westcoaster Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 LAS VEGAS-A $1.1-billion destination resort anchored by an indoor snow park and a massive indoor-outdoor water park is being planned for more than 100 acres on Las Vegas Boulevard south of Interstate 215 by a group of former Disney and Universal Studios executives, designers, architects and engineers. In addition to the ski and water park components, plans include two hotels, a casino, an events arena, a spa, a multiplex theater and several nationally recognized restaurants and retailers. The developer is Las Vegas Wet LLC. One of the co-founders is Steve Dooner, who spent 30 years in development and operations with the likes of Disney, Universal, Paramount Parks, Raging Waters and other theme parks around the world. His work includes brands like Chuck E. Cheese and Discovery Zone, Club Disney, DisneyQuest, ESPNZone, and Universal Studios Japan. In addition to heading up Las Vegas Wet LLC, Dooner is a principal with Proteus Creative, an entertainment development company. More Las Vegas NewsLas Vegas Page Theme Park Vets Plan Billion-Dollar... Corus Funds $123M Condo Construction... Dirt Moves for Third World Market... LV Premium Outlets Adding Tenants... Ethnic-Retail Portfolio Builder Buys... More West NewsWest Page Las Vegas– Theme Park Vets Plan... San Francisco– Racetrack Preservationists... San Jose– KDF Buys Four Apartment... Seattle– Barneys Replacing Pottery Barn at... Los Angeles– Bentley Forbes Sells $81M... Select Coverage by City Atlanta | Boston | Chicago | Dallas | Houston Las Vegas | Los Angeles | Miami | New Jersey New York City | Orange County | Philadelphia Phoenix | San Francisco | Washington, DC INDUSTRY QUICK LINKSGet Listed Dooner tells GlobeSt.com that he’s got $1.1 billion lined up from a consortium of banks and joint venture partners from New York, Connecticut and the UK. The cost to construct the resort will range from $800 to $850 million; most of the remainder will be used to acquire the property, Dooner says. The best case scenario has the development up and running by the end of 2008; the more likely scenario is the middle of 2009. “When Wet-N-Wild closed in 2004, Vegas became one of the only major cities in the US without some sort of water park somewhere nearby,†Dooner says. “So my plan started life as a water park but the land costs were too prohibitive so I got a bunch of gurus together--old buddies from Universal and Disney--and said 'what should we do and how much should it cost.'†The most unique part of the project is the indoor ski park, Dooner says. There are 40 “snow domes†worldwide, mostly in Europe and Asia, and no such facility in the US, though one is planned as part of Mills Corp.’s Meadowlands Xanadu development in New Jersey. Dooner says the one in Vegas likely will be in partnership with X-Leisure, a UK-based company run by a former Disney alum that has developed Xscape-branded facilities in Milton Keynes; Castleford, Leeds; and Braehead, Glascow. As for the location, Dooner isn’t being too specific until he closes on the land, most of which is already under contract. All he’s willing to say now is that the land is located along Las Vegas Boulevard, south of I-215 and north of St. Rose Parkway. The investor group spent a year analyzing the needs of Las Vegas both from a tourist perspective and a local’s perspective. “Wet-N-Wild, because it was on the Strip, only drew 13% locals, the rest were tourists,†Dooner says. “Having our facility somewhat away from the Strip but close to I-215†will make it more accessible to the region’s 1.8 million locals, he says, and having hotels on site will help attract the tourists along with cooperative deals with resort casinos that don’t have major water features. The resort’s atmosphere will be Disney-like, with characters, musical bands and other entertainers roaming the grounds. Retail and restaurants will be spread throughout the park. The arena will seat 5,000 for concerts and sporting events. The casino will have a tropical theme. The water park and indoor skiing and snow play area, called “Snow Dome,†each will have its own themed, 600-room hotel. Dooner says one of the cool technology features of the resort will be radio frequency wrist bands tied to a credit card or hotel so guests don’t have to carry cash or credit cards around with them at the park to purchase food. The water park will cover 30 acres and have several different themed areas. Luxe lagoon, the main entry and central hub, will include a giant wave pool and indoor beach, water slides and rivers wherein guests can float to other areas, such as Painted Desert Oasis, which will mimic Bryce Canyon National Park and include water slides, swirling pools and private cabanas; Survivor Island, a South Seas-themed area with beaches, pools, and water adventures; Glacier Bay, a family area with cold geyser fountains, mini slides, a pint-sized inner tube river, and squirt gun stations; and Riviera, a 21-and-over area with a beach, pools and hot tubs, a fine restaurant, bar and dance club. In addition to Dooner, project participants include: Las Vegas Wet LLC co-founder Greg Stevens, the founder of S&G Management Group LLC, a consulting and management company focused on the entertainment business. Kelly Horton, co-founder Proteus Creative, a 20-year veteran of the high-tech industry, managing customers, projects, and programs for such firms as Sun Microsystems and Mentor Graphics. Harrison Price, retired founder of Economic Research Associates, performed the original feasibility study for Disneyland and has advised on many major theme parks developed over the past 50 years including all those of Disney and Universal Studio. Fred Cochrane, the financial analyst performing the feasibility study, co-founded ERA with Price and has been providing financial advice to theme parks since 1962. Thinkwell Design and Production, a Burbank, CA-based company that specializes in the turnkey design and production of experience-based attractions, exhibits, live shows and environments for the likes of Harrah’s, MGM, Nike, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Universal Studios, MasterCard and Sesame Workshop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 I was so about to delete this because I thought it was spam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WooferBearATL Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 I was so about to delete this because I thought it was spam. I just had a Braunschweiger Bagel! But Spam Could Be Good! <G> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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