Downtown is on a roll. On December 1, Resort Gaming Group, a Las Vegas, Nevada-based, regional hospitality management and development company privately owned by Andrew B. Donner, announced its plan to purchase the previous city hall site to develop a corporate campus for Zappos.com, a leader in online clothing and footwear sales, named by Fortune magazine as one of “100 Best Companies To Work For” in 2009 and 2010.  

The deal, which was unanimously approved, will initially bring more than 1,000 non-gaming workers into downtown with capacity for the company to grow via an expansion of the campus across Las Vegas Boulevard near the Fremont East District.

Cordish Company, which was initially planning to develop an arena and live entertainment district at the city hall site is now under an Exclusive Negotiation Agreement with the city of Las Vegas to develop the arena project on approximately 12.9 acres on the north end of Symphony Park – just north of The Smith Center for the Performing Arts and the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. This will bring yet another landmark project to the area and complement the future development of residential by Newland Communities, luxury boutique hotel by Charlie Palmer and casino/hotel by Forest City. 

Just one week after the Zappos announcement, Donner’s Resort Gaming Group announced the commencement of construction on the redevelopment of 3rd Street Downtown and the former 350-room Lady Luck Casino Hotel that will be flagged by a national hotelier.  The first phase is timed to coincide with the fall 2011 opening of the Las Vegas Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement – aka The Mob Museum – which is also under active construction in the city’s historic former federal courthouse and post office.  

Other 3rd Street activation plans include renovations and improvements to Triple George Grill and Sidebar, as well as construction of The Book, an 8,000-square-foot race and sports book on the northwest corner of Ogden and Third Street. Construction is currently underway on this venue that is planned to open in August 2011 prior to the football season. 

Photo: Following the Dec. 1 city council meeting, elected officials and Zappos and Resort Gaming Group executives gathered at an impromptu press conference.  From left to right: Council members Stavros Anthony and Steven Ross, Mayor Pro-Tem Gary Reese, Zappo's CEO Tony Hsieh, Mayor Oscar B. Goodman, Councilmembers Steve Wolfson and Ricki Y. Barlow, Resorts Gaming Group owner and CEO, Andrew B. Donner.