Durango Station Casino Resort Development in Las Vegas Gains Local Approval

Posted on: September 2, 2021, 12:33h. 

Last updated on: September 2, 2021, 02:14h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More

Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Durango Station has gained local approval. Durango Statio is the name Station Casinos has given its long-stalled resort project targeting vacant land southwest of the Las Vegas Strip.

The Spring Valley Town Advisory Board this week voted in favor of Station Casinos’ plan to build a casino resort on a 71-acre plot of land that the company has owned for more than two decades. The site is located on the west side of South Durango Drive and the 215 Beltway, just south of IKEA.

Station wants to build a gaming space measuring 99,000 square feet, paired with a 452-room hotel, plus 20,000 square feet of outdoor dining space. It’s a scaled-down version of Station’s earlier plan, which suggested as many as 1,000 hotel rooms and a complex that more closely resembled those on the Strip.

Winning Over Locals

Station Casinos caters to the locals’ market in Southern Nevada. Its casinos throughout the Las Vegas Valley offer area residents a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the Strip, while still offering first-class service and amenities.

But some locals in the highly residential Durango area have voiced concerns about traffic that the casino might bring to the neighborhood. Station tried to ease such worries during Tuesday’s meeting.

The project before you proposes a much less intense use,” Rebecca Miltenberger, a real estate attorney representing Station Casinos on the project, told a crowd of roughly 50 people. “We are presenting a plan to you that includes just over 400 hotel rooms and a reduction in gaming floor space.”

While some locals in attendance voiced their support for the development, others said it would be a detriment to the area. One of the proposed entrances to Durango Station is along Maule Avenue, which is near the Red Ridge Family Park. The 26-acre recreational area features a basketball court, large water splash pad, swing sets, picnic pavilions, disc golf course, little league ballfields, and an open area for a variety of activities.

Kids are not careful about crossing the street, and the traffic on Maule Street has significantly gotten worse,” resident Debra Korak told TV show 8 News Now after the casino meeting.

If the resort entrance along Maule Street is not altered, Korak said the project should not move forward.

Station’s plans aren’t only gaming-related. The two-phase development, the company says, will eventually bring a movie theater to the property. Numerous restaurants would also be on the site.

The Durango area has long been considered underserved in terms of gambling. The closest casino is some five miles away, which, depending on traffic, can be a considerable commute.

Union, Station Bickering

The Culinary Union was in attendance at the Durango Station public meeting. Labor officials voiced strong antagonism to the project on similar traffic and congestion fears.

Station Casinos and Culinary have long been foes, as the company’s portfolio of casinos largely remains union-free. Station responded to the group’s presence at the Durango assembly.

“It is unfortunate, but we are not surprised, as we have grown used to decades of endless harassment by the Culinary Union. Instead of applauding a project that will pay millions in local taxes, create a beautiful new amenity for the neighborhood, and create thousands of construction and permanent jobs, including jobs for people they supposedly care about, they take the low road and play petty politics,” the Station Casinos statement declared.