Clark County Commissioners Greenlight Heart-Shaped Casino Resort on Abandoned SkyVue Site

Clark County commissioners have given the green light to a 29-story heart-shaped casino resort that will occupy the long-vacant SkyVue Ferris wheel site on the south Las Vegas Strip directly across from Mandalay Bay; the approval covers a 752-room hotel tower along with convention space, a gaming floor, restaurants, and retail outlets while repurposing the original Ferris wheel pillars as the base for a suspended restaurant experience.

The nearly 12-acre parcel changed hands this spring when developer Eli Applebaum, operating through Kulik River Capital, completed the $70 million purchase; plans call for the heart-shaped structure to rise from the former amusement site and integrate the existing steel pillars into a dining venue that will hang above the Strip-level activity below.

Key Project Components

The resort will feature 752 guest rooms distributed across the 29 stories, a dedicated convention center sized for large-scale meetings and events, a full gaming floor with slot machines and table games, multiple restaurant concepts, and retail space aimed at both visitors and locals; the suspended restaurant built on the repurposed Ferris wheel pillars will offer diners elevated views while preserving a piece of the site's prior identity.

Commissioners reviewed traffic studies, environmental assessments, and architectural renderings before voting to permit the project; the heart shape was presented as both a distinctive visual landmark and a functional layout that maximizes floor space on the constrained parcel while meeting county height and setback requirements.

Background on the SkyVue Site

The parcel sat idle for years after the SkyVue Ferris wheel project stalled and ultimately failed to open; the massive wheel structure remained partially erected until its removal, leaving the steel support pillars as the most visible remnant of the earlier development attempt; county records show the land changed ownership multiple times during the dormant period before Kulik River Capital finalized the current transaction.

Local planning documents indicate the new resort will connect to existing Strip infrastructure through pedestrian bridges and vehicle access points designed to handle increased traffic from the 752 rooms plus convention and gaming visitors; the design team incorporated the old pillars into the restaurant concept to reduce waste and create a talking point for guests who remember the original Ferris wheel plans.

Developer and Timeline Details

Eli Applebaum and Kulik River Capital have moved quickly since acquiring the land; the county approval clears the way for permitting, financing finalization, and groundbreaking activities expected to begin later this year with an eye toward a 2028 opening; project filings list the heart-shaped tower as the centerpiece of a mixed-use complex that also includes ground-level retail and dining accessible to pedestrians on Las Vegas Boulevard.

County staff confirmed that the project meets all current zoning rules for the south Strip entertainment corridor; the approval process included public comment periods where nearby property owners and business operators raised questions about construction noise and long-term traffic impacts, yet the commission determined the benefits of new hotel rooms and jobs outweighed those concerns.

Conclusion

The heart-shaped casino resort now has the necessary county approvals to move forward on the former SkyVue site; with the land purchase complete and the design locked in, Kulik River Capital can proceed with detailed engineering and contractor selection while the repurposed Ferris wheel pillars stand ready to become part of the new suspended restaurant. Additional information appears in coverage from casino.org and worldcasinodirectory.com. The project adds another distinctive property to the south Strip lineup and brings fresh investment to a parcel that had remained dormant for nearly a decade.