The city of Henderson plans to build an indoor sports facility on the site of the former Fiesta Henderson resort, with the remainder of the site offering other amenities that would complement the city’s downtown area, said Jared Smith, director of economic development and tourism for the city.
City officials are reviewing requests for qualifications submissions to select which developer it will partner with to convert the property. Smith said the project would be a combined tourism and economic asset, providing Henderson youths with a new space to participate in sports, and also attracting large tournaments to the region.
“The city is very passionate about ensuring that such an important entrance and strategic location in our downtown area be cultivated by the vision of our leadership and our residents,” he said. “So we purchased the site, and we’ve spent some time listening to our residents.”
Of the more than 5,600 responses the city received from surveys and community-input events, residents made it clear that their preferred primary aims for the site included using it for a tournament sports facility, hospitality and family-oriented entertainment.
The top two “supporting” uses included “family-fun” and “arts and culture,” according to the city website.
The city also learned through community engagement that residents were not looking for particularly tall buildings, Smith said, but they wanted a “diverse array of public spaces,” or open space where people can enjoy being outside within the development.
“So we made this as much, if not more, about their vision than our own,” Smith said.
Scott Muelrath, president and CEO of the Henderson Chamber of Commerce, said that Henderson acquiring the former Fiesta site was a “bold move.”
City officials first approved the plan to purchase the 35-acre property for $32 million in December 2022, after its former owner, Station Casinos, announced plans earlier that year to tear down the resort — which initially closed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They saw it as an opportunity, as a gateway piece of real estate, to develop and create uses that are going to drive, hopefully, a whole lot of visitor and local traffic to the area,” said Muelrath, who emphasized that the business community appreciates city leadership for taking a risk and purchasing the site for such a good concept.
There’s a need in the Henderson market for a facility of this nature and of this size, Smith noted.
The city has become a landing spot for youth sports, with one its baseball teams last summer reaching the Little League World Series, rec hockey thriving in downtown and parks crowded on weeknights with youth teams practicing.
“This indoor sports facility opens up new doors, for a different side of tourism and a whole new area of sports that we can really recruit to come to Henderson en masse,” he said. “I believe that puts us on a national map with some other large facilities. So, this is going to increase Henderson’s brand recognition as a location for youth sports and tourism.”
A facility like that which is planned for the Fiesta site is sure to make Henderson a hub for different sporting leagues and conferences, Muelrath said, which will not only bring more youths to town, but their parents and others to boost tourism.
“The ripple effect to the hotel rooms and the ancillary services, the restaurants — all of that is very beneficial to, obviously, the business community,” he said.
Going forward, Smith said, the city hopes to be diligent about reviewing the request for qualifications submissions — which were required to be submitted by Feb. 5 — and selecting a developer, while also being careful not to rush the decision.
“We want to make sure that the right development partner …. (that) what they’re proposing matches with the vision of our residents,” he said. “Because nothing is more important than that.”