Goodbye to the ‘burbs

Jennifer Shubinski

Monday, May 8, 2006 | 7:24 a.m.

When newlyweds Eva and Brooks Compton went house-hunting, they quickly dismissed the new suburbs sprouting on the outskirts of Las Vegas. They had no use for two- and three-story stucco homes built cheek-to-jowl on postage-sized lots, in master-planned communities governed by homeowner's associations.

Instead, they moved into Old Vegas - the McNeil neighborhood, just west of I-15 and south of Charleston Boulevard. It's where he grew up, and now he wanted to own his own house there.

"Moving back here was the best decision I ever made," said Brooks Compton, who manages a downtown law office just a few minutes away by car.

Count the Comptons among the people who are eschewing new suburbia on the edge of the desert - and the anonymity that comes with it - in favor of gentrified, in-town living.

They're buying half-century-old ranch homes surrounded by sprawling grass yards shaded by towering palms, pines and fruitless mulberry trees. They take evening walks, greet neighbors - including some who have lived on the block for 20 or 30 years - and stroll past homes so distinctive that some have been nicknamed over the years.

"There's a lot of pride-of-ownership here," said Merl Rees, 77, who moved into the neighborhood in 1972. "There used to be eight doctors on this block," he said. "They've moved on - and now, young doctors are moving in."

It's not necessarily a cheap proposition, but worth the cost for those who want to live in a neighborhood marked by eclectic architecture and distinguished by white picket fences and front-yard swing sets.

The Comptons, for instance, paid $430,000 for their 2,400-square-foot, 31-year-old home when they purchased it a year ago.

Since then, they have spent more than $100,000 on remodeling, from new marble, Spanish tile and kitchen cabinets inside to new rose bushes, lantanas and landscaping bark outside.

"People come by and give us a lot of compliments," Eva Compton said.

The McNeil neighborhood, bounded by Rancho and Cashman drives, Oakey and Charleston boulevards, is rooted in the post-war building boom of the1950s, when more than 50,000 people called Clark County home and when the Desert Inn and the Flamingo were kings of the Strip. It evolved as the city literally grew up around it.

Home styles include Cape Cod, Tuscan, ranch and colonial. There are single-story, split-level and two-story homes with dormers. Homes are built of brick, stucco, stone and wood. McNeil might as well be Mid-America.

"We chose this neighborhood because we didn't want to live in Lego land," said 20-year resident Robin Munier. "We were used to the southeast and the Midwest and it (Las Vegas homes) didn't fit us."

The houses now listed for sale in McNeil range from about $420,000 to $1.5 million, local real estate firms reported. That compares to the valleywide median price of $285,000 for a resale house and $343,184 - not including apartments converted to condominiums - for a new house, Home Builders Research Inc. reported.

McNeil is not alone in enjoying renewed interest. Nearby neighborhoods such at the posh Scotch 80s and Rancho Nevada have seen their share of remodeling and the occasional tear-down. Even areas that have not worn as well, such as the Huntridge neighborhood, are shedding their time-worn image.

"Increasing numbers of people like the idea of a suburban lifestyle with urban amenities," said Michael Green, professor of history at the Community College of Southern Nevada.

Proximity to the center of town and being only a short drive from downtown, the Strip and UNLV is part of the reason for its popularity.

Bonnie Chu moved to McNeil after growing dissatisfied with master-planned Summerlin, even with its parks and community aesthetics.

"I looked for years in newer areas and just couldn't seem to find a place that has character and charm like that neighborhood (McNeil)," she said. "In McNeil, every house has a story, has history."

Chu purchased a McNeil home in 1998. She liked the area so much, she bought a ranch house for her parents, and her sister purchased a fixer-upper that has since been gutted. All are on the same street.

After living in her 1,900-square-foot house for almost six years and doing piecemeal remodeling, she decided to pursue a major renovation, down to the pipes and electrical wiring.

"The more I looked into it, the more it made sense to knock the house down and rebuild at the same location," she said.

Chu tore down everything but the wood-burning fireplace, which has now become a focal point of her newly built, almost finished, 2,600-square-foot home. She has spent almost $300 per square foot to construct the house - a hefty price tag even by today's real estate market standards.

But to Chu, it has been worth it.

When she moves in this June, it will cut out at least an hour of commute time a day. Chu, a founder and owner of Euphoria Spas, travels around the valley on a daily basis visiting her stores. Starting from a central point will save time, she said.

"I can go anywhere in 20 minutes," she said.

Stephen Reilly and his wife, Glenda, were drawn to McNeil after growing tired of the new suburbs, where residents seemed to prefer reclusive lifestyles.

"It was like Batman returning from work and going into his cave," Stephen Reilly said of the neighborhoods he lived in.

At McNeil, the Reillys bought a 1950s fixer-upper with large leaded glass front windows. They paid $387,000 for the home in 2005 and, for the first phase of renovation, plan on spending more than $150,000.

It's worth it, he said. "This has a sense of community and history and uniqueness that I haven't found anywhere else," he said.