Pumps finally on tap

     By Damon Hodge
     View staff writer
      City Stop, Summerlin's first gas station, adds panache to its marriage of form and function.
      But its look -- flagstone rock, pitted roof, earthy tones -- represents only a portion of the $3.5 million project's uniqueness, according to Bruce Familian, president of Familian Realty Group.
      Familian calls the Summerlin City Stop, which is tucked into the southwest corner of a 5-acre plot at Covington Cross and Town Center and includes a car wash, a "reverse store."
      The convenience store and car wash are in the back of the property, near Town Center, and the canopies and gas pumps, sit up front. An interior street provides for entry on Covington Cross or Town Center. There are 36 parking spaces.
      In the traditional convenience store, the gas pumps are in the front of the property, often nearest a main street, Familian said. The reverse-store funnels incoming traffic to the interior street, opening motorists up to visit other eateries in a 5-acre campus. The Texaco-anchored project is slated for opening in six months.
      City Stop also combines a convenience store and restaurant. Burger King, Ruby Tuesday and Schlotzsky's franchises are slated as is a one-story professional office building.
      "The Summerlin store is definitely different from the other City Stops," Familian said.
      Jon Athey, operations manager with Familian Realty Group, said the 5,000-square-foot store "blends at the hip" the full-service convenience store with a full-service restaurant.
      Besides typical convenience store features -- candy bars, detergent, medicine, milk, breath mints, and so forth -- there will be Train Worx, a 1,250-square-foot restaurant offering hamburgers, hot dogs and pizza.
      "This (Train Worx) is something we're developing ourselves," Athey said. "We've taken the best in food concepts and worked it into a menu. We'll provide a top quality hamburger, a great hot dog and pizza by the slice. Everything will be fresh."
      There will be video games in the 2,200-square-foot car wash and 10 stations -- with either meter guns or hoses -- for children to spray the cars while they are being washed. There is no drive-through service, in fitting with the project's design.
      "Summerlin was very firm on the design specifications and we worked hard to meet them," Familian said. "We think the store will be gorgeous, architecturally."
      Charles Kubat, vice president of planning and design for The Howard Hughes Corp., is pleased with the look of the first gas station inside the main body of Summerlin.
      The design, which correlated with the look of the adjacent Canyon Village, features hipped roofs, flat concrete tile and not barrel tile, a mixture of exterior colors to resemble slate, stone-enhanced architecture and earthy colors. A monument sign and smaller above-door signs will replace pylon signs.
      "We think the project relates well the Canyon Village business park and to nearby residents. It's in line with Summerlin quality," Kubat said.
      Tom Warden, vice president of community relations for The Hughes Corp., said a series of meetings concerning the project drew positive feedback, especially about the gas station.
      Familian, a Summerlin resident, said he's excited about having a one-stop quick shop for minor needs. There's no other place in Summerlin to get gas and groceries, he said. He said Summerlin motorists will no longer have to interrupt commutes to get off on odd streets and fuel up.
      "This is something people have been waiting for," he said.
      City Stop was formed three years ago. Familian said the goal is to open 30 City Stop stores over the next five years. There are two stores presently open, along with under-construction stores at Sunset Boulevard and Arroyo Grande, and Las Vegas Boulevard and Cheyenne Avenue.
      By year's end, stores at Cheyenne Avenue and Durango Drive, Alexander Road and Tenaya Way, and Farm Road and Cimarron Road will rise from the dirt. A store at Lake Mead Drive and Athens Avenue could be the fifth to open this year.