The planned demolition of the historic Riviera hotel and casino in Las Vegas could be delayed after a local college student filed a petition with the Clark County registrar of voters to save the 60-year-old venue.
The shuttered north Strip property’s Monte Carlo and Monaco towers are due to be brought down via separate explosions in July and August to make way for the planned expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center but Kelden Engel, a student at Nevada State College, is hoping to stall the project.
The Las Vegas Convention And Visitors Authority acquired the Nevada site from Paragon Gaming in February of 2015 for $191 million, which included $8.5 million in related acquisition costs, and is due to start bulldozer and wrecking-ball demolition on the lower-rise buildings this month.
“At this time, we have not decided on a path to take regarding the petition,” read a statement from the Las Vegas Convention And Visitors Authority. “We are still reviewing options with outside counsel but we will take all actions necessary and are in the process of conducting the due diligence regarding the petition.”
The petition from Henderson resident Engel seeks approval for an ordinance that would “legally prevent the demolition of any structures that are currently or have ever been situated on land denoted by Clark County Assessor’s Parcel Number 162-09-703-001”.
Engel appeared before the Las Vegas Convention And Visitors Authority’s board in August to unsuccessfully plead for the preservation of at least one of the Riviera towers. He stated that he is taking a stance for historical preservation in a city that has recently seen more than a dozen properties demolished in order to make way for new developments. To be successful, his initiative would require signatures from 15% of the number of people that voted in the 2014 general election, which equates to approximately 50,000 names, by July 1.