All Net Resort & Arena, the long-proposed $5bn (£4bn/€4.6bn) project for Las Vegas, appears to be dead in the water after Clark County Commission refused to grant another extension to its land use permit.
Envisioned as a non-gaming, business, and family-friendly destination, All Net Resort & Arena was to be located at a site on the north end of the Las Vegas Strip. It has been developed by Dribble Dunk, owned by former NBA player Jackie Robinson, and designed by Cuningham Group.
The complex was due to be anchored by a multi-purpose arena featuring a retractable roof, which would have a 23,000-seat capacity for basketball and 25,000 seats for concerts and boxing events. It was hoped that an NBA franchise could ultimately be attracted to the arena.
All Net Resort & Arena was also proposed to include two luxury hotels, a convention centre, world-class restaurants, a dinner showroom, nightclubs, family entertainment, a promenade with exclusive retail shops, and a broadcast production studio.
The project was first announced in December 2013 and received Clark County approval in August 2014. The arena had been scheduled to open in late 2016 but little progress has been made, aside from the site having been made ready for construction following County commissioners approving a major expansion of the plans in October 2017.
In October 2022, the project was said to have “come to fruition” following the securing of a new funding package, while Robinson in August stated he was ready to move forward with the scheme. However, Clark County Commission yesterday (Tuesday) unanimously voted to deny the latest request from developers, due to what they believe is a lack of progress on the 26-acre site.
The motion to deny came from Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom, who had previously been a backer of the venture. Segerblom told the Las Vegas Review-Journal: “I’ve worked with Jackie and with the team and I honestly believe that Jackie is a visionary.
“He saw the sports town before anyone else saw the sports town. He saw the NBA before anyone else saw the NBA. Truthfully I’m not sure why anyone else would not join with him to make this project viable.”
However, he added: “Time and time again we’ve asked just one more year, or two years, let’s get this done. We followed the money everywhere around the world and truthfully it just hasn’t happened.”
If All Net is able to provide proof of adequate financial support by December 6, Segerblom could call for a vote to reconsider the denial. However, the deadline to provide such evidence has been set at November 30.
“I said if the money comes in we can reconsider it on the 6th,” Segerblom said. “I made that proposal, but that would take at least four of us (commissioners) to vote yes.
“At the end of the day there was always talk about a billion dollars here, a billion dollars there. We kept extending things based upon those representations and then at some point you have to fish or cut bait. They could just never produce the money.”
In the time the arena has been on the table, T-Mobile Arena opened in April 2016, bringing NHL ice hockey to the city in the shape of the Vegas Golden Knights. Allegiant Stadium hosted its first NFL game for the Las Vegas Raiders in September 2020.
The new Sphere venue officially opened on September 29 after U2 kicked off a 25-show residency at the 18,600-capacity arena, while there are also plans to develop a ballpark that will house the proposed relocation of the Oakland Athletics.
