The most dramatic part of the razing of the Tropicana Las Vegas finally has a date, as the two hotel towers are scheduled for implosion on Wednesday, October 9, to make way for the Oakland A’s new baseball stadium.
The casino resort closed on April 2, 2024, just two days shy of its 67th anniversary. Once the buildings were emptied, demolition began, and at this point, only the pair of hotel towers remain standing.
Key Highlights
- Tropicana Las Vegas Hotel Towers Implosion Scheduled for October 9, 2024.
- Oakland A’s to Construct $1.5 Billion Baseball Stadium on Former Tropicana Site.
- Stadium Funding Secured with $380 Million Public Funds and Private Equity.
- A’s to Play Temporary Home Games at Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park (2025-2027).
Hotel Towers Going Out With a Bang
The A’s and Bally’s Corp., the owner of the Trop, will host a farewell celebration for the Las Vegas Strip mainstay on Tuesday, October 8, complete with a drone and fireworks show. The implosion spectacle will follow at 2:30 am on Wednesday.
Bally’s must still secure its implosion permit from Clark County, but the plans have been known for months, and no hiccups are expected.
Still Some Agreements to Sign
Aside from site clearing, the biggest hurdle before construction can begin on the $1.5 billion stadium is the finalization of four agreements with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority and Clark County. Three are still up in the air: the non-relocation, development, and lease agreements.
The community benefits agreement has received the green light from all parties.
We’re rounding third and heading for home here. There’s not many open issues left.
Steve Hill, stadium authority chairman
The stadium authority canceled its September meeting, opting to convene on October 17 to provide ample time for everyone to get their ducks in a row and to give all stakeholders, including the public, the opportunity to review the agreements.
“We’re rounding third and heading for home here. There’s not many open issues left,” stadium authority Chairman Steve Hill told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Taxpayers Providing Partial Funding
Final approval of the A’s stadium financing plan is also required before shovels break ground on the Las Vegas Strip stadium in April 2025. Without that go-ahead, the team will not have access to a $380 million public funding package.
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo signed off on the public financing deal in June 2023. It includes $180 million in transferable tax credits and $120 million in county bonds, or loans backed by the taxpayers. Should the A’s not move to Las Vegas—and while extremely likely, it is not 100% set in stone—the same financial package will apply to a potential relocating team or expansion franchise.
In July, A’s executive Sandy Dean told the stadium authority that the team only plans to use $350 million of the $380 million allocated. Of the remaining $1.15 billion budgeted for the stadium, $850 million will be private equity from the family of A’s owner John Fisher and $300 million will be debt financing.
The A’s are also courting local Las Vegas investors, who would receive minority ownership stakes in the franchise in exchange for reducing the Fisher family’s monetary outlay.
A’s Playing In Sacramento During Construction
The future ballpark will sit on nine acres of the soon-to-be-cleared Tropicana site. The northwest-facing portion of the stadium will provide baseball fans with a view of the Strip. At 33,000 seats, the stadium would be the smallest venue in Major League Baseball (MLB) were it to open today.
It may end up being just the second-smallest ballpark in the league, as the Tampa Bay Rays recently received approval for plans for a 30,000-seat stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Construction is expected to be completed in time for the 2028 MLB season, but because the A’s are leaving Oakland after this season, that leaves three years during which the team needs a home.
This past April, the team announced it will play its 2025-2027 home games at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento. It will share the stadium with the current tenant, the San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats. The A’s also have an option to play there during the 2028 season in case of construction delays.
During its stay in Sacramento, the franchise will be known as simply the “A’s,” with no city or state label.
Because it is very small – just 10,624 seats with a capacity of up to 14,014 with lawn seating – and does not have the same amenities as a major league stadium, Sutter Health Park will receive some upgrades before next season.
Among the additions will be a new home team clubhouse, a renovated visitors’ clubhouse, new artificial turf, new club seating, new video boards, and camera capability upgrades to improve television broadcasts.
Sources
https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/tropicana-implosion-date-set-to-feature-fireworks-drone-show-3147469/
