We import tourists for entertainment, but export locals—at least, those who can afford it. Disneyland, Legoland, Knott's Berry Farm, museums and the beach are only about four hours away—so why stay here in the heat and stagnation? It's no surprise to hear that Las Vegas is lacking when it comes to things like cultural and family-style entertainment. But it's usually an adventure when someone steps in and tries to change that.
The most recent investors behind a proposed cultural revolution are developer Ed Sher and his wife, Mona, Las Vegas residents of 12 years. The couple felt Las Vegans needed more things to do, and, as investors, decided to include a civic arm in their portfolio. The first idea they came up with was a zoo.
The zoo was initially proposed to be a $100 million to $200 million venture on more than 100 acres of land at Floyd Lamb State Park. This was met with lukewarm support from the community and local press, which questioned the need for a sprawling, outdoor zoo when we already have the air-conditioned segments of one on the Strip, and small, not-terribly successful versions of zoos on Rancho and at Bonnie Springs.
Roger Bulloch, CEO of Sher Capital—the newly incorporated Sher family investment-management company—says that feasibility studies conducted to study the zoo came up with results that have pushed the Shers in a different direction. For one, the state still owns Floyd Lamb, not the city, and there's no guarantee that a land transfer will take place. The park also comes with restrictions calling for "passive recreation use," and bans commercial use. But beyond that, large zoos just aren't that successful these days. It's better, the study found, to build a facility between 15 and 50 acres with varied attractions: a butterfly exhibit or aviary, shops, restaurants, a movie theater, museums and more.
"If you put museums all over town, all of them have a hard time succeeding," Bulloch says. "If you cluster them together and create an epicenter, then you get draws off one another."
That's the new zoo-themed focus of Sher Capital, and they still plan to go about it as they would have the larger zoo, using municipal financing that won't impact the taxpayers, says Bulloch. But the city, he says, has been less responsive than he'd hoped. "We basically left it in their court and said, 'Find us land,'" Bulloch says. "We'll do everything else." But he doesn't expect to hear from them any time soon.
The Shers found a similar reception in Boulder City last week, where they proposed building an Old West theme park on 364 acres outside of town. This, too, would be a mix of retail, entertainment and maybe even an animal attraction. The response, once again, wasn't exactly favorable. Concerns about traffic and growth were raised, so the park will be discussed in a series of town hall meetings before they move forward with it.
Of course, should these projects actually move into the development stages, Las Vegas will still be playing catch-up to other cities of its size. There's been so much focus on the basics of fast growth—housing, schools, stores—that cultural and entertainment amenities haven't kept up. And after a certain amount of time, they almost don't need to. After living here for about a year a sense of cultural amnesia sets in, and residents learn to either appreciate what we do have, forget what other cities have that we don't, or get in the car and drive to San Diego for the weekend.