A nearly 10-acre swath of parking lot wedged between the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Strip could soon be transformed into a hub for concerts, food trucks and vehicle sales. The Siegel Group has submitted a land use plan seeking to convert the site into what it calls a fairground and recreation facility, with Clark County commissioners scheduled to weigh in Wednesday, Nov. 18.
The property sits near Las Vegas Boulevard and Convention Center Drive, and the proposal would turn the lot into space for special events and live music, according to KSNV. The company is seeking approval to hold events, exhibitions and other gatherings on the acreage near the north edge of the Strip, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Per the application detailed by KSNV, the proposed facility would occupy the northern portion of the lot and host outdoor events featuring live entertainment, seasonal sales and vehicle rental and sales events. The southern portion would retain its current parking spaces, preserving some of the lot's existing function even as the rest of the property is reimagined.
What the Application Spells Out
The application says the site would host parking alongside food truck exhibitions, convention-related goods and services exhibitions, and entertainment events that include food and alcohol, per KSNV's reporting. A county staff report indicates the exhibitions would tie into programming at the neighboring convention center, while also accommodating food truck events and other entertainment uses, the Review-Journal reports.
The temporary uses described in the application could last anywhere from several days to several months, with multiple events potentially running at the same time, according to KSNV. Siegel Group chief business officer Michael Crandall told the Review-Journal the company applied for a temporary use so the property can be put to productive interim use while longer-term planning continues.
A $75 Million Bet Near the Convention Center
The lot is part of a larger land grab Steve Siegel made in spring 2022, when he purchased the mostly vacant Strip-area property for $75 million, per the same Review-Journal account. That deal gave Siegel more than 12 acres of contiguous real estate along Las Vegas Boulevard and Convention Center Drive.
Clark County commissioners are scheduled to consider the land use plan at their Wednesday, Nov. 18, zoning meeting, according to KSNV. The Review-Journal's report similarly says commissioners are scheduled to consider the proposal on Wednesday, Nov. 18, though neither account establishes how the vote will turn out.
How a Similar Strip-Area Deal Played Out
This isn't the first time a Strip-adjacent parking lot has been pitched as event space. Back in 2013, the Clark County Commission unanimously approved a plan to convert an overflow lot across from the Luxor into fairgrounds for music festivals and other special events, according to the Las Vegas Sun. That approval allowed concerts, festivals, carnivals and sports events with crowds estimated between 14,000 and 64,000 people.
The Sun reported that lot had already hosted large outdoor events, including the Red Bull Soundclash and the Rockstar Energy Drink 48-Hour Festival, before the fairgrounds designation made things official. The commission's sign-off let MGM use the site for repeated events without seeking a temporary county license each time, though MGM agreed as a condition to lower maximum sound levels on Saturday afternoons and from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Sundays.
Temporary land deals near the Strip have taken other forms too. In early 2021, a North Dakota tribal nation approved use of its south Strip property for 30 days of filming for “American Ninja Warrior,” at a price of around $100,000, the Review-Journal noted. Chapter 8.20 of the county code governs alcohol sales, while the specifics of how county rules would apply to the Siegel Group site remain to be seen.
