Judge seals fate of never-occupied Las Vegas hotel.
A judge has granted permission for owners of the CityCenter development to demolish a flawed, half-built hotel tower on the Las Vegas Strip after developers completed a fourth round of testing on the building.
Clark County District Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez approved CityCenter’s motion Friday, clearing the way for owners MGM Resorts International and Dubai World to raze the Harmon Hotel tower. CityCenter officials said they would immediately start planning for the demolition, which could happen within a year.
The Harmon was supposed to be a 48-story component of the glittery $8.5 billion CityCenter project that opened in December 2009. But inspectors found flaws in the steel reinforcements used in the concrete structure, and tower construction was frozen at 26 stories.
CityCenter’s consultants have said that the building could collapse in a strong earthquake — one that has a 50 percent chance of happening in the next 30 years.
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