Alison Gregor examines the shifting fortunes of the 67-acre CityCenter project, one of the largest privately financed developments in the United States, which opened in late 2009 just as the Las Vegas's tourism and housing industries crashed.
"Nearly three years since it opened, CityCenter is seen as, at best, a qualified success," says Gregor. "A majority of the hotel rooms have been filled, but at much lower room rates than originally planned. Condominium sales have not taken off, though, and the units that have sold have gone at big discounts. Many luxury retailers have moved into the shopping center, but about 12 percent of the mall is still vacant."
Although experts believe that CityCenter has "finally been fully absorbed by the local economy," in a city known for splashy excess, it may be quite a long time before a project of a similar magnitude appears on the Strip.
