Vol. 4, No.9, September 2008
RSS Feeds
State of our Union Park
The 61-acre development in Downtown Las Vegas will help turn around the local economy
Construction is continuing at the 61-acre Union Park project located west of the railroad tracks. Most noticeable is construction of the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute, which is taking shape at the corner of Bonneville and Grand Central Parkway. The institute is dedicated to the conquest of Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and all forms of memory disorders. The ultimate aim is to prevent the disabling symptoms of chronic brain disease and to promote healthy, vital aging in people at risk for dementia or memory impairments.
Frank Gehry is the internationally acclaimed architect who has designed the building for the Ruvo Institute. Gehry’s design of the institute will be the focal point of the new Union Park development. The institute is expected to open in early 2009.
Several more projects are scheduled to have their groundbreakings next year at Union Park, including the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, a planned multi-theater complex with a main theater seating more than 2,000 people, and the World Jewelry Center, which will feature corporate office condominiums of domestic and international gem and jewelry companies in an iconic state-of-the-art tower. There will be more than 125,000 square feet of retail jewelry venues in the 50-plus story building.
Other projects under design include Symphony Park, the Charlie Palmer, a 400-suite and room boutique hotel, and a residential-mixed use component that is being developed by Newland Communities. A 1,000 room hotel-casino is also planned for the north end of the site.
There is a lot of construction going on along Grand Central Parkway, due to a massive public works project that is under way to build the infrastructure at this project. The infrastructure work is expected to take seven months and will include, but is not limited to, site grading, roadway excavation and the installation of drainage features and structures, a temporary parking lot near the railroad, public streets including curbs and gutters, water and sewer system mains, utilities and traffic signage. In addition, a “Downtown connector” will provide transportation to the property and will travel to and from the Convention Center.
This is an exciting project for those of you who are residents and the tourists you come into contact with, and I encourage you to share the exciting details with them.
Despite what is happening with the economy, Union Park is moving forward, and I am confident it will be a driving force for a speedy recovery.
