A 19 million-square-foot complex, including a resort and casino, hotels, condos and a shopping mall, is slated to open today in Las Vegas, National Public Radio reported.

CityCenter, one of the largest projects to date to be constructed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards, at a cost of $8.5 billion, is touted to be the priciest privately funded project in U.S. history.

But declining real estate values have already taken their toll on the property, which is now valued at $5 billion. And current economic conditions have some worried whether enough visitors will spend enough money there to make the property profitable.

MGM Mirage and Dubai World, the financially burdened commercial investment division of the Dubai government, teamed up to complete the project, which took five years and 9,000 construction workers to complete.

Approximately 12,000 employees have been hired to operate the facility.