Tommy Rocker joins condo craze

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Tommy Rocker joins condo craze

46-story tower planned for site of sing-along club

By ADRIENNE PACKER
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Tommy Rocker's popular sing-along club in the shadow of the Strip is best known as an establishment to which Jimmy Buffett fans, known as parrot heads, flock.

Now the owner plans to convert it into a place where they can nest.

Thomas Greenough, better known as Tommy Rocker, won approval Wednesday to build a 46-story condominium tower south of Flamingo Road on Dean Martin Drive, formerly Industrial Road.

"It's very exciting, especially because I get to live there," said Greenough, whose quiet demeanor in front of commissioners was in contrast to the wild singer who riles up fun-loving patrons and encourages them to join him on stage.

Greenough opened Tommy Rocker's in 1995 and, after attending a Buffett concert, opted for a beach theme. He has since opened two additional bar and grills in the Las Vegas Valley.

The Oregon native never imagined parlaying his success in the bar and restaurant scene into condominium business until about a year ago.

When the condominium craze hit Las Vegas nearly two years ago, developers began eyeing Greenbough's prime property just west of Interstate 15. He was inundated with proposals to buy his one-acre lot.

"We had trouble finding an agreement where we could put Tommy Rocker's in there," he said, referring to the developers' condominium proposals. "So, we decided to do it ourselves.

"I loved that location for years before we bought it. Little did we know what would happen on that street."

If developers follow through with their proposed projects, high-end condominiums will soon line the west side of Interstate 15, just across from the Strip. Developers recently convinced commissioners to change the name of Industrial Road to Dean Martin Drive to make condos there more appealing to potential buyers.

Designing a 252-unit resort on a one-acre parcel might be the greatest challenge for Greenbough.

The $150 million project is expected to be the first in Southern Nevada to use an automated "robotic parking" structure. The computerized system allows a valet to pull a vehicle onto a lift. The lift then mechanically places the vehicle in an open bay for storage.

The purpose is to save space and cut down on pollution caused by idling vehicles.

Greenough said building an environmentally sensitive project was one of his priorities. He hopes the project will be certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System. He also said he intends to make the site bicycle-friendly.

Construction of the new tower is expected to start in about a year.

Greenbough moved to Las Vegas in 1984 and began performing at Carlos Murphy's on Maryland Parkway. He opened his first bar on Decatur and Spring Mountain in 1989. Six years later, he moved it to the larger location near the Rio hotel-casino.

Greenbough said parrot heads and other revelers who like to get on stage and sing along will have that opportunity at his new resort. Tommy Rocker's will occupy space on the second floor, with a view of the Strip.