Housing given a new look

Diana Sahagun

Friday, May 24, 2002 | 9:53 a.m.

A local developer is bringing Summerlin to downtown Las Vegas, with the opening of a five-home cluster development that city officials hope will spur redevelopment in the area.

Nigro Development LLC and the city Thursday announced the opening of the Desert Sage development, near Ninth Street and Bridger Avenue, the only new one and two-story affordable homes for sale in the downtown area.

The homes, which range from 1,072 to 1,574 square feet, were based on a prototype of a similar project the firm built in Summerlin. Three of the downtown homes are already in escrow.

The city provided $440,000 in redevelopment funds for the project, and the developer received $50,000 from Wells Fargo. The city funds help offer new homes to qualified buyers who meet the income guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Buyers must make 80 percent or less of the area median income for the downtown area to qualify. A single person's annual income would range from $30,000 to $42,000. For a family of four, the household income would range from $60,000 to $70,000.

Todd Nigro, president of the company, said the monthly average mortgage for the homes is $800.

The cluster home development refers to a way of positioning high-density residential lots so that they share one entrance, a concept that has been successful in Summerlin with Nigro's 204-home development.

"If it can work in Summerlin, it can work here in downtown Las Vegas," Nigro said.

The downtown community has five single-family detached homes that include all appliances.

Mayor Oscar Goodman has been pushing for residential housing in downtown, saying it is the key to revitalization. While a nearby developer is building apartments and there are plans for other affordable lofts, Desert Sage is the only new housing development to be built in decades.