of 2012. Eyewitness News' I-Team did put in several calls to the office of the Texas developer but received no reply.
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