New shopping center set to open

Town Square to offer dining, retail and entertainment

It's been nearly two years in the making, but Town Square Las Vegas, developed by Turnberry Associates and Centra Properties, opens on Wednesday. It's located on the Las Vegas Strip at the intersection of Interstate 15 and the Las Vegas Beltway.

The 117-acre site will offer a mixture of dining, retail and entertainment, as well as a pavilion for concerts and special events. It's all integrated into a small-town atmosphere.

But there's nothing small about Town Square. Its buildings cover 1.5 million square feet of space and it cost an estimated $600 million to build.

Mike Wethington, general manager, said the logistics of the project took a lot of hard work and collaboration.

"Town Square is comprised of 22 separate buildings, each with its own distinctive architectural design ... and construction schedule," he said. "Combine that with the fact that Las Vegas is the No. 1 construction market in the country. We have a fantastic team with a wealth of shopping center development experience. Additionally, we have great partnerships with everyone involved and Clark County."

Wethington said he believed there was a need for the project.

"Between the thousands of new residents moving to Clark County each month and the city's expanding tourist base, there continues to be a significant market for new retail destinations," Wethington said. "While the costs of goods and services escalate, Las Vegas shopping centers continue to outperform other centers around the country in sales per square foot. Also, Town Square offers more than just shopping and dining; it's a place for families, couples and individuals to spend the day watching a movie, enjoying a concert in Town Square Park or spending time with their kids at the children's park. We've designed Town Square to be a community gathering place."

Builders Turnberry Associates and Centra Properties had no lack of businesses eager to be part of the project. The Rave Motion Pictures complex has 18 screens, three of them 3-D. A 24 Hour Fitness Center also will be part of the complex. As far as shopping, stores will be clustered by categories, such as women's fashions, bed and bath items and children's products. Some of the retailers include Borders Books, Whole Foods Market, Robb & Stucky, H&M, Guitar Center, Ambercrombie & Fitch, Eddie Bauer, Crabtree & Evelyn, White House/Black Market, Chico's, Soma, Cache, Apple, Sephora, Martin & Osa, Journey's, Aeropostale, American Eagle, Express, Guess, Juicy Couture, Claim Jumper, Oakley, Johnston & Murphy, Hollister, Limited Too, Louis's Fish Camp, Louis's Las Vegas, Michael Stars, Steve Madden, Marciano, Lucky Brand, Bebe Sport, Aldo, Metropark, Design Within Reach and Banana Republic.

At least two residents of the northwest were unaware of the complex. UNLV criminal justice student Rio Kuhn, 21, said she's not a shopaholic and prefers making one stop for various items so she can get in and get out.

"So if they had everything there, I'd travel that far," she said.

Jamal Robertson, who lives near Summerlin, said he also appreciated that he could get his shopping done in one trip.

"And I have a membership to 24 Hour Fitness, so that's cool, too," he said.

The main entrance to Town Square Las Vegas features two mission towers. Three garages with nearly 6,000 spots allow for covered parking.

Streets are drivable and some shops have store-front parking. The small-town atmosphere is enhanced by curved streets, storefront styles that are intentionally different and festival lighting strung above the streets.

Shaded areas, canopies and patio misters also are included in the design.

Youngsters can enjoy a children's park. It offers a treehouse, a princess playhouse, a bakery café with faux food, a puppet theater, a hedge maze and a playground.

Town Square has more than 350,000 square feet devoted to offices.