‘Harlem Nights’ proposal dies in contentious Las Vegas council meeting

The “Harlem Nights” proposal for a resort and apartment building in the Historic Westside was shot down by the Las Vegas City Council in a contentious discussion Wednesday, which ended after Mayor Shelley Berkley threatened to kick the developer out of the meeting.

“I’m going out alone, cancel it please,” developer Shlomo Meiri told Berkley about denying the proposal after she told him that marshals would escort him out of the meeting if he continued to interrupt a councilwoman.

Meiri walked out before the council twice voted 6-1 to deny land-use entitlements for the “Jackson Hotel and Harlem Nights Casino” and the adjacent “Westside Residence” housing complex.

Councilwoman Victoria Seaman cast the dissenting vote.

Requested waivers included allowing the developer to erect two towers on 1.95 acres that would stand about 20 stories tall in an area zoned for a maximum of seven stories.

City staff and the Planning Commission recommended the council deny the project, citing incompatibility with the historic neighborhood.

“This is a behemoth on less than 2 acres,” said Councilwoman Shondra Summers-Armstrong, who represents Ward 5, which encompasses the neighborhood.

‘Anchor’ in ‘distressed area’

Since Meiri unveiled his plans in 2023, he and his representatives maintained that the development near Jackson Avenue and F Street would be an “anchor” that would lead to revitalization on the Historic Westside.

He initially proposed a 60-story hotel-casino but shrunk it down multiple times in an attempt to acquire approval.

The resort would include 207 hotel rooms, 60 condominiums, a theater, eateries, a rooftop pool, and retail and convention space, according to plans submitted to the city. The apartment tower would include 336 units.

Meiri organized neighborhood meetings and vowed to recruit the workforce from the neighborhood and invest back into the Historic Westside.

A feasibility study was conducted, and multiple banks expressed interest in funding the development, his representatives said Wednesday.

“I ask, please listen to us, support the project, ask the hard questions, because we want to be good neighbors in West Las Vegas,” project consultant Jo Cato told the council.

Cato said Meiri had already spent $5 million on the project for the neighborhood, which she described as a “distressed area.”

Meiri said that only a casino can help revitalize the area, but that “nobody with the right mind” would agree to build one with the height restriction.

Investing in anything else would amount to the city shooting itself in the foot, he said. “No business is going to come alone.”

‘The area is a ghetto’

A portion of the land, which last housed a tavern, holds the only unrestricted gaming license in the area. Meiri said he would not seek to renew the license when it expires in September.

“We want development, but we’re not going to be bullied,” Summers-Armstrong said. “This is either a collaboration or it ain’t. If you want a collaboration, you’re going to get much further than being obstructionist.”

Summers-Armstrong took offense after Meiri described the neighborhood around the proposed site as a “ghetto.”

She responded: “If you go to those homes, they’re not a ghetto.”

“The area is a ghetto,” Meiri interrupted.

Summers-Armstrong said the neighborhood already was being developed by entities that “beat you to the punch.”

She noted that surrounding residents had opposed the proposal.

“They’ve spoken on numerous occasions that they are not comfortable with this development, they’re not comfortable with the threats and I am offended by the threats,” Summers-Armstrong said.

Meiri interjected with an expletive.

That’s when Berkley threatened to kick him out. She said the city hoped Meiri would come back with a proposal that adhered to current zoning.

‘They don’t care about the community’

Speaking to reporters outside the council’s chambers, Meiri said he and his family would stop proposing developments on the land.

“If it’s not going to happen, I’m going to sue the city and that’s what’s going to happen,” he said. “The city probably has a lot of money to spare.”

He said the council was influenced by casino operators and called Summers-Armstrong a liar who had disregarded his Jewish religion when he mentioned it in a meeting.

“This woman is nothing but a lie,” Meiri said. “I don’t know who chose her, who voted for her but they better wake up. This woman is going to ruin the Westside.”

Through a city spokesperson, Summers-Armstrong declined to comment beyond what she said at the meeting.

He had harsher words for the council as a whole.

“That’s what happens when you put stupid people to decide on business,” he told reporters. “They don’t know nothing about business and they don’t care about the community. All that they care about is their personal gain.”

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.