Athletics’ Las Vegas ballpark tax district approved by county commission

As the ball keeps rolling toward the groundbreaking on the Athletics’ Las Vegas Strip ballpark project, Clark County commissioners approved a vital step in paying for a portion of the $1.75 billion stadium.

County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved the creation of the Sports and Entertainment Improvement District, which will raise $120 million to repay bonds the county will take out to fulfill its commitment to the up to $380 million in public funding approved by the Legislature in 2023 for the ballpark.

“This has been a long time coming, a lot of work by a lot of people,” Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson said during Tuesday’s board meeting. “I think what we’ve found is that we have partners there that are willing to contribute and to make a difference.”

The district will include the nine acres where the 33,000-fan capacity stadium will be built. The remaining 26 acres of the 35-acre Tropicana site where Bally’s Corp. plans to build an integrated resort are not included in the tax district.

Taxes on the site can start to be accrued during the construction phase of the stadium project.

Aside from the $120 million pledged toward the construction of the project, Clark County will also contribute $25 million toward infrastructure upgrades around the stadium site. The state will contribute $180 million via transferable tax credits, which was included in Senate Bill 1 passed by lawmakers in 2023.

Once the county bonds are paid off, the improvement district would be discontinued and the taxes from the stadium would then flow to the county and state.

The A’s are still working with Bally’s Corp. and landowner GLPI to finalize the transferring of the deed for the nine acres to the A’s. The A’s will then transfer the land to the Las Vegas Stadium Authority, which will own the land and the stadium once it is completed.

The Athletics are also still working to finalize a development agreement with the county, but the team is OK to begin initial work on the stadium before that deal is struck.

The A’s are geared to break ground on their stadium project sometime in June, according to Las Vegas Stadium Authority Chairman Steve Hill. The project is expected to take between 31 and 33 months to complete, with plans to begin the team’s Las Vegas tenure in 2028.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.