Del Webb to be marked by 55 acres of green space

Valerie Miller

Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2000 | 10:21 a.m.

The Henderson City Council annexed the last phase of the Del Webb Anthem master-planned community Tuesday night in an agreement that will give the city a 55-acre park, the second largest in Henderson.

The move adds 2,529 acres to Henderson near its southwestern boundary -- the second and final phase of the 5,000-acre Anthem development.

Del Webb will develop and build the first phase of the proposed Anthem Hills Park at an estimated cost of $7 million, then dedictate it to the city, Del Webb officials said.

"This is our way of ensuring growth is paying for growth," Michael Jesberger, Del Webb's vice president of land planning and development, said.

The first phase of the park, expected to be completed by the end of summer 2000, will contain a baseball field, two softball fields, basketball courts, a playground and roller hockey rink. It will also include a professionally designed park for skateboarding and roller blading -- one Del Webb officials said would be the largest in Las Vegas.

As part of the annexation Del Webb also will dedicate to the city a library site next to the park, as well as a 20-acre middle school site to the Clark County School District. The developer also will build and equip a fire station.

"This annexation brings the final phase of Anthem into the city of Henderson," Scott Higginson, Del Webb's vice president of government affairs, said. "Now our entire 5,000 acres is in this great community."

The City Council gave its approval quickly, with no opposition.

"This may seem anti-climatic to some people, but this has been a six-year process," Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson said after the vote.

Del Webb estimates it will build 12,000 to 13,000 homes in Anthem when construction is completed in 10 to 12 years, Higginson said.

Anthem acquired the remaining acres needed to complete the development in a land swap with the Bureau of Land Management last year. The master-planned community will include Sun City Anthem, Anthem Country Club and Coventry Homes.

After the meeting, Higginson remarked on the ease in which the city made the annexation.

"Over 2,500 acres was just annexed that quickly," he said. "That wouldn't happen in any other city."