Tourism authority committee votes for USD 42M Riviera demolition plan

A Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority committee considered two options for the Riviera — demolish it in the near future or maintain it as a nonoccupied facility for up to 30 months. The committee chose the faster timeline, which still needs final approval from the authority’s board of directors.

The authority purchased the 60-year old hotel-casino in February for $182.5 million, intending to eventually turn it into more convention space. The existing Las Vegas Convention Center is across from the Riviera on Paradise Road.

If the board also approves the quicker demolition timeline, the authority can rent out the empty lot while officials work through construction plans for the new convention space, authority staff said.

Committee member Steve Ross said it will also send a “clear message” that progress is happening at the site of the Riviera, which closed May 4.

Ross also expressed hope that bringing the Riviera down sooner could spur action at the neighboring Fontainebleau structure, which has sat unfinishedfor years.

It remains unclear exactly when the Riviera will be demolished, but authority spokespeople said it won’t happen any sooner than six months from now. Once the demolition plan is final, the authority will begin a time-intensive process of selecting contractors for demolition, construction and more.

Plans for the future of the Riviera site could also be aided by the work of a new tourism committee created by Gov. Brian Sandoval earlier this month. One of the goals of that committee is to examine Southern Nevada convention facilities and make recommendations about new ones. The tourism committee has a year to send a report to the governor.

Also at the meeting, the authority’s committee renamed the project that encompasses its work on the Riviera to the Las Vegas Convention Center District. It was formerly called the Global Business District.

The Riviera demolition plan will likely come before the authority’s board of directors for final approval next month.