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Under construction Lucky Dragon Hotel & Casino has been struggling for months to find the final $55 million they say they need to finish their visually enticing, Asian-themed resort. But a new plan might lower that final, heavy financial burden, if they can persuade the City to agree to their compromise.
Much of the anticipation for the "240,199-square-foot, 201 room, 10 story hotel" has rested on the stunning renderings created by EV&A Architects and the dramatic ruby metal exterior. The project owners now want to abandon the metal finish on the casino and replace it with a "smooth EIFS product that resembles metal panels." Work on the casino's exterior has yet to begin.
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Lucky Dragon casino exterior - Photo: Bradley Martin
To further cut costs, metal screens on the exterior parking garage would be removed and painted to match the casino in front. The hotel itself has already been partially clad and the remaining top portion would also be painted to fake the eye.
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Lucky Dragon hotel exterior - Photo Bradley Martin
City of Las Vegas Planning Commission staff are recommending a denial of the proposal, citing the "The Downtown Centennial Plan," which requires "uniformity of architectural form, materials, finishes and proportions between parking garages and the primary buildings they serve."
Aside from the visual and architectural "disconnect" and creating a structure "aesthetically incompatible with other properties in the vicinity," the metal screens had also been touted as a barrier "from noise and odors" for the neighborhood. The Planning Commission board will have their say in the matter later this month.
Lucky Dragon had been pushing for an August 2016 debut date. The project promises 48 gaming tables, 350 slot machines, five restaurants, four lounges, a pool, a spa, and "modest" retail stores, with a recently completed second-floor sky bridge connecting the hotel to the casino.
