Station Casinos, perhaps having learned from the dustup that surrounded its high-rise Red Rock Resort, is taking a more community-friendly tack with its design process for its Aliante Station, in North Las Vegas.
Not only is the initial design a low-key, mid-rise one (nine stories tall), it was not presented to the media as fait accompli but rolled out for public comment in an open house at the Sun City Aliante Community Center. At least 500 people showed up, in response to a mass-mailing from Station.

Although high construction costs have forced a 33% escalation in Station’s Aliante budget (now at $600 million), in some ways this still is a small project, by Station standards. Its 202 planned hotel rooms just squeak past the legal minimum for a new casino-hotel, although additional lodging space is mooted for some future juncture, yet to be announced.

Anyway, Station has vouchsafed us an exterior rendering (click on graphic to enlarge) and you can decide for yourself. It reminds me of some of the earlier iterations of Turning Stone Resort & Casino, an converted auto-manufacturing plant, or the “temporary” MGM Grand casino in Detroit (go Tigers!), a former IRS building. What appears to be a nine-story atrium is an intriguing touch, though. Pending further review, I’d say Station needs to retrofit their designs with a bit of charm … unless being mistaken for an office park is the concept they had in mind. In which case, mission accomplished.