The latest proposal for the home of a Las Vegas NBA franchise is targeting a location on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip, right across from the Four Seasons and Mandalay Bay.
Tom Letizia described the area of land as a "diamond in the desert" and envisions it as the site for the valley's next professional sports franchise.
"This will be a global destination," Letizia said.
WATCH | New details released on proposal for Las Vegas NBA franchise, the Diamond Arena
The proposed Diamond Arena would feature more than 21,000 seats, with an entrance directly on the Las Vegas Strip. The site is within walking distance to more than 20,000 hotel rooms, and the project promises the largest parking capacity of any competing site.
"The Strip as a backdrop, the Las Vegas Strip. Most of the teams want to have that as a backdrop. We have that," Letizia said.
Letizia said the arena would be used for much more than just basketball.
"This will be an opportunity to bring first-class concerts to Las Vegas entertainment as it will be a stadium and other events. I suspect that we'll keep the stadium full year in and year out, this arena," Letizia said.
Letizia said the Diamond Arena would be a "neutral" site to draw many economic opportunities.
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"You're talking construction jobs. You're talking, you know, not only the construction jobs, but the long-term jobs. Having a venue like this available for entertainment 12 months a year," Letizia said.
I asked people about another addition to the Strip.
"I think that'd be really nice. I've always wanted a basketball team myself... back at home in Saint Louis, Missouri, so... yeah, I think that'd be a really nice addition of Vegas because they're always open to having different sporting events and many different entertainments here in the city," one person said.
"I'm for the basketball team. I heard LeBron is going to be like, some type of partnership in it. He was going to be some type of ownership. Whatever LeBron's doing, I'm 100% supporting it. So let's go," another person said.
There are several other sites and proposals out there. Mayor Shelley Berkley pitched the idea of an arena in downtown Las Vegas. There is also the Starr Vegas development on Las Vegas Boulevard and Starr Avenue, and the Oak View Group project picked an area near the Rio.
The area of the Diamond Arena project is currently home to many businesses, including radio station 97.5. The station and many other businesses would be relocated to the new arena if this is the new site for the NBA.
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