LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Home is where the heart is.
As far as Mayor Carol Goodman is concerned, the piece of property that once belonged to the late Sigfried and Roy is where the heart of Las Vegas lies.
“I knew them both and I loved them both,” Mayor Goodman said. “I’m voting against anything that brings this home down and its memory.”
In Wednesday’s city council meeting, the remaining 12 acres of property not yet developed were slated to be turned into a commercial use zone. But Developer Calid reimagined the space as a multifamily residential property, bringing this new idea in front of the city council for approval.
“It would bring about 265 homes for residents,” the developer told the council.
With a lack of parks on the proposed property and surrounding area, the mayor voted against the developer. Her sentiment was echoed by Charlie Weber, whose property sits along the part of the land that’s already being developed by The Richmond Group.
He also attended this morning’s meeting. When asked what he thought about Mayor Goodman’s comments, he responded, “I was very impressed with that, because normally our politicians do something where there are shenanigans. She's the only one that said, ‘No, I'm not going to vote on it.’ Because she alluded to the fact that she knew they wanted this as a park.”
But with the deciding vote, City Council Member Michelle Fiore approved plans and suggested the Calid Group’s development commemorates the late performers in some way on their property.
As for Weber, he would have liked to have seen Sigfried and Roy’s legacy live on in a different way.
“Commercial would be easier – we’d be dealing with one property manager, not multiple people,” Weber said. “I know damn well, a lot of those properties will be brought up and then you’ll have rental properties and those people don’t have skin in the game.”
