The first step in getting a new Las Vegas baseball stadium built, and acquiring the team that goes with it, was accomplished when the Nevada Legislature approved the measure over a week ago. Now, we must wait to see what happens next with the approval of the move from Major League Baseball.
First of all, if this deal happens it will mean an end to the Tropicana Las Vegas. That property sits on 35 prime acres of real estate on the Strip, and if you believe those in charge then the proposed ballpark would only need about 9 acres. The remaining land would probably be used to build another casino, possibly a new Bally’s or Tropicana.
Believe it or not, the new Vegas baseball stadium could also have a collateral affect on the Las Vegas Monorail. Over the years, the Monorail has met with resistance from big players like Caesars and MGM, who believe it is an eyesore in front of their resorts. Thus, most of the Monorail system is hidden behind resorts and off the Strip.
This limited visibility means the system doesn’t perform very well connecting Caesars and MGM properties to things like the Las Vegas Convention Center. In fact, so few people were riding the Monorail that is was looking at bankruptcy for a while. And the growth of Elon Musk’s Hyperloop pushed the operation of the train to the brink of failure.
But the Hyperloop has limitations in terms of passenger capacity. It could never handle the volume of traffic associated with things like a Major League baseball game. And considering where the Monorail runs in proximity to the proposed new ballpark location, the Monorail could see new life and new utilization.
After all, during major conventions Monorail traffic explodes as visitors staying at MGM and many Caesars properties take advantage of the Monorail for easy access to the Convention Center. It also provides great access to events at the MGM Grand Garden and T-Mobile Arena, and it could easily support the new Vegas baseball stadium as well.
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