Town Square Las Vegas in the works

Although many residents associate Turnberry Associates and CENTRA Properties with luxury living, the two companies will soon supply residents with what has been termed a regional lifestyle center, which fills in the experience a typical shopping complex leaves out.

The Las Vegas Valley has no shortage of strip malls and expansive shopping areas, but this complex, set to be complete in 2006, will occupy 1.2 million square feet of space that will be known as Town Square Las Vegas. The project will create the concept of a "city center" at the apex of Las Vegas activity.

"It will be for mixed use," said Drew Barkett, Turnberry's vice president of retail development and real estate. "People can go see a movie, have dinner, go shopping. It replicates a true downtown center. It's everything I think you want to do, it's a place to see and be seen."

One of only 55 regional complexes that exist in the U.S., Town Square Las Vegas will occupy 100 acres of property, 25 of which is currently held by Vacation Village near Interstate 15 South and the Las Vegas Beltway.

The concept isn't the first of its kind for Turnberry. The company was responsible for the Aventura Mall in South Florida, malls in Pittsburgh, and Destin Commons in Destin, Fla. But what the Las Vegas complex will entail takes the idea of one-stop shopping to a whole new level.

"By definition, this will feature the types of tenants that cater to a type of clientele," said Jim Stuart, principal of CENTRA Properties. "It's not hardware stores or discount drug stores. For a community this size, there truly is not a center of Las Vegas."

The center will consist of upscale retail shops, over a dozen restaurants, an 80,000-square-foot RAVE Motion Picture cinema and the perfect appendage for those who aren't locals, but want to be on the inside track, a 200-room boutique-style hotel.

Stuart said as a father of three, he plans to make Town Square, with its carousel, elegant landscaping and fountains, a weekend outing for his family.

"What has been unjust to me, as a local resident, is there's not public spaces where we go on weekends and let events unfold where there are community elements," Stuart said. "There's no place people can go without having a plan."

Although construction won't start for another six months, Barkett said the team is already searching for perfect retailers, most of which are not Las Vegas-based, to occupy spaces. The spot will also feature 180,000 square feet of premier office space.

"We're seeking out unique retailers," Barkett said. "What we don't want to do is replicate the experience you can have at any mall in the country."

Stuart said he hopes the community will take to the center as it has with places such as The District at Green Valley Ranch.

"We've set aside a percentage of the space for small shops," Stuart said. "That makes a shopping center unique. It's something that is embraced and owned by the community. As the father of three children, I'm designing it to accommodate my family. I think other families work the same way."


<<--[back]