C
asino resort project ‘Durango Station’, to be located in Las Vegas’ southwest valley, is making progress towards becoming a reality as the Spring Valley Town Advisory Board voted Tuesday in favor of plans by Station Casinos, the company behind the new venue.
Durango Station has been in the works for years now and is expected to be built on several acres of land near Durango and the 215. As the area surrounding the property is residential, securing approval from the Spring Valley Town Advisory Board was a needed step, reports 8 News Now.
The casino was met with both voices in favor and against its development. While some community members supported it, others expressed concerns with traffic, as schools are located near the property’s proposed entrances.
Rebecca Miltenberger, real estate attorney for Station Casinos through law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, explained the scope of the project to a crowd of about 50 people at the meeting.
“We are presenting a plan to you that includes just over 400 hotel rooms and a reduction in gaming floor space to approximately 99,000 square feet,” Miltenberger explained to the community members. The casino resort is also expected to include 20,000 square feet of outdoor dining space.
By the end of the meeting, the board approved the project plans while recommending developers look at any improvements. Miltenberger said the company will be working through traffic concerns with staff, according to the previously cited news source.
Following the secured approval, Station Casinos released a statement thanking the community. “Station Casinos appreciate the Spring Valley Town Advisory Board and its residents for this input on and support of the Durango project,” begins the press release. “Our new development will be a great addition and a great community partner, employing thousands of construction and full-time team members and creating tens of millions of dollars in new state and local taxes.”
Moreover, the company announced it looks forward to release more information on the project “in the weeks ahead.” Station Casinos also addressed opposition faced by the Culinary Union, which has members living the area. “It is unfortunate, but we are not surprised, as we have grown used to decades of endless harassment by the culinary union,” said a spokesperson for Station Casino.
The hotel and casino company laments that “instead of applauding” a project that will pay millions in local taxes and create “a beautiful new amenity” for the neighborhood, as well as creating jobs, the culinary union has decided to “take the low road and play petty politics.” According to the spokesperson, “nothing that comes from the culinary union can be trusted.”
This marks yet another episode in the ongoing conflict between Station Casinos and the Culinary Union. Last week, Station Casinos workers protested Culinary Union representation in Las Vegas: the company and the union have had various legal battles in the last decade over union representation for their workers, in which the casino company said it has been accused of unfair labor practices by the Union.
Next step for the Durango Station casino resort involves Clark County Commissioners meeting in the upcoming weeks to make a final decision, in which Tuesday’s vote and public comment will be taken into consideration.
The project, currently in its budgeting and planning phases, will also feature a sportsbook and is expected to start construction in early 2022. It will take approximately between 18 to 24 months to build the resort.
