From the Atari Hotel to Dream Las Vegas, here are projects to watch in 2024

With two casino-resort openings and a Major League Baseball team announcing plans to relocate to Las Vegas in 2023, the new year has some big shoes to fill. But there are many significant projects in the early stages that could move forward in 2024. And, of course, we all want to know if projects such as the Atari Hotel will really happen.

Here are some key projects to watch across the valley in 2024.

Dream Las Vegas

Dream Las Vegas is a 531-room boutique hotel proposed for Las Vegas Boulevard just south of the Pinball Hall of Fame. The project’s construction was stopped in early 2023 because of financing issues, but in October developer, Shopoff Realty Investments, said it was working on a new loan to finance the project and construction could resume in early 2024. As of publication, no building permits have been issued and no new documents have been filed with Clark County on Dream Las Vegas and its financing.

Bill Shopoff, president and CEO of Shopoff Realty Investments, recently told the Las Vegas Review-Journal via text message that the loan commitment has been reached for the project and the new financing should close in February. He said construction should resume by the end of March.

Tilman Fertitta-backed Strip casino-resort

Signs of construction on the 43-story casino-resort project backed by billionaire Tilman Fertitta could begin to show this year. The project is proposed for the southeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon Avenue and building permits were first applied for in March.

A Fertitta spokesperson said via email that there aren’t any new updates to share about the resort right now. Plans for the project include 2,420 hotel rooms, restaurants, convention space, spa, wedding chapel and a 2,500-seat theater.

Atari Hotel

Las Vegas was slated to be one of the first locations for a chain of Atari-branded hotels, when renderings were unveiled in 2020.

The developer behind the concept, GSD Group, was looking to develop a 400-room Atari Hotel on a 5-to 7-acre site near the Strip. The target opening date was the end of 2022, which, of course, didn’t happen. Since the renderings were released, there’s been very little news on the project.

An Atari Hotels spokesperson, following publication of this article, said via email that developers are in talks with partners to find a site for the Las Vegas project. The website for the project remains live.

Casino Royale redevelopment

The Best Western Plus Casino Royale on the Strip could be redeveloped. An aeronautical study was requested from the Federal Aviation Administration to determine how tall of a tower could be constructed on the Strip, between Harrah’s and the Venetian. The study, issued last year, said a building up to 699 feet tall could be built on the site.

No development plans for the site have been submitted to Clark County as of publication. The owner of the hotel didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The Mirage’s closure

The Mirage’s days on the Strip are numbered, but exact details on when it will transition over to the Hard Rock haven’t been disclosed yet.

The Seminole Indian Tribe — owner of the Hard Rock International brand — purchased the property in December 2022. Plans are to transition the property into a Hard Rock branded-resort with a giant 660-foot guitar-shaped hotel tower. But details of the development timeline for this project are still being developed and Hard Rock declined to say how long the property will continue to operate as the Mirage.

Hard Rock CEO Jim Allen said in May that he hoped the redeveloped property could open around the end of 2027 or the start of 2028.

Demolition of the Tropicana, to make way for MLB stadium

Demolitions and implosions have been key to the history of the Las Vegas Strip and it looks like 2024 could be the last year for the Tropicana, one of the few remaining mob-era resorts on the Strip.

The Tropicana opened in April 1957 and could close in 2024 as redevelopment plans call for the property to be demolished to make way for a $1.5 billion, 33,000-seat baseball stadium for the Athletics. The team is set to move from Oakland to Las Vegas after it won a relocation vote by MLB owners in November.

At the time of the owners’ vote, it was reported that construction on the new baseball stadium could start in 2025 and be completed in 2028.

The owner of the Tropicana, Bally’s Corp., didn’t respond to a request for comment on if a demolition or development timeline has been set.

Midtown mixed-use project

Construction could move forward on Midtown, a proposed mixed-used development looking to bring more urban living options to the area around Downtown Las Vegas and the Arts District. Developer Z Life Co. wants to add 3,000 residential units and 100,000 square feet of commercial space to the area surrounding the English Hotel, which it also developed.

The first two buildings of the Midtown project will have 281 residential units and could be open by mid-2025.

Z Life Co. expects to demolish the existing buildings on the site sometime this summer and have an official groundbreaking later in the year, said Anna Olin, chief operating officer and co-founder Z Life Co. She also said reservations for the residential units should open at the end of January.

