May 26, 2010 --There are signs of life at the Lady Luck casino in downtown Las Vegas, which closed its doors four years ago for what was supposed to be a one-year hiatus.

Remodeling and expansion plans have been submitted to city of Las Vegas officials.

The remaining question is how soon those plans will be implemented.

A representative of Resort Gaming Group, which is managing the project, could not be reached for comment.

Through a spokesman, Mayor Oscar Goodman said he couldn't comment beyond saying the project is "moving forward."

Councilman Ricki Barlow, whose ward includes the Lady Luck, also could not be reached for comment.

According to city filings, the plan calls for:

­-- Adding 8,500 square feet of meeting space and 17,250 square feet of pool and deck space on top of the existing casino building at Ogden Avenue and Third Street.

-- Replacing 50 hotel rooms with a spa, a fitness room, bathrooms, meeting space and corridors.

-- Upgrading the remaining 634 rooms as well as the casino and retail space "to a much higher standard than previously existed."

-- Drastically altering the pedestrian bridge that connects the two hotel towers across Third Street. When finished, the remade bridge will be see-through, allowing an unobstructed view of the Mob Museum building from the Fremont Street Experience.

There also will be a new central plant, a new loading dock and changes to parking and traffic flow.

Some work already is taking place at the Lady Luck.

In March, Goodman said the inside of the hotel was being cleaned up in anticipation of remodeling plans.

The Lady Luck closed in 2006 for renovations. It was purchased by CIM Group in 2007.

Resort Gaming Group, which manages Timbers Bar and Grill sites in Southern Nevada, will manage the Lady Luck and is named as the applicant on the plans submitted to the city.

Those plans are on the Las Vegas Planning Commission's agenda for Thursday. The plans also need to be approved by the City Council.

What would become the Lady Luck opened in 1964 as Honest John's, a 2,000-square-foot joint with pinball and slot machines and five employees.

The Lady Luck name was adopted in 1968, and the property expanded in 1972, 1983, 1985 and 1989, according to information compiled by the UNLV School of Architecture.

Contact reporter Alan Choate at achoate@review journal.com or 702-229-6435.

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