LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The site of an iconic Las Vegas condo complex that devolved into years of blight and safety concerns is getting a fresh start as a new residential community.
Developer Taylor Morrison is moving forward with plans to transform the former Paradise Spa property into a modern neighborhood featuring 275 single-family homes and condominiums, according to approved county plans.
Located near East Richmar Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard, the 28-acre site carries a storied history. In the 1960s, the bustling Spa attracted Hollywood icons including Elvis Presley and members of the Rat Pack. Over decades, however, the glamorous complex deteriorated into severe disrepair after multiple fires, before it was ultimately demolished last summer.
For nearby residents, the dilapidated condos had become a neighborhood nuisance plagued by emergency calls, encampments, and deadly fires.
“What I have witnessed is something that you don’t want to witness as a neighbor anywhere in town,” said Barbara Yager, who lives across the street at the Belle Esprit community. “Several fires within the complex, building fires at 12:30 in the morning, sirens, you know, police constantly in and out of the complex.”
Yager said the chronic unrest left her questioning her investment in the area.
MORE ON FOX5: ‘We have to leave?’: Family moves into famed Las Vegas condo complex amid demolition
“I started to question myself there for a while, like, what kind of neighborhood did I buy into?” she said.
While the property was a concern for neighbors, it also served as an unofficial last resort for people with few housing alternatives. In past interviews, former HOA President Dennis Snap noted the lack of affordable options: “When people here are paying $250 to $900 a month, finding somewhere else to go is impossible.”
Now, heavy machinery sits on the graded dirt lot as developers work on the new Paradise Spa Residential Subdivision.
Neighbors say the shift brings immense relief.
“I’m very happy to see the redevelopment, so were all of my neighbors,” Yager said. “We can’t wait till we see that first building going up across the boulevard there with the first triplex townhome that’s going to be built.”
For Yager, the sound of early morning construction is a welcome replacement for the sirens that once echoed through the corridor.
Taylor Morrison has not yet responded to requests for an estimate on when construction will be completed.
Copyright 2026 KVVU. All rights reserved.
