LVCVA board approves plan to demolish Riviera

The shuttered Riviera property will be demolished as planned as the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's board of directors on Tuesday affirmed a recommendation of its Convention Center District committee.

Board members voted unanimously to demolish the property, which likely would occur early next year, choosing that over delaying its removal or preserving a portion of the structure.

The committee considered two plans at a meeting last month. Under one, it would demolish the historic hotel as soon as feasible, which would allow the authority to clear the land and rent it to convention vendors wanting outdoor exhibit space.

The other option was to hold off on its removal. And, earlier in Tuesday's meeting, Kelden Engel, who will attend the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' hotel administration school as a freshman in the fall, made an impassioned plea to preserve at least one of the towers of the Riviera.

The authority has $42 million budgeted for demolition. Terry Miller of Cordell Corp., which is managing the Las Vegas Convention Center District project, said it would cost $5 million to $10 million a year to secure and maintain the building if demolition were delayed.

Authority officials have said the Riviera would be inventoried for hazardous materials before it is torn down. Demolition would go to a public bid and at that time it would be determined if the building would be imploded or demolished by a more conventional means.

Contact reporter Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Find @RickVelotta on Twitter.