Bally’s and Oakland A’s begin master planning for stadium and casino resort in Las Vegas

This week, notable developments were made in the Oakland A’s move to Las Vegas as Bally’s Corp submitted its preliminary master plan to Clark County. The proposal includes a 33,000-seat stadium for the A’s, surrounded by three hotel towers, as part of its resort and casino. This multi-phase project, set to take shape where the Tropicana Hotel once stood, is expected to be a new major attraction on the Las Vegas Strip.

The master plan, drafted by Marnell Architecture, outlines the construction of the baseball stadium and hotel towers, integrating the two into a comprehensive entertainment complex. Bally’s aims to develop the site in three phases, with the first phase focused on a casino and hotel, slated to open concurrently with the A’s stadium in 2028. A spokesperson from Bally’s noted that the current design is still in the early stages and will likely evolve as the project moves forward.

The first phase of Bally’s project includes a hotel tower, casino, sportsbook, restaurants, pools, and a parking garage, with 2,500 of the planned 4,590 spaces dedicated to the A’s stadium. Bally’s is also seeking a waiver from the Clark County Department of Comprehensive Planning to reduce the required parking spaces from 7,500, arguing that many attendees will use rideshares, shuttles, or the nearby Las Vegas Monorail. The entire development is expected to span over 35 acres of prime real estate on the Strip.

Additional phases will add more hotel towers, retail spaces, convention areas, and amenities, with the second phase including a second hotel tower, retail spaces, and an expanded pool deck. The third phase will feature another tower, bringing the total number of rooms across all phases to 3,000.

While the stadium’s design was revealed earlier this year and compared by some to notable structures like the Sydney Opera House, Bally’s resort project is still in the early stages of planning. Bally’s Corp. Chairman Soo Kim acknowledged that Phase 1 of the resort will include a casino and hotel tower, but more specific plans for guest amenities and additional rooms are still being finalized.

“I think we’re working pretty hard to come up with a plan that will allow us to at least build Phase 1 and open at the same time as the ballpark,” Kim has told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The A’s will start construction in early 2025, and the company plans to begin work around the same time.

The stadium is expected to be completed by the 2028 Major League Baseball season, with Bally’s aiming to open its resort around the same time. The A’s move to Las Vegas comes after more than a decade of attempts to find a new home, having announced their decision to relocate in late 2023.

The A’s stadium will be a focal point of the site, flanked by luxury hotels and a large casino. Bally’s has also proposed the construction of a 250-foot video tower, adding a high-tech visual element to the development.

Bally’s has assured that the design will consider the aesthetics of the stadium and its surroundings. One of the features planned for the stadium is a massive glass curtain wall offering views of the Las Vegas Strip. Kim acknowledged that Bally’s future buildings near the outfield may slightly impact the view but stressed that the company is working to ensure that the Strip remains a central part of the ballpark experience.

While working on its Las Vegas development, Bally’s is simultaneously moving forward with its resort in Chicago. Despite the scale of both projects, Kim expressed confidence that they would proceed without one delaying the other. The Chicago project, already financed and mostly planned, will begin construction soon.