Yet Another New Shopping Center Headed to the Strip

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Not to be outdone by the Tropicana Las Vegas' plans for a $100 million retail mall across the street from the MGM Grand, the MGM's parent company is bringing its own, all-new, 80,000-square-foot shopping center to the south Strip and you'll be able to promenade a two-acre park to visit it.

The yet-to-be-announced development is attached to proposed $350 million, 19,500-seat arena that is a joint production between MGM Resorts International and AEG Live. Located right behind New York-New York, it will be the final stage of the current, ongoing construction front of the Monte Carlo and New York-New York hotel-casinos. The makeovers for those two properties will sit astride the entrance to the park. And there will be eight pop-up retailers residing among the greenery as you walk to the mall.

This development was initially known as The Park, but MGM Resorts have appeared reluctant to commit to that name. However, the company created for this undertaking is called Park District Holdings LLC, borrowing the "District" from MGM Grand's own restaurant and shopping row located across the Strip.

The area begins behind the forthcoming Shake Shack, the cult-ish, but rapidly expanding East Coast-based burger joint planning on debuting in late 2014. Three new water features will be added to this area and eight, 9-foot tall, 8 feet by 4 feet retail sales booths will be scattered in the park. They will be painted a suitable all-green color to help blends into the surrounding area.

To entice people to wander back to the arena when it is not hosting events, the 40-foot-tall, two-story shopping center will also include new restaurants. At 80,000-square-foot the retail space is comparable in size to the downmarket Hawaiian Marketplace a little further down the Strip.

Unlike the curved, futuristic arena, the mall design includes a flat roof and the exterior will feature a combination of brick, glass, metal and simulated wood tile design accents.

At the front of the Monte Carlo, work continues on the new dining additions of 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria, Sambalatte Torrefazione coffee shop, the Double Barrel Roadhouse and as first reported by our sister site Eater Vegas, a much-anticipated Asian-themed restaurant Yusho from Chicago chef Matthias Merges.

Over at New York-New York the multimillion dollar remodeled frontage includes newly opened Starbucks, I Heart NYNY souvenir store, a Swatch boutique and a Stupidiotic novelty gift store. Work has begun on creating a two-story Hershey's Chocolate World and possibly the long-rumored shuttering and transformation of the Sporting House Bar & Grill into a brewpub concept.

The arena is scheduled to open in the spring of 2016 and is expected to break ground within the next three months. No early world has been given on the timetable for the shopping center.

This new project adds to the explosion of retail possibilities coming to the Strip over the next two years including the Tropicana project, Bally's Grand Bazaar Shops and another shopping hub at Treasure Island. Much further down the Strip, The SLS Vegas will add 10,000-square-feet from Fred Segal with seven Fred Segal-branded boutiques.
· All Storecasting [Racked Vegas]