Heart-Shaped Resort on the Strip | Ryan Rose

by Ryan Rose

What Clark County Actually Approved

On July 22, 2026, the Clark County Commission approved plans for a 752-room hotel and casino on about 12 acres on the south Las Vegas Strip. The property sits in unincorporated Clark County, directly across from Mandalay Bay. This is the stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard near the south gateway to the resort corridor.

The building itself is the headline. The design calls for a 29-story tower shaped like a heart. The outside of the tower will be wrapped in a large LED screen, the kind of digital display that can show images, ads, and animations across the whole face of the building. On a street already famous for the Sphere and giant marquees, a glowing heart-shaped tower would stand out even here.

The developer is Eli Applebaum, who runs a firm called Kulik River Capital. According to the reporting, Applebaum's group bought the long-abandoned parcel for about $70 million this spring. That purchase set the stage for the plan that commissioners approved in July.

One of the most unusual pieces of the project is what happens with the old SkyVue columns. Instead of tearing everything down, the plan reuses the two giant support columns that were left standing when the Ferris wheel project failed. The design places a restaurant roughly 265 feet up in the air on top of those columns. That would give diners a view straight down the Strip toward Mandalay Bay, Luxor, and the rest of the south corridor.

The numbers are worth repeating because they are big. Seven hundred fifty-two rooms. Twenty-nine stories. Twelve acres. A $70 million land purchase. A restaurant more than 260 feet off the ground. This is not a small boutique concept. It is a full-size Strip resort with a casino attached.

A resort this size usually brings more than just hotel rooms. Projects on this scale typically include a casino floor, restaurants, bars, and event space, along with parking and behind-the-scenes operations. The reporting puts the spotlight on the heart-shaped tower, the LED wrap, and the mid-air restaurant, and those are the pieces that separate this plan from a standard hotel. The LED screen in particular fits a clear trend on the Strip, where properties keep competing to be the most photographed building on the boulevard. A glowing heart aimed straight at social media feeds is a smart play in that arms race.

County approval is a major step, but it is not the finish line. Approval means the project cleared its zoning and land-use review with the commission. It gives the developer the right to move forward with the design and permitting process. Actual construction, financing, and an opening date are separate milestones that still have to fall into place. Big Strip projects often take years from approval to opening, and some never break ground at all. Still, getting a yes from the county is the kind of green light that turns a concept drawing into a real plan.

Aerial night view of the Las Vegas Strip resort corridor where the 752-room heart-shaped hotel was approved

Why This Matters to Las Vegas Residents

You might wonder why a new Strip resort matters to you if you live in Henderson, Summerlin, or the southwest valley. The answer comes down to jobs, traffic, and the health of the local economy.

Start with jobs. A 752-room resort with a casino needs thousands of workers once it opens. Housekeepers, dealers, cooks, servers, security, front desk staff, and managers all come with a property this size. Before that, the construction phase puts tradespeople to work for years. Electricians, iron workers, plumbers, and heavy equipment operators all benefit when a project this big moves forward. In a valley where so many paychecks are tied to tourism and building, one more major resort is real money for local families.

Next, think about the neighborhoods near the south Strip. Areas like Enterprise, the southwest valley, and parts of Paradise sit within a short drive of this site. When a new resort opens, it changes traffic patterns, it adds demand for nearby housing, and it can lift interest in homes and rentals close to the action. Workers want to live near their jobs. Investors watch these announcements closely. A big project across from Mandalay Bay puts a fresh spotlight on the south end of the valley.

Renters have a stake in this too. New resort jobs can pull more workers toward the south valley, and that demand touches the rental market near the Strip. More competition for apartments and rental homes can nudge rents higher over time, so tenants in Enterprise, Paradise, and the southwest should pay attention as the project moves forward. Small businesses near the corridor, from local restaurants to service shops, often see more foot traffic and more customers once a new resort opens nearby.

There is also the tax side. Resorts on the Strip generate large amounts of tax revenue through gaming, room taxes, and sales taxes. That money helps fund schools, roads, and public services across Clark County. More resort activity on the Strip can mean more money flowing into the systems that everyone in the valley uses. It is not a magic fix, but it matters.

Of course, growth comes with tradeoffs. More rooms and more visitors mean more cars on Las Vegas Boulevard and the nearby freeways. The south Strip already gets busy near events and holidays. Residents who drive through that area will want to watch how traffic plans take shape. Utilities are another piece of the puzzle. Every new resort adds demand for power and water, two topics that are already front and center in Southern Nevada.

For homeowners, the bigger picture is confidence. When developers spend $70 million on land and commit to a full resort, it is a signal that they believe in the future of Las Vegas. That kind of investment tends to support property values across the valley over time. A thriving Strip helps the whole region, from the tourism corridor to the suburbs where most residents actually live. When the Strip does well, the local housing market usually feels the benefit.

Las Vegas Strip hotel and casino towers lit up at night, the resort corridor near the new heart-shaped development site

The SkyVue Story and the Land's Long Wait

To understand why this approval is such a big deal, you have to know the history of the land. The site is best known as the home of the SkyVue, a giant observation wheel that was supposed to rival the High Roller on the east side of the Strip. The project was announced more than a decade ago, and it was pitched as a bold new attraction for the south end of Las Vegas Boulevard.

