Boulevard Food Court and 20-Foot Fire Sculpture to Burn Up The Strip

The dream of a London Thrill Theme Park to drop into a universally disliked section of the Strip may have been crushed by the county last year, but the shabby area located across from CityCenter will finally get a complete remodel with better pedestrian access, new casual dining, street art and the promise of a 20-foot-tall fire sculpture.

Landlord Metroflag Cable LLC and popular tenant Fatburger plan to convert the shuttered McDonald's next door to the burger favorite into a 4,165-square-foot, Boulevard Food Court. The concept will allow guests to sit in a new shaded outdoor patio with views of the sculpture. Non-diners are also expected to have access to their own mini plaza for people watching. Alcohol will not be available to the outdoor diners.

The 20-foot-tall "fire sculpture" will be surrounded by glass railings and "glass features" to protect visitors from the flames. The exterior of the food court space will be designed with a bright sheen, created with metal, glass, aluminum and graphic panels, evoking a modern version of a fifties diner.

The plans help appease Clark County, who gave this block and Metroflag a failing "D" grade for pedestrian access in a 2012 survey of Las Vegas Boulevard. Current plans will need to be tweaked to make sure they accommodate a new RTC bus shelter, not create more bottlenecks with the proposed meandering pathway and assure the area is further improved with extra landscaping. No timetable for completion or construction budget has yet been revealed and future dining options are hoped to eventually be added to the storefronts.