Station Casinos' expansion project for Durango Resort calls for new parking garage, larger casino area

Red Rock Resorts subsidiary Station Casinos is seeking approval to expand its Durango Resort in the southwest valley, just months after its December opening. An agenda item for the Clark County Zoning Commission meeting on July 3 outlines plans for a new parking garage and expanded casino area.

The potential seven-story parking garage would be located south of the porte cochere near Maule Avenue. The new plan proposes nearly 6,000 total parking spaces between two garages and surface lots.

The new garage in specific would contain nearly 2,500 parking spaces with a basement level, ground level, five floors and rooftop parking. The ground level would provide valet pick-up and drop-off.

A new casino area is planned northwest of the proposed garage, connecting the original building to the garage development. The expansion also includes a restaurant space, an outdoor patio area, and a water feature wall.

No renderings were provided in the agenda item. The July 3 meeting will consider the modification request to the phase two plans originally approved in October 2021. No construction timeline was included in the documents.

Phase two plans previously approved permit the construction of an additional hotel tower and expanded casino, increasing totals to 578 rooms and over 104,000 square feet of casino floor. Additional banquet hall space and ancillary entertainment options like a movie theater, bowling center, and pool events center are also permitted.

Executives told investors in May that they plan to develop a 100,000-square-foot casino with the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians in Madera, California. After that, they may turn their attention toward Durango’s second phase.

Station Casinos' landholding strategy involves maximizing building and zoning allowances for flexibility in development. The Durango resort was initially on a 71-acre parcel, but plans utilized about 50 acres. In December 2022, Red Rock sold 21 acres to Ovation Development Corp. for $23.9 million after beginning the resort-casino development.

The $780 million, 15-story Durango Resort was launched with 200 rooms and was the seventh off-strip property in and around Las Vegas for Station Casinos. Durango's central feature is the 83,000-square-foot casino, which includes 2,300 slot machines, 63 table games, and an STN-branded race and sportsbook, which has 205 seats, a circular bar, and 4,200 square feet of LED television monitors.

"With one full quarter under our belt, we are confident that Durango is well on its way to achieving both its margin target and to return goal even faster than originally planned," executive vice president Stephen Cootey said during an investor call last month.