Las Vegas’ proposed $1.9bn (£1.5bn/€1.7bn) NFL football stadium is to be opposed formally by two local groups.
Ahead of a discussion among politicians on plans for the venue, which could be the new home of the Oakland Raiders team, the Nevada Taxpayers Association (NTA) and Nevadans for the Common Good (NCG) organisations raised their concerns publicly, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The NTA announced a list of 16 major concerns that it intends to raise with lawmakers, most notably the raising of hotel room taxes in Clark County to help pay for the $750m construction of the domed stadium.
The association’s president, Anna Thornley, also said there is no evidence that a publicly funded stadium brings any benefit to taxpayers and that there is “significant data indicating that subsidised stadiums can be a detriment to a community.”
NCG, a faith-based organisation composed of more than 40 religious and non-profit groups, said it will issue a report, ‘Seven Hidden Risks of the Las Vegas Stadium Deal’, on Wednesday.
A statement from NCG said the report would outline how the proposed stadium deal “involves substantial risk to the public without providing commensurate community benefits”.
Andy Abboud, vice-president of government relations and community development for Las Vegas Sands and a spokesman for the developers, said the project means much more to the community than a football stadium and attracting the Raiders.
“A lot of people don’t realise that we’re still at 40% unemployment in the construction industry,” Abboud said. “The valley needs this economic stimulus to put people to work at this time.”
Share this