Las Vegas' Harlem Nights 60-story resort project in Historic Westside delayed

The Las Vegas Planning Commission delayed a vote Tuesday on the proposed 60-story Harlem Nights resort project, which calls for a 687-foot-tall tower on a nearly 2-acre site at the corner of Jackson Avenue and F Street in the Historic Westside. The proposal will now be considered by the planning commission on June 13, after the developer requested the vote be delayed.

The proposed resort is projected to cost $700 million and would feature 764 hotel rooms, 458 residential units, casino space, a 900-seat theater, as well as retail and restaurant options. 

Lisa Mayo-DeRiso, the project consultant for Harlem Nights, said it will conduct additional community meetings about the project and provide more "comprehensive" information, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "It’s not uncommon for a project like this to take extra time," Mayo-DeRiso said. "We just want to have the best package possible."

The consultant said that no community meetings have been scheduled, but the next one will be co-sponsored with the city of Las Vegas.

Site for the proposed Harlem Nights resort 

It’s not the first time a major project has been proposed at the site. In 2016, the Nevada Gaming Control Board put the brakes on plans for a $2 billion project that would have brought a 400-room hotel and a 2,000-seat performing arts center.

And now, Harlem Nights is facing concerns over its height. The project would require a zoning change to increase the maximum height from seven stories to 60 stories, a variance in parking rules for the area, and a need to vacate a public alleyway running through the middle of the site, among other changes.

The Las Vegas Planning Commission will consider the requests, but commission staff has recommended that all the zoning changes, except for vacating the alleyway on the site, be denied. "Deviating the height of the proposed development by 53 additional stories is out of character with the surrounding area," according to the commission's agenda.

Developer Shlomo Meiri previously said that Harlem Nights is the best bet for redeveloping the Historic Westside, and if approved, the project could take over six years to complete. If the planning commission denies the zoning changes, Harlem Nights could still move forward.

"The final vote on the project is the job of the (Las Vegas) city council, and we are hopeful they will all see the value of this catalyst project for the Westside and what it means for jobs, the economy, and housing," Mayo-DeRiso said in an emailed statement, as reported by the above-mentioned media.