The property for the proposed project was sold for $202 million in June 2006, to Starwood, the developers of the adjacent W Las Vegas resort that was also cancelled.

On March 11, 2005, Centra Properties announced that it had closed escrow on the 996-unit Harbor Island apartments, as well as 14 four-plex buildings, all located on 25 acres of land on Harmon Avenue, east of the Aladdin resort on the Las Vegas Strip and adjacent to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

In partnership with The Related Companies, Centra also announced plans to demolish the buildings and replace them with a $2 billion resort complex consisting of high-rise condominiums and a boutique hotel, with the possibility of a casino as well.

[1][2] Sullivan said, "The way we're designing this, our intention is to build a Main Street down the middle of the property, like Las Ramblas in Spain, then with residential above it.

Early designs depicted a complex of 10 to 12 high-rise buildings, expected to be 28 to 32 stories high, although an exact height had not been decided at that time.

[1][2] In August 2005, it was announced that actor George Clooney and nightclub developer Rande Gerber had signed on to invest a significant, undisclosed amount of their money into the project, now known as Las Ramblas.

Clooney was a regular visitor to Las Vegas and a friend of Gerber, who had developed clubs in Nevada, New York, and California.

[3] Clooney, while on a flight to Las Vegas to film Ocean's Eleven (2001), discussed with Gerber the idea of opening a resort in the city; Gerber later recalled that they discussed "how great it would be to open a hotel and casino and bring back our perception of Old Vegas, with the glamour and romance, our interpretation of the Rat Pack era.

[3] Clooney and Gerber tried to convince Ocean's Eleven actor Brad Pitt to join the project and be involved in some of the architectural designs,[4] although he ultimately declined.

"[3] Some experts believed that enforcing a dress code would decrease the number of potential customers to the casino by appealing only to a small customer base, while a member of the Nevada Gaming Control Board's enforcement division was unsure if the dress code would be legal because of a law that required gambling to be conducted within view of the general public.

[10] Clooney mentioned the proposed dress code during an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman in September 2005, saying, "No cutoffs, culottes or espadrilles.

Brown, who formerly operated three of Donald Trump's casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey, was reportedly in consideration for the Las Ramblas project.

[13] Clooney spoke about the project during an appearance on Larry King Live on February 15, 2006, stating that it would be "the type of place where you dress up to see a show.