Residents hear plans for two parks

Sito Negron

Thursday, Sept. 25, 2003 | 10:03 a.m.

Two new parks and a planned retirement center are among the projects in store for an area stretching from Rainbow Boulevard to Durango Drive along Summerlin Parkway.

That means change for residents of the area, of whom about two dozen turned out for a meeting that generally satisfied their concerns about the impact.

About 10 acres south of the parkway, and east of Durango, would be used for an assisted living retirement community, said David Roarke, manager of real estate for Las Vegas. The venture would be a partnership between the city, the state and a private developer, he said, and it would aim for an "upscale" development.

The buildings would be two stories, with a swimming pool and unique architecture, Roarke said. His comments seemed to take some of the steam out of the group, which was concerned because he used the word "affordable" to describe the project. Roarke said it would take at least two years for the project to be built.

The land for all the projects along the parkway comes from the Bureau of Land Management, either through lease or through future sales. The parks and senior center would be on land leased by the city from the BLM.

Another section of land close by would be for sale to developers. The city has requested that the BLM sell about 10 acres of unused land between the parkway and current development, and Roarke said a stipulation for the land sale would be that it could only be used for single-story, single-family residential homes.

"What we hope is we get a very good developer," he said.

Residents had a few more questions about the parks, one about 10 acres north of the parkway and one of about 2 acres -- called a "pocket park" -- south of the parkway. The north park, off Tenaya Way, would have a grass field, walking path and basketball courts. The south park would have a playground and some grass.

Craig Thompson, who lives on Trading Post Lane, wondered if the city would build a fence around the park to keep people from peering into his back yard, or worse, jumping his fence to enjoy the amenities.

"Will you be responsible if they jump the fence and go in my pool?" he asked.

The current plan does not include a fence, but Larry Harala, the liaison for Ward 2 Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald, said "this is by no means the last of the dialogue."

The smaller park could be ready for construction by early October, while the 10-acre park might be under construction by the first of the year, Larry Haugsness, the city's director of field operations, said.

Another project, the 150-acre Buffalo/Washington area park north of Summerlin Parkway, east of Buffalo Drive and south of Washington Avenue, also is planned for the area. Roarke said that project design almost is complete, and the construction bid could go out by the spring.