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New York City’s Ehrenkrantz,
Eckstut & Kuhn Architects, is planning and designing a
$7 billion, 18-million-square-foot vertical development
called the MGM MIRAGE Project CityCenter for MGM MIRAGE
Corporation on the Las Vegas Strip. The 66-acre
metropolis will be built between the Bellagio and Monte
Carlo hotel casinos and will be a mixed-use cosmopolitan
center of hotels, luxury condominiums, and shopping—all
within an urban setting.
The mixed-use development will
be composed of a “skyline” of two 400-room boutique
hotels, one 4,000-room hotel and casino, four towers of
2,500 residential units, and 550,000 square feet of
high-end retail, dining, and entertainment space. The
total number of buildings will be between 40 and 50,
with the tallest buildings 65–70 stories. Construction
will begin this summer and completion is expected within
five years. The modest Boardwalk Hotel, owned by MGM and
known for its Coney Island amusement park façade,
currently sits with lot space between Bellagio and Monte
Carlo but will close in May 2006.
The ambitious mini-city project
will allow people to gamble, shop, dine, walk, and even
live—without ever leaving the property. The
pedestrian-oriented urban environment will be the first
on the Strip to combine private residences with hotels
and casinos. Public squares, hidden parking structures,
covered passageways, and a boulevard are all part of the
urban plan.
Integrated work of architecture
Stanton Eckstut, FAIA, principal-in-charge, points out
that MGM MIRAGE is an integrated work of architecture
stressing a cosmopolitan design. “MGM came to us with a
vision of a city as the next attraction, believing that
Las Vegas was maturing and needed more of an urban
fabric,” he says. “They were seeking higher density and
mixed uses. They were challenging us to accomplish
that.”
Peter Cavaluzzi, FAIA, design
principal, explains that MGM had an interest in
residential. “It’s a big market that they are trying to
meet in Las Vegas, and they wanted to create a
development right on the Strip that incorporated
residential,” he says. “They had a vision of ‘the city
of the 22nd century.’ They wanted it to be very
contemporary and a reflection of Las Vegas’ new brand of
urbanism. This is not a theme development. The theme, if
there is one, is city-making.”
Eckstut stresses that the
density of parking was one of the biggest challenges.
“Parking is free and there is a lot of parking. We were
given the opportunity to provide convenient parking and
at the same time, through design, make sure you never
see the parking. That’s not something any modern city
has done, and the absence of visible parking creates a
marketing advantage with the fact that there will be no
charge for parking. We also were able to link all the
rooftops together to create an upper level park system
with a landscape throughout all the rooftops responding
to the desert climate.”
Jim Murren, president and chief
financial officer of the MGM MIRAGE, is pleased with the
design and how it highlights the valley vistas. “We
commissioned a complete architectural design that
utilizes every square inch to its maximum potential and
is in harmony with the natural landscape.”
MIRAGE places its bets
An increase in Vegas’ residential population coupled
with rising tourism prompted the MIRAGE to think
all-in-one, with an upscale focus. But the high-stakes
inspiration also comes from wanting a place made of
neighborhoods where people live and interact with their
neighbors, not just a place for tourists to gamble.
Murren explains that the MGM Las Vegas Project City Center is inspired
by the pedestrian-friendly, diverse neighborhoods of the
SoHo district in New York City.
According to MGM, its Project
City Center Las Vegas, once completed, could be the largest
privately financed development project in the U.S. The
second phase of the project will include creation of the
residential neighborhood, including the four towers with
a total of 2,500 residential units.
“When this project begins coming
on-line, if it occurs within the context described by
the architect, I believe it will bring an additional
level of activity, interest and character to the Strip,”
says Robert A. Fielden, FAIA, president-elect of AIA Las
Vegas and senior principal at RAFI: Planning,
Architecture, Urban Design.
A
huge undertaking
Business reporter Rick Velotta of the Las Vegas
Sun is impressed
with the magnitude of Project CityCenter. “It’s really
amazing just seeing it on paper,” he says. “It’s
actually pretty mind boggling. Any time you can put all
those things together, it’s obviously a huge deal. It
the biggest project on our horizon.” In addition to
having a central large hotel casino project that will
likely be run by MGM, there’s also going to be four
boutique hotels, which are hotels with less than 500
rooms.
The Manhattan-value apartments
that will make up the Project City Center Las Vegas likely will attract
retired baby boomers seeking a low-maintenance
lifestyle, celebrities, and the rich. “It’s a
playground,” explains Velotta, referring to Vegas.
“There is a huge demand here right now for high-rise
condos, time shares, and second-home residents. People
can also buy them as investment properties and rent them
out for a week to convention-goers.”
Fielden does point out that
the MGM Las Vegas plan requires additional considerations. “In terms
of the project, there are, however, significant issues
affecting the urban context and environment that must be
addressed and resolved: clean-air, traffic congestion
and noise, access to water and energy, issues of refuse,
and other related infrastructure demands.”
Paying for the metropolitan center
MGM wants to develop Project CityCenter over time and
expects to generate about $1 billion by pre-selling the
residential properties. The remaining $3 billion of the
first phase will be paid out of cash flow and leasing
out the boutique hotels. The other $2 billion will be
raised by banks or equity. In March, MGM merged with the
Mandalay Resort Group to increase its cash flow. The
Mandalay Resort Group owns five hotels on the Strip:
Mandalay Bay, Circus Circus, Monte Carlo, Excalibur, and
Luxor.
“We have strong expectations for
the coming years,” predicts Terry Lanni, chairman and
CEO of MGM MIRAGE. “We continue to make significant
strides in our high-return development projects.” Lanni
also believes MGM’s metropolis complements ongoing plans
by the city to redevelop its downtown.
Adds Murren, "As real estate
prices continue to soar on the Strip, we intend to
maximize the economic value of this land by making this
development the newest icon for Las Vegas, one that
reflects a new attitude and contemporary perspective for
this sophisticated city.”
from The American Institute
of Architects
by Russell Boniface
More about the Las Vegas City Center
project
January 2006 update on MGM City Center
February 10, 2006 article on Las Vegas Project City
Center
June 2, 2006 article on the MGM City
Center
The MGM City Center
Condos breaks ground - June 2006 |
