Vegas Entertainment Projects Go Head to Head

If anybody thought that Vegas is still in the recession doldrums, it’s time to take a look at two great new entertainment projects currently in their planning stages.  Both of them are million dollar complexes and each will boast an observation wheel hundreds of meters high.

The first project is SkyVue Las Vegas which broke ground in May 2011 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2012. This complex will be situated across from Mandalay Bay at the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip and will incorporate 200,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space.  Its piece de resistance, however, will be a 476 foot observation wheel which, according to the local developer, will include views right up the Strip.

Recently, a competing project was announced in the form of The Linq – a $550 million project spanning 200,000 square feet, directly opposite Caesars Palace. This complex will also bring upgrades to three of Caesars Entertainment projects, namely Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino, Flamingo Las Vegas and Harrahs Las Vegas.  The Linq will boast a 550 feet observation ferris wheel which will be the highest in the world when completed.

However, the road to construction in Las Vegas has never been smooth and similar proposals in the past have not received final approval from city planners.  In the past decade, three similar projects have been proposed but never got past the drawing board due to tough city restrictions.

Nevertheless, many people believe that a huge observation wheel could stir some life back into Las Vegas and provide a different type of entertainment that isn’t available on the Strip.  As one analyst said: “Vegas has a lot of crazy ideas but I think an observation wheel would fit really well here. Look at the Stratosphere. That observation tower still gets a lot of visitation and I think you’d get a lot of the same people getting on an observation wheel. ”

However, there are doubts that there is place for  two such ferris wheels and it more than likely than if city planners give their approval, it will be to one and not two.