In the late 1990s,
Boyd Gaming postponed plans to redevelop the site of its
Stardust Resort and Casino on the
Las Vegas Strip, to instead proceed with its
Borgata hotel-casino in
Atlantic City, New Jersey. After the Borgata opened in 2003, Boyd Gaming stated that it would wait until the 2005 opening of nearby competitor
Wynn Las Vegas before starting a redevelopment plan for the Stardust site. While no specific plans had been considered for the site up to that time, future redevelopment possibilities would include demolishing the Stardust or building an adjacent resort on property located behind the Stardust. In November 2004, Boyd Gaming purchased a 13-acre parcel of land for $43 million, as part of its eventual redevelopment plans for the Stardust site. The 13-acre property was occupied by a 639-room
Budget Suites hotel, and was contiguous to the Stardust. The sale gave Boyd Gaming a total of , and the company was in the early stages of a master plan for the site. Boyd Gaming used the Borgata as an example of how to redevelop the Stardust site. Boyd Gaming announced the $4 billion Echelon Place project on January 3, 2006, to replace the Stardust. It would be a
mixed-use project similar to
Project CityCenter, also on the Las Vegas Strip. and had also overseen construction of the Stardust's 32-story tower, which was opened in 1991. Boughner and his executives spent much of 2005 developing a list of prospective partners for the project. However, it was later estimated that the project, upon completion, would bring an additional 12,190 vehicles to the busy Las Vegas Strip area. Construction was initially scheduled to begin in early 2007, following the demolition of the Stardust, with an opening scheduled for early 2010. The sale was completed several months later, and two acres of the newly acquired property were to be used for roadways to alleviate traffic congestion, The Stardust was closed on November 1, 2006, and its 32-story tower was
imploded on March 13, 2007. Because of Boyd Gaming's inexperience with retail, the company partnered with
General Growth Properties (GGP) in May 2007. Under the deal, GGP would co-develop and manage the Echelon project's $500 million shopping mall, while financing $100 million of the cost. The project's opening was expected for the third quarter of 2010. Boughner said about the project's multiple hotels, "Rather than create 5,000 rooms in one big box, it was much more important to create five different sensibilities. There are a variety of hotel sizes and experiences. The casino and the retail surround all the hotels giving a sense of connection." The entire project was overseen by
Tishman Construction, but different
general contractors worked on each of the project's five hotels.
Marnell Corrao Associates was the general contractor for the project's main hotel, Echelon Tower, and worked six days a week. That month, a
carpenter working on Echelon Tower died after falling 15 feet and hitting his head. A union official denied that the project's construction workers were being rushed to meet deadlines, although the Nevada
Occupational Safety and Health Administration later determined that the worker died as the result of safety violations and being rushed. Marnell Corrao Associates was fined $11,000 in the worker's death. Although the fine was disputed, it was eventually paid. Ultimately, there had been 44 injuries among Marnell's 280 workers at the Echelon site. On August 1, 2008, Boyd Gaming announced that construction would be halted for three to four quarters due to economic conditions, as Morgans Hotel Group and GGP were unable to obtain financing to build their portions of the project because of the
Great Recession. Boyd Gaming had spent $500 million on the project, and planned to finance $3.3 billion of the total budget. which was praised by investors, who were concerned about the state of the economy and the company's ability to complete such a large project. At that time of the delay, the site consisted of three steel-framed hotel towers, each standing eight stories high. The two hotels by Morgans Hotel Group, now expected to cost a total of $1 billion, had been scheduled to begin construction that summer. Boyd Gaming was also in discussions to revise its agreement with GGP, In October 2009, amid falling profits, Boyd announced that the project would be suspended for at least three to five years. which was considered an eyesore. The plan would include landscaping the portion of the site that faced the Las Vegas Strip, and covering the complex's steel frames with material, while construction equipment had already been removed from the site. Boyd Gaming expected to resume construction within three to five years, with an opening as late as 2018. In March 2013, Boyd sold the Echelon site for $350 million to the
Genting Group, a Malaysia-based gaming company which began developing the site as the 3,500-room
Resorts World Las Vegas. Some of the unfinished Echelon buildings were incorporated into the Resorts World project. Following several delays,{{cite news == Proposed facilities ==