Movie theater planned for downtown North Las Vegas
The producer of “Selena,” “Gettysburg” and other movies wants to bring a piece of Hollywood to downtown North Las Vegas.
Maya Cinemas North America, led by CEO Moctesuma Esparza, bought a 32-acre vacant lot across the street from City Hall and the Silver Nugget casino for $7.1 million on Monday, property records show.
His company plans to build a 70,000-square-foot movie theater on the Las Vegas Boulevard property, city officials said. The site might also have restaurants and shops.
“That’s definitely a prime piece of real estate for the interior of North Las Vegas,” Mayor John Lee said. “We don’t have a traditional downtown, so it will give people more of a reason to come into this part of the city and spend some money.”
In a phone interview Friday, Esparza said it was “a little premature” to talk about the land purchase and possible development plans. But he confirmed that he’s looking to build a project there.
“You’re just a couple of weeks too early,” said Esparza, who operates a handful of theaters in Central California. “We’re not ready to make any announcement.”
Property records indicate the seller was Dallas-based Sarofim Realty Advisors. Executives could not be reached for comment Friday.
The purchase is the culmination of negotiating with several developers in recent years, said Gina Gavan, director of economic and business development for the city of North Las Vegas. At least 20,000 square feet of commercial development could accompany the movie theater, Gavan said, along with an “additional element” that she would not immediately discuss.
“The investors want to carry the movie experience into the commercial area,” Gavan said.
Construction could start by the end of the year, she said, pending final approval from the North Las Vegas Planning Commission and the City Council.
City officials said the project will dovetail with ongoing efforts to redevelop a nearby 160-acre section of North Las Vegas into a retail and housing mecca known as Lake Mead Village West.
“There is a lot of activity happening in downtown and behind the scenes,” Gavan said. “This is going to be a great catalytic project to gain developer confidence.”
Developers last decade sought to convert the Maya Cinemas property into a 350,000-square-foot retail complex known as Las Flores that was supposed to appeal to the city’s burgeoning Latino community.
After several stalls in construction, the plan failed to get off the ground. Today, a weathered board for Las Flores that says “Now Leasing” sits behind a fence that’s collecting trash along Las Vegas Boulevard.
“Nobody’s ever been willing to take that board down,” said Kit Graski, the former leasing broker for Las Flores.
Contact Art Marroquin at amarroquin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Follow @AMarroquin_LV on Twitter. Contact Eli Segall at esegall@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0342. Follow @eli_segall on Twitter.
