By ALAN SNEL
It’s 62 acres of dirt and dust in an industrial setting along Polaris Avenue off Interstate I-15 but the Raiders stadium site in Las Vegas is already drawing fans who are posing for photos outside the metal fence bordering the site’s perimeter.
A family of four — mom, dad, and two young kids dressed in blue Golden State Warriors T-shirts — was posing for photographs at the site Friday afternoon around 3 p.m. The stadium won’t be open until June 2020 — a full three years away.
Mom was from the Bay area — this the Oakland Raiders connection.
“Can I get a photo of you in front of the site,?” dad asked a LVSportsBiz.com writer.
I politely declined.
There are two Terrible Herbst Chevron convenience stores at the corner of the site’s southwest corner and a worker at one of the stores said she has no idea whether the owner will sell the store site for parking.
Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak, a big Raiders fan who announced one of the Raiders’ draft picks on live TV, said neighboring property owners have hiked the asking prices for their land by three to five times over the going market rate.
The Raiders also recognize the popularity of the site.
It installed a new sign this week saying, “The Raiders are coming.”
And this being Las Vegas, naturally a local business tried to ambush that Raiders sign by installing its own sign on the metal fencing in front of the Raiders sign.
It was a BBQ joint trying to cash in on the Raiders. It’s just a tiny taste of what we’ll see in Las Vegas as all types of businesses are prepping for the arrival of the Black and Silver.
Contact Alan Snel at asnel@LVSportsBiz.com