Lawmakers hear push for UNLV arena proposal

CARSON CITY — State lawmakers could have another Las Vegas stadium proposal to consider before the June 6 conclusion of the legislative session.

On Tuesday, a lobbying team that included former Gov. Robert List met with lawmakers including Assembly Speaker John Oceguera, D-Las Vegas, to talk about a proposed stadium at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

UNLV President Neal Smatresk, who joined List and officials from developer Majestic Realty, said the group hopes the Legislature would consider creating a special district around the stadium site that would capture increased revenue created by the development so it could be diverted to help pay for the project.

The stadium proposal calls for a 40,000-seat domed stadium on campus, thousands of units of on-campus housing, 600,000 square feet of retail space, and parking.

It is the third such venture to seek an assist from the Legislature.

In March, lawmakers rejected a proposal by Caesars Entertainment that sought a 0.9 percent sales tax in the Strip corridor to finance construction of a
$500 million, 20,000-seat sports arena near the Imperial Palace.

The rejection sent that measure to the ballot in 2012.

Last week, Texas-based developer Chris Milam announced he had bought the minor league baseball Las Vegas 51s and plans to move the squad to a privately financed $1.95 billion project called the Las Vegas National Sports Center, which would include basketball and soccer arenas.

Milam wants the Legislature to approve a taxing district for that project.

Smatresk indicated Tuesday he would like the Legislature to designate the UNLV plan as its preferred choice.

“We’d like the nod, but I’m not going to talk about anybody else’s proposal,” Smatresk said. “Ours is the right time, the right place.”

No bill has been introduced, but backers of the UNLV proposal were hopeful one could emerge in the coming days.

Smatresk said the lobbying team is emphasizing to lawmakers that the UNLV proposal would benefit higher education, which is struggling to cope with proposed cuts in state funding support.

“We’ve been asked to think entrepreneurially,” he said.