Echelon Las Vegas


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Echelon News
This page was updated 6/11/08
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Echelon

Gracing the 87 acres where The Stardust, Westward Ho and Budget Suites used to sit, The $4.8-billion Echelon will be the centerpiece of the new north strip.

The project will have close to 5,000 rooms which will be divided into five (partially separate) towers. The main 2,500-room Echelon Hotel, the 650-room Enclave (Suites at Echelon), and the 350-room Shangri-La Las Vegas will share one high-rise while the 860-room Mondrian Las Vegas and the 550-room Delano Las Vegas will share the other.

Several acres of Boyd's 87 acres will remain empty for possible future residence towers. Each hotel will have it's own spa.

All four hotels will share:
- 140,000-sq. ft casino (the fourth largest in Las Vegas)
- 300,000-sq. ft. shopping venue
- 750,000-sq. ft. convention center (the fourth largest in Vegas)
- 30 restaurants and bars
- 4,000-seat stadium-style theater (for resident production shows)
- 1,500-seat theater (for touring acts)
- The project will be completed in the third quarter of 2010

Echelon News & Views

Echelon Forest So, what's up with the small forest between Echelon and the construction trailers? Those are the transplanted trees that used to live around the Stardust. The trees will be re-used in Echelon's Landscaping (waste-not want-not). The palm trees are there too, just not in this shot. Click image to enlarge.
NEWS 7/24/07 Echelon Place is now called (simply) Echelon
These are the first renderings of Echelon and are subject to change as the project matures. Click images to enlarge
The plan (above) shows how the project will use the site. The main hotel tower, the suites tower and the Shangri-La hotel tower are part of the same structure. The Mondrian and Delano hotels are also attached at the hip. All these towers will have different heights, as seen in the renderings above. The large surface parking lot should be just a temporary cover until phase 2 uses that space.		Hey, don't move my McCheese McDonald's is moving out of the way of Echelon, snuggling up to Slots-a-fun (on the strip near Circus Circus). Boyd struck a deal with McD's, purchasing the McDonald's land for $15+ million and selling them the other lot for 11.8+ million, giving McD's a bigger lot and enough profit to build a new restaurant (and a side of fries). This is a win/win situation, and with the new location so close to the original, McD's won't loose even a day of business. The photo (below left) shows the new McD's rendering and the site (below right) graded and ready. Construction trailers are in place between the two properties. The new McDonald's will be more adult, with a second floor WiFi lounge. Rendering courtesy McDonalds Photo 10/18/07 by Aaron Auxier Photo 6/9/08 by frandoo4 shows the progress.


Echelon Construction Photos

A rare view, shot from Fontainebleau (far left) shows the whole Echelon site. Photo 6/9/08 by frand004. Another view, (center) this one from Wynn, shows the southwest portion of the project. Photo 6/10/08 by Andrew Stoner. The third shot is from Echelon's webcam 6/11/08 at 6:30 a.m.

	Shot from the parking garage at Wynn Las Vegas, Echelon is up to its fifth floor. Photo 5/2/08 by Jay Abramson

Scott Becker captures a close-up of the northwest side of Echelon. Prominent, is the Shangri La tower Photo 5/4/08

A composite from Echelon's webcam (looking west), shows the site buzzing with activity Photo 5/1/08

	Echelon is coming along nicely. This (split) shot was taken by Gary Wayne on 3/28/08 from the Palazzo.

Two shots of Echelon construction (near right) by Mark Diederichsen 3/12/08 and a birds-eye from Trump Tower (far right) 3/16/08 by Aaron Auxier
	Work on the first floor of the main resort/suites tower/Shangri La is underway in the foreground while the parking garage is being constructed far behind. Photo 3/2/08 by Aaron Auxier

Things are bustling on the huge Echelon site (near right) The main resort tower is taking shape (far right) Photos 2/2/08 by Brian Fey

	Five cranes, standing tall and waiting for Echelon to start its vertical ascent. Photo 1/22/08 by Mark Diederichsen

The tower cranes are being installed adjacent to the main tower's foundation. Photo 12/0207 by Scott Becker

	The first Big Pour Dozens of cement trucks take place in a 20 hour continuous pour of the thick foundation of the main resort tower on the Echelon site. Photo 11/13/07 by Mark Adams

Finally, some rebar. Construction is underway in this photo 9/30/07 by Erik Warnke

	News 6/19/07 Echelon Las Vegas Breaks Ground The next ultra-luxurious uber-mega-resort, Echelon Place celebrated it's official groundbreaking today. Boyd Gaming also announced that the price tag for the resort has increased from $4 billion to $4.8 billion.

Older Echelon News

Land for Echelon
Click map to enlarge

12/20/06 The image (right) shows the vast size of Boyd's 87-acre property.

All of the colored areas on this map are owned by Boyd. Mc Donald's was a holdout (a NIMBY), the property is most likely a hot topic at Boyd's Echelon planning meetings. Slots-a-Fun is a small, low roller casino (which is owned by MGM, along with Circus Circus) and is not available to Boyd. The Post Office and Fire Station are more of a feature than an obstacle.

A few years back, Boyd purchased the Budget Suites Hotel which abuts the Stardust property and will level it as part the first phase of the Echelon Project.

The former Westward Ho land and the thin strip (which was previously leased by the Stardust), were both acquired by Boyd in the land swap with Harrah's (costing Boyd the Barbary Coast property). These parcels will be used for phase two of Echelon.

News - Harrah's Gets Barbary Coast -
Boyd Gets Room for Expansion of Echelon

10/02/06 Harrah's Entertainment and Boyd Gaming finally agreed on the trade of the former Westward Ho and adjacent property for the Barbary Coast. In the real world, trading a 4.3- acre lot for a 24-acre lot 1.5 miles away, doesn't seem like a good deal but Vegas is not the real world. This agreement will be consummated in the first quarter on 2007.

This deal makes the most sense for both players. It gives Boyd 24 acres which are adjacent to the 63-acre Stardust and Budget Suites sites (which are being redeveloped into the $4 billion Echelon Place) for a whopping 87 contiguous acres. According to an undisclosed official at Boyd Gaming, the plans for Echelon will not be altered by the newly acquired property. That property will be developed as Phase II after Echelon is completed and used for staging during the construction of Echelon .

The deal gives Harrah's control of three corners of the hottest intersection in Vegas and the ability to move ahead with a more "lofty" master-plan.

Boyd Announces Plans for Echelon

1/04/06 In 2007, low rollers will have one less strip casino to enjoy as Boyd Gaming has announced plans to close, implode and replace its famed Stardust resort with a 5,000-room, 87-acre, $4-billion, mixed-use resort.

The preliminary rendering (left) Shows the placement of the buildings.

Early sketch showing possible building placement

12/28/06 Windows are being removed from the Stardust to
ready the tower for its pending March implosion.
See more photos and the implosion video on our Remembering Stardust page

Click image to enlarge.

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