Details of 1,900-acre community revealed

Mathis Winkler

Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2001 | 11:22 a.m.

It's still too new to have a name, but the 1,953-acre parcel in North Las Vegas being developed by American Nevada Corp. and Del Webb Corp., now has a preliminary map showing schools, homes, parks, trails, shopping centers and a hotel-casino.

The colorful map was unveiled Tuesday before about 200 people at the annual economic outlook forum presented by the North Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.

The presentation fleshed out many details of the project, previously outlined before the North Las Vegas City Council in June and the city's Planning Commission in July.

Proposed sites for 7,500 homes and apartments, 384 acres of parks and open space, three schools, a fire station, a hotel-casino and two shopping centers were shown on a projection screen.

"These are really preliminary plans," John Kilduff, the president of American Nevada Corp., told attendees. "There are things that may change."

Kilduff this morning declined to release the map, saying it was too preliminary for publication.

The City Council will get a look at firmer plans in October after the Planning Commission has reviewed the project, Kilduff said. The company is hoping to get the city's approval by early November and plans to build the community over 10 years.

Del Webb and American Nevada, working as North Valley Enterprises, bought the land for $47.2 million from the Bureau of Land Management at an auction in May. The parcel is bordered roughly by Centennial Parkway, Grand Teton Drive, Decatur Boulevard and Clayton Street.

While Del Webb wants to develop a neighborhood on the site's northeastern corner exclusively for people 55 and older, American Nevada plans to build 3,822 homes and 988 apartments on the rest of the land. The homes are likely to cost between $100,000 and $350,000, Kilduff said.

American Nevada is owned by the Greenspun family, which also owns the Las Vegas Sun.

The new community's commercial district would cluster around the intersection of the Las Vegas Beltway and an extension of Simmons Street, Kilduff said. North of the beltway, the 41-acre hotel-casino would sit next to the adult-only neighborhood. American Nevada plans to build the two shopping centers along Simmons Street as well.

The Clark County School District will build two elementary schools and one middle school, Kilduff said, adding that district officials will construct the schools once enough students live in the area.

A web of linear parks (53 acres), trails (57 acres) and pedestrian bridges or underpasses would run along the community's major arteries, allowing residents to walk or bike anywhere without crossing streets, Kilduff said. Forty-five acres of natural landscape would be preserved at the site's southeastern corner.

Company and city officials would work together to decide what kind of sports fields and playgrounds to put in the 45 acres of parks planned for the community, Kilduff said. Developers also propose a public golf course for the adult-only neighborhood.

"We look at this as a small town," Kilduff said, adding that setting aside 22 percent of the land for parks and open space was "significant."

Kilduff's presentation on the planned community was the reason why many people attended Tuesday's forum.

Mark Trudeau, a North Las Vegas resident and the president of a company that designs offices, said the plans encouraged him.

"I have a vested interest in growth in North Las Vegas," he said. "I'm a little disappointed that they are not planning more (office space.)"

North Las Vegas Mayor Michael Montandon said he was thrilled with what's to come.

Las Vegas Mayor "Oscar (Goodman) can say all he wants," he said. " But there cannot be a job as exciting as mayor of North Las Vegas. This is just as exciting as it gets."

Asked whether the two developers have an interest in acquiring about 5,600 acres of BLM land in North Las Vegas that will be sold at a future date, Kilduff said the current project will keep company officials busy for now.

But "we hope to be there for the auction" of the rest of the land, he said.