High-rise urban village development set for southwest

It's difficult to imagine not needing a car in Las Vegas. The way the city is laid out, with shopping and dining options mostly situated away from residential areas, most people would have to walk a good distance and brave the traffic on freeways or surface streets in order to get to work or visit the grocery store or cafe.

Those days may be over for prospective residents of The Curve, the latest master-planned high-rise development to recently break ground in Las Vegas, located at the Las Vegas Beltway between Durango and Sunset roads.

Besides offering the conveniences of high-rise living, The Curve is being planned as a suburban village, exactly the type of place one might find in Manhattan or other urban areas. But this one provides a view of the mountains.

"It's basically 47 1/2 acres," said Edward Kile, president of The Curve Development Company. "The project will consist of three or four towers, 350,000 square feet of planned retail space and another 160,000 square feet of office space."

Unlike other projects in which residents can live above or near shops and restaurants, The Curve plans to offer the necessities of day-to-day living such as grocery stores and a dry cleaner.

Instead of one or two layouts of the same type of residential area, The Curve is expected to offer several different living options.

"We're an integrated mixed-use community with a variety of residential projects, condos, lofts and brownstones," Kile said. "The initial part of what we call The Village will include two towers, 376 condo units from the mid-$400s, and will go to $3.3 million for the penthouses."

Located in the rapidly developing southwest, the project will be easily accessible from the Las Vegas Beltway and about 10 minutes from the Strip.

But Kile said most of the time, residents at The Curve won't need to leave.

"According to recent figures, the area is growing by 15.4 percent annually, or 220,000 in the next five years," he said. "It's the fastest growing sub-region of the fastest growing city in the nation. You can't beat that. You can live, work, shop, play and dine all at the same place. You can live in a resort-style setting."

The first phase includes plans for between eight and 12 restaurants, with the Mandalay Bay Resort Group developing three. Boutiques, a flower shop, a mail place and a bank are planned.

Kile said many anticipated residents are seeking to simplify their lives. The target market is baby boomers who are on the verge of retiring and might be sick of the commute. Saving them time is the greatest gift a residential project could offer.

"The whole philosophy is to save you an hour a day," he said. "You're not going to have to leave to go to the bank, or go to the grocery store. There's no more mowing the grass, taking care of the pool. It's about being able to live, dine, shop and work all in the same place."

While some projects are taking advantage of the sprawl, The Curve is, according to Kile, making it work for residents by condensing it into one self-contained epicenter.

"If you want to talk about the Manhattanization of Las Vegas, here is a truly urban community in a suburban area," he said. "We're taking away from the sprawl, and instead of lots of land, we have a central community on 47 acres. It has the same amenities but it's all right there for you right downstairs. It's the best of both worlds.

"I'm not doing this to increase land values. All of the managing members of the company are all longtime Las Vegans, natives, which is very unusual for a project like this. We're looking to be here long-term and to do a quality legacy project that will put this area on the map and influence people to view Vegas in a different manner."

Those interested can visit www.thecurvelv.com.