Construction started, but it never got far. Crews put up two massive concrete support columns, and then the money and momentum ran out. The wheel was never built. Those two columns stood there for years, tall and empty, right across from Mandalay Bay. For locals and visitors driving south on the Strip, the columns became a strange landmark, a reminder of a big idea that fell apart.

For years, the abandoned columns were a familiar sight for locals. Anyone driving the south Strip or heading to and from the nearby airport had likely seen them and wondered what they were meant to be. That is part of why this approval struck a nerve. A piece of the Strip that stood as a symbol of a stalled idea suddenly has a real path forward, and people noticed.

The SkyVue site turned into one of the most visible pieces of unfinished business on the entire Strip. Prime land in one of the most famous tourism corridors on earth sat mostly idle. Every few years, rumors would swirl about a new plan, but nothing stuck. The land waited for the right developer and the right concept.

That is what makes the 2026 approval notable. Instead of ignoring the old columns or knocking them down, the new plan builds them into the design. The mid-air restaurant about 265 feet up uses the SkyVue supports as its foundation. A failed attraction becomes part of a new one. It is a rare example of the Strip reusing its own leftovers instead of starting from a clean slate.

The purchase price also tells a story. Kulik River Capital paid about $70 million for the parcel this spring. That is a serious number, and it shows how valuable Strip-front land remains even after years of false starts on this exact site. Developers are still willing to bet big on Las Vegas Boulevard. After more than a decade of waiting, the old Ferris wheel land finally has a plan that cleared the county.

A tower crane rising over a high-rise construction site, similar to the equipment needed to build the new Strip resort

What Happens Next

County approval is the starting gun, not the finish line. The next steps involve detailed design, building permits, and financing. Before crews can pour concrete, the developer has to move the project through the permitting process and line up the money to actually build a full resort. Those steps take time, and the timeline for a project this size is usually measured in years, not months.

Financing is the piece to watch most closely. A 752-room resort with a casino is an expensive build. Interest rates, construction costs, and investor confidence all play a role in whether a project like this moves from paper to steel. Some approved Strip projects break ground quickly. Others sit for a while, and a few never get built. The county's yes is important, but the money has to follow.

Residents should also watch for updates on traffic and infrastructure. As the design moves forward, there will likely be more detail about parking, road access, and how the resort connects to Las Vegas Boulevard. Anyone who drives the south Strip will want to keep an eye on those plans. Utility hookups for power and water will be part of the conversation too.

There is also the question of what the finished tower will actually look like. Renderings and early designs can change as a project gets closer to reality. The heart shape and the LED wrap are the signature features today, but details often shift during permitting and value engineering. It will be worth watching whether the final building matches the bold concept that grabbed headlines in July.

For now, the smart move is to treat this as an approved plan with real momentum but no guaranteed opening date. The land has a future on paper, and the county has signed off. The next year or two will show whether shovels hit the dirt. If they do, the south Strip could look very different by the end of the decade. Keep an eye on county agendas and local news for the next round of updates.

Ryan's Take

As a local real estate expert, I look at a project like this and see a signal, not just a spectacle. Yes, a heart-shaped tower wrapped in an LED screen is fun to talk about. But the part that matters to me is the $70 million land purchase and the full resort behind it. When a developer commits that kind of money to the south Strip, it tells me smart money still believes in the long-term strength of Las Vegas.

That belief has ripple effects for homeowners. The Strip is the engine of our local economy. When new resorts get approved and built, they create jobs, they draw visitors, and they support the tax base that funds our schools and roads. All of that helps keep our housing market steady. Buyers and sellers in Henderson, Summerlin, and the southwest often forget how tied their home values are to the health of the tourism corridor a few miles away. I would also tell my clients not to get too far ahead of the news. Approval is not the same as an opening date, and the SkyVue itself is the perfect cautionary tale. So I am optimistic, and I am patient. If you are thinking about buying or selling near the south Strip, this is exactly the kind of trend worth watching closely.

Las Vegas Strip hotels illuminated at night, the tourism corridor that drives the local Southern Nevada economy

What You Can Do

If this project caught your attention, there are a few simple ways to stay informed and get involved. Clark County posts its commission agendas and meeting materials online, and those meetings are open to the public. If you care about how the south Strip develops, you can follow the county's agenda, attend a meeting, or submit public comment when related items come up. Your voice counts more than you might think at the local level.

You can also keep an eye on local news outlets that cover Strip development. Reporters track these projects from approval through construction, and they often break the news when financing closes or when crews finally break ground. Following that coverage is the easiest way to know whether this resort is moving forward or stalling out.

If you own a home near the south Strip, or you are thinking about buying or selling in that part of the valley, it pays to understand how big projects like this can affect your property. Development can change traffic, demand, and value in a neighborhood, sometimes quickly. A local expert can help you read the trend and make a smart move at the right time. I watch these stories closely because they shape the market my clients buy and sell in every day.

Have questions about how this affects your home or neighborhood? Reach out to Ryan Rose or text/call 702-747-5921 anytime.