The city of Las Vegas is "poised take full ownership" of the Cashman Center complex "after coming to an agreement" yesterday with the current tenants, according to Colton Lochhead of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. The city council "voted unanimously to accept the transfer of the 55-acre complex" that includes the 9,334-seat Cashman Field from the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, "which has managed the land" since the ballpark was built in '83. The LVCVA is "expected to vote on the agreement at its monthly meeting next week." The move is the "first step for the city in its goal to redevelop and revitalize much of downtown Las Vegas." The city "has not made any decisions on what it will do with the land, but one idea being tossed around is a new soccer stadium surrounded by retail shops and midrise condominiums." The timeline of transfer is tied to the Triple-A PCL Las Vegas 51s' current lease, which means the area "could sit as-is until that lease expires on Dec. 31, 2022." That "could change if the 51s get their wish of a new stadium elsewhere in the valley." If that happens before the lease expires, the city "would gain control once the team moves." During yesterday’s council meeting, Deputy City Manager Scott Adams "laid out some potential moves the city could make with associated costs, including demolishing the aging stadium" at a cost $5M to "give the next developer a blank slate" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 5/5). Adams: "This is a very large-scale asset. This is a big deal.” In Las Vegas, Jackie Valley notes the owners of the 51s "openly have expressed a desire to move" the team to a new stadium in nearby Summerlin, Nev. (LAS VEGAS SUN, 5/5).
