Las Vegas Strip's Abandoned SkyVue Parcel to House 752-Room Casino Resort

A site on the Las Vegas Strip that has remained largely vacant for more than a decade is set to be transformed into a resort with 752 rooms, following a unanimous vote by the Clark County Commission.

The nearly 12-acre property, previously home to the stalled SkyVue observation wheel project, was acquired in spring 2024 by developer Eli Applebaum for $70 million. The original SkyVue plan, announced in 2011, envisioned a 500-foot Ferris wheel, roller coaster, retail, and dining, but construction ceased due to financial troubles. The site's incomplete concrete support towers—nicknamed "matchsticks" by locals—will now be reinforced and integrated into the new development rather than demolished.

The proposed resort will feature a heart-shaped hotel tower with a prominent LED facade, a covered pedestrian plaza inspired by the Fremont Street Experience, and a midair restaurant constructed around the remaining SkyVue structures. Additional amenities include restaurants, retail space, an outdoor recreation area, and a parking garage. Nancy Amundsen, a land-use consultant representing Applebaum, noted that the developer had consulted with neighboring MGM Resorts International, whose Mandalay Bay resort sits across Las Vegas Boulevard. "They just want something to happen," Amundsen said of MGM's attitude toward the long-delayed project.

Applebaum initially proposed an 874-room resort, but the building's height was reduced by approximately 60 feet after discussions with the Federal Aviation Administration and Clark County's Department of Aviation. This change lowered the room count to 752. Amundsen stated that the existing towers would be strengthened with an additional pillar to accommodate the sky restaurant, a move she said would "hopefully make it look a little nicer" than the current unfinished structures.

Former SkyVue developer Howard Bulloch previously noted that the property had been "in escrow numerous times" but that buyers "were just not able to arrange their financing as they had promised." The Clark County Commission passed the necessary zoning approvals unanimously, clearing the way for redevelopment of a site that has been a prominent eyesore on the Strip for years.