Wynn Resort’s third tower

Wynn Resorts has owned a 38-acre parcel just north of Fashion Show mall and across Las Vegas Boulevard from the main Strip resort for almost seven years. It inherited development plans for a 1,100 room casino-resort from the previous owner.

A Wynn spokesperson said via email that there are no “immediate” plans to develop the parcel. But Wynn recently applied for a five-year extension of those approval development plans.

The Clark County Building Department staff recommended denying the extension request since the original approval is eight years old and some regulations have changed since then.

BLVD retail center

More flagship retail and restaurant operations on the Strip could be announced in 2024 as the 400,000-square-foot retail center called BLVD is scheduled to finish shell construction in August and open to the public in early 2025.

The developers hope BLVD will attract some high-end brands that don’t already have a retail presence in the U.S. The first two levels of the project will focus on retail and experiential spaces. The top floor will include a 110,000-square-foot dining terrace.

Some early lease announcements for BLVD include large spaces for Adidas, Puma and H&M.

The project is being developed on the site of the former Hawaiian Marketplace.

Westside resort, formerly Harlem Nights

The Las Vegas City Council could rule on a project that would place a high-rise resort in Historic Westside in 2024.

The Westside project, formerly called Harlem Nights, has gone through several iterations since it was first proposed in April. The original Harlem Nights proposal called for a 60-story tower with hotel and residential units. The project has since been scaled back and is currently proposed to be 34 stories. More changes could come, though, as the project still hasn’t gone in front of council.

A spokesperson for the developer, Shlomo Meiri, said there’s still a desire to get the resort built as it could act as an economic catalyst for the Historic Westside. But city staff has recommended denying the project, saying the tower structure wouldn’t be in character for the Historic Westside.

It’s unclear when this project will be considered by city council as it was tabled at a Las Vegas Planning Commission meeting in early January.

Casino-resort above Fashion Show mall

Howard Hughes Holdings floated the idea in October to build a casino-resort above Fashion Show mall. The real estate development company along with Brookfield Properties, which owns Fashion Show, holds the air rights above the mall.

Howard Hughes and Brookfield Properties haven’t elaborated on how or when a resort could be developed in the airspace above Fashion Show, so it’s unclear when or if the project could come to fruition. No plans for the project have been submitted to Clark County at time of publication.

Former Station Casinos sites to be redeveloped

Redevelopment of two properties that house now-shuttered Station Casinos resorts could start taking shape this year.

In November, Station Casinos sold the 73-acre site of the former Texas Station and Fiesta Rancho in North Las Vegas for $59 million to Agora Realty & Management.

Hylo Park, a $380 million three-phased project including a hotel, outdoor recreational space, retail, restaurants, a remodeled hockey facility and 665 residential units, is proposed for the site. Construction on the project should start in August, an Agora Realty spokesperson said.

In December 2022, Station Casinos sold the 35-acre Fiesta Henderson site to the city of Henderson for $32 million. Henderson is planning on adding an indoor sports facility to this site and possibly some hospitality space as well as spaces for family entertainment and open space for the public.

Henderson recently announced it wants to pick a developer for this project by April.

Development of high-speed rail

The long discussed Brightline West high-speed rail line from Las Vegas to Los Angeles could finally start to show physical progress this year.

Construction on the 218-mile and $12 billion rail system is expected to start sometime in 2024, with the hopes to get Brightline West functional in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Brightline West said it will do field investigation work in areas near Interstate 15 in Nevada from January to March that will “advance final stages of design” for the project.

Redevelopment of shuttered Diamond Inn Motel

The now-closed Diamond Inn Motel and its pink elephant are set to go up for auction in March.

A spokesperson for J.P. King Auction Company said bidding for the site should start on March 7 and close on March 14.

The 1.36-acre property is prime for redevelopment because of its location on the Strip across from the Mandalay Bay.

The property could be suited for high-rise luxury condos or an entertainment venue since it can have building heights ranging from 406 to 505 feet tall, according to the auction listing.

Once it sells, it’s unclear how soon the new owner will proceed with redevelopment plans. The big question is, what will happen to the pink elephant?

Contact Sean Hemmersmeier at shemmersmeier@reviewjournal.com. Follow @seanhemmers34 on X.