VANCOUVER — Paragon Gaming Corp. is taking another run at moving its Edgewater Casino into a $535-million redevelopment of BC Place lands by playing up the concept of an entertainment-focused urban resort and playing down gambling.

Paragon’s attempt to open a destination casino at the site was shot down in 2011 after a strong, grassroots campaign against its proposal for a 1,500-slot-machine and 150-table mega-casino.

Now Paragon is promising it has no plans to expand gambling operations but would relocate Edgewater at its existing size. That would bring it within limits of the rezoning approved by Vancouver city council in 2011 to block the mega-casino.

The new proposal calls for a total 675,000 square feet including the casino, stores, 40,000 square feet of conference space and two Marriott-branded hotels.

“The previous project was a destination casino,” Paragon vice-president John Cahill said Tuesday. “We’ve heard clearly from city council that that is not to be here.”

While the 2011 proposal hinged on the expanded casino, Paragon president Scott Menke said the company is now convinced it can succeed as a sports-entertainment district similar to the L.A. Live complex around Staples Center in Los Angeles. L.A. Live has cinemas, theatres, restaurants and two hotels under Marriott Corp. brands.

“Over a period of time, we’ve seen the great success that BC Place has,” Menke said about the new reliance on links to the BC Lions and Vancouver Whitecaps, along with hospitality and conference services. “When we were (last) going to city council, BC Place wasn’t remodelled yet.”

Paragon has brought in a new financing partner, Dundee Corp., and 360 Vox, a Vancouver-based resort firm in which Dundee is majority shareholder.

The revamped project includes a sleek new design by architectural firm IBI Group with a glass-fronted structure, bookended by the hotel buildings, that almost envelopes the south end of BC Place stadium.

The concept was to respond to the site’s mountain views “and evoke the natural mountain environment in its architectural design,” said IBI Group’s Martin Bruckner.

Bruckner said the design’s intent is to create a new streetscape on Smithe Street that interconnects with the street grid around the stadium that links Yaletown to the south and Chinatown to the north.

Ross McCredie, chief operating officer of 360 Vox, said the hotels would include more than 550 rooms and operate separately under the Marriott’s JW Marriott and Autograph brands. Paragon and 360 Vox are talking to Marriott about operating the hotels.

The Paragon proposal does have to go before the city’s design panel and will require a building permit, but appears not to require a further zoning review, according to Brian Jackson, the City of Vancouver’s general manager of planning.

“I have seen drawings that they (the proponents) showed us and I can confirm that the application is fully in conformance with the zoning,” Jackson said.

Jackson said most applications get to the development permit board stage within 14 weeks, but this proposal is so complex it will take more time and it is not likely that city council will be asked to rule on the application until at least early next year.