HENDERSON (KTNV) — Since it was demolished in 2022, the Fiesta Henderson lot off the 215 Beltway and I-11 has stood empty, and conversations about the future of the property have persisted for years.
The city of Henderson bought the site for more than $30 million in 2022 with the hope of turning it into an indoor sports fieldhouse and hotel complex, but we recently told you about how city officials announced talks with the developer of the project have fallen through, leaving people who live in Henderson to question the future of the former Fiesta property.
Local News
Henderson officials hit snag with Fiesta casino site redevelopment project
This is how locals are reacting
Henderson locals Channel 13 spoke to on Tuesday say they want to see something done with the site, and soon — they say they're tired of seeing an empty lot and abandoned parking garage.
Darcel Lang has lived in Henderson for seven years, and says she drives by the property every single day.
"Well it doesn't look like it stands anywhere," Lang told Channel 13, when asked her thoughts on where the project stands. "I've driven by it every day, and it looks like an abandoned building. I was hoping they'd put another casino there, with a movie theater and something convenient. I used to like it when it was the Fiesta."
After asking for public feedback on the future of the land in 2023, the city of Henderson announced their intent to build an indoor fieldhouse style rec center and an adjacent hotel last year, which is something that new Henderson resident Marvin Simms tells Channel 13 he's on board with.
"I'm always for a rec center for the children, I'm always about the kids," Simms said. "I think they deserve an activity center where they can go to for activities, for recreation, for organization, for exercise to burn calories, I always think something like that is good."
The city entered what's known as an "exclusive negotiating agreement" with Salt Lake City-based developer Woodbury Corporation last August, giving the parties 180 days to hammer out details of the project.
That agreement expired on February 20, though, with no deal in place.
Channel 13 reached out to the city of Henderson for more information about the discussions falling through, and a spokesperson responded with a statement. It reads:
"The City's Redevelopment Agency was working through the ENA for mutually beneficial terms to ensure the site would reflect the goals shaped by Henderson residents during public feedback opportunities in 2023. Despite best efforts over the past several months, we could not come to a definitive agreement with Woodbury Development regarding the site's future development, purchase, and use of the property. We appreciate the collaborative efforts with Woodbury Corporation throughout this process."
Channel 13 also reached out to Woodbury Corporation, who did not return a request for comment by Tuesday afternoon.
After moving on from Woodbury Corporation, the city insists they're still moving forward with their plans for an indoor sports fieldhouse on the old Fiesta property, as they detailed in the second half of their statement to Channel 13 on Tuesday:
"The City is moving forward with developing its indoor sports fieldhouse to meet residents' desires while serving as the site's anchor tenant. A state-of-the-art sports fieldhouse will position the site for success as the City's Redevelopment Agency identifies a future partner for the remainder of the site through an RFQ in the coming months.
An exact timeline for when shovels will be in the ground at the Fiesta remains uncertain, but Henderson locals tell Channel 13 they don't want to wait much longer.
"Soon, I hope they do it soon," Lang said.
"Yeah, let's see something get rolling there," Simms said. "Let's get decided on something, and let's get it going."
The city of Henderson posted on their website that a "request for qualifications" for a hotel partner for the Fiesta project will be "released shortly," and added that discussions for an operator of the planned fieldhouse are also underway.
For more information on where the Fiesta Henderson redevelopment project stands, including a detailed breakdown of its timeline to this point, the city of Henderson has a dedicated website for the project that you can visit by clicking here.