Children's Museum And Center's Links To Downtown Planned

Posted: Mar. 14, 2012 | 12:52 a.m.

Sam Cherry is happy to be downtown again.

Known for the development of two key downtown high-rises, Soho Lofts (where he lives) and Newport Lofts, Cherry took some time away from the downtown scene to regroup after his namesake development group crumbled with the real estate crash.

But Cherry is back downtown and likes what he sees in the new Fremont East District, at Soho with its Lady Sylvia bar opening last summer, a grocery store up and running, and the many overall additions to an area brimming with optimism.

Cherry also shares a common thinking with local businesses of making a connection to The Smith Center for the Performing Arts.

"A lot of downtown property owners have reached out to The Smith Center to try to package services. ... Someone might want to do dinner, a cocktail and dessert after the show. ... A downtown hotel could provide shuttle service," said Bill Arent, director of economic and urban development for the city of Las Vegas.

"At Lady Sylvia, we need to do a good job of giving that person a great experience before going to the show or after," Cherry added.

Links to downtown

With businesses wanting to link on the marketing front, there also is a quest for a physical link from Symphony Park to amenities downtown. Newland Development, which oversees the build-out of the 61-acre Symphony Park, doesn't have a lot of big vertical construction announcements on the near horizon. But some of the smaller stuff is important, too.

A pedestrian bridge soon will break ground from the south end of Symphony Park near The Smith Center, crossing the railroad tracks along Symphony Park's eastern border to a parking garage being built for the recently opened City Hall. This link, for which Newland is pursuing federal funds to build, will help Smith Center patrons gain access to Fremont Street.

Excerpt from:
Children's Museum And Center's Links To Downtown Planned