A Project That Never Happened: Durango Station

Chad Rodick wonders what ever happened to Durango Station…

There has been a sign sitting on Durango and Roy Horn Way promising a new casino and hotel since 1997. Right now all you see is an empty 70-acre lot with a fence.

Construction was originally scheduled to begin in 2009 with a first phase opening in 2011. The project would have featured a 201 room tower, movie theater, arcade, restaurants, retail shops, pool and a casino. The casino floor itself would have been 87,000 square feet with two parking garages on each side that are accessible to the casino. Plans for the shops were going to be the largest-scale development within Stations at 190,000 square feet. The Retail District would have been similar to the “District @ Green Valley Ranch”.

The second phase would have featured a 525 Room Tower with no construction date. I was able to get into contact with a friend who works for Stations (he asked that I withhold his name). He told me that Stations still owns the land but at this point, Stations has no plans to start on the site. However, they do have to use a mobile gambling trailer in October to keep a gaming license on the site.

Many residents living in close-by communities have grown tired of the empty lot which was once promised to be a casino. Maybe one day that casino will rise from the sand…or not. Who knows? With Station Casino’s parent company purchasing Palms, it might just be cheaper to buy than to build.

Overall I would love to see another casino outside of the strip. It looks for now that I will most likely stick to the strip and Downtown when I go to Las Vegas.

[Images: Chad Rodick, LVhomes, Vegas Today and Tomorrow]

Chad Rodick

Hello, my name is Chad Rodick. I first went to Vegas in 2004 and after winning $14,000 at Tropicana, I now visit Vegas every year during the summer months. People might call me crazy, but I love going to Vegas to get away from my hometown.