Clark County commissioners have approved plans for a new 752-room hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip, a project notable for its heart-shaped design and its location on the site of a long-abandoned observation wheel.
The approved proposal, brought forth by developer Eli Applebaum's Kulik River Capital firm, involves a 29-story tower designed with a massive, heart-shaped LED screen. The resort will also include a casino, restaurants, a pool, convention facilities, and a covered outdoor plaza. A unique feature will be a restaurant situated 265 feet in the air, atop reinforced pillars that were part of the never-completed SkyVue observation wheel.
The parcel, located directly across from Mandalay Bay, has been a vacant lot for nearly 15 years. Previous plans for a 500-foot observation wheel, known as SkyVue, failed to materialize, leaving behind two towering concrete columns that became known locally as the "pillars of sadness."
Kulik River Capital acquired the nearly 12-acre parcel for $70 million in April. Instead of demolishing the existing concrete structures, Applebaum's plan incorporates them as a central element of the new resort. The developer's land-use representative, Nancy Amundsen, stated that the revised project has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration after initial concerns led to a reduction in the proposed number of hotel rooms.
MGM Resorts, which operates Mandalay Bay across the street, has reportedly expressed a desire for the long-neglected site to be developed or cleared. Clark County officials have framed the approval as significant progress for the south end of the Las Vegas Strip.
Despite the commission's approval, local observers and blogs have expressed skepticism, citing the history of failed projects on the site. The development still faces hurdles including financing and actual construction before it can become a reality. Whether the heart-shaped resort will be completed remains to be seen.