The City of Las Vegas has announced that the 35-acre expansion to the north of Area15 will be called the Vegas Immersive District.
As well as naming the new site, the city has confirmed it will include 100,000 square feet of horror-themed entertainment. This will be a year-round attraction from Universal Destinations & Experiences called Universal Horror Unleashed.
The company’s first-ever permanent horror experience is inspired by Halloween Horror Nights at Universal parks and is described as “a relentless spectacle of horror”.
As recently confirmed, Universal Horror Unleashed will include haunted houses themed to Universal’s classic monsters, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Scarecrow: The Reaping and Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer.
But back to the Area15 expansion, which will also offer 418,000 square feet of retail space, 320,000 square feet of office space, 200 hotel rooms, and 585 multi-family housing units.
Via a press release, the Vegas Immersive District is expected to welcome 3.5 million visitors each year, with $796 million in annual on-site spending. The project will also create 4,086 jobs.
A maximum of $15.8 million annually in eligible sales tax revenues from the new district will go back to the Redevelopment Agency to allocate the funds to other business developments in the area until at least 2037.
The Redevelopment Agency (RDA) was created in 1986 to revitalise downtown Las Vegas and the surrounding commercial districts.
Horror, retail and hotel rooms at Area15
Area15 is a joint venture between real estate owner and developer Fisher Brothers and creative agency Beneville Studios. It opened in 2020 and has become a major attraction for immersive and experiential entertainment.
Kyle Sutherland, director of development for Fisher Brothers, said at a city council meeting in August (via Las Vegas Weekly): “Area15 is fast becoming recognized as a premier destination for creatives to showcase their intellectual property at a physical location.
“The success of Area15 has led to further interest in expansion of the Area15 district directly to the north. We envision the district will become a premier immersive entertainment and retail district in the country and even in the world.”
Images courtesy of Area15
