Marlene Karas/ViewResidences at Echelon at Centennial Hills, 9051 Echelon Point Drive, will be priced from the high $300,000s up to $1.5 million. Advertisement

If all goes as planned, spring will bring the opening of the first building of Echelon at Centennial Hills, the $200 million, 15-acre residential project under construction near the Las Vegas Beltway and Durango Drive.

Echelon is being built by developer Steve Aizenberg's Royal Construction Company. Aizenberg founded Spinnaker Homes and has made his mark building family homes in Nevada and California, and his company also built the nearby Centennial Academy.

But Echelon at Centennial Hills is something entirely different. Consisting of six four-story buildings housing 372 residences in 11 different floor plans, the luxury condominiums are designed with an urban lifestyle in mind, something unique to northwest Las Vegas.

"I have people who live out here who drive by every day, and when they finally make the time to come in, they are astounded by what they see here," said Terry Tabb, community sales manager. "They didn't realize it was going to be what it is. The feedback is all good things."

Several community amenities set Echelon apart from other condominium projects, Tabb said, including the subterranean parking garage -- complete with storage areas for residents -- and two trash chutes in every building.

"Convenience is definitely attracting people," Tabb said. "There are a lot of people who are looking to sell their homes and get into this kind of lifestyle, but they love the northwest and they don't want to live (on the Strip) to get it."

Plans call for a pool and spa in between each pair of buildings, and a clubhouse will be constructed at the center of the property. What is now the sales office, 9051 Echelon Point Drive, eventually will become a business office amidst courtyards and walking paths weaving between the buildings.

The residences themselves come standard with a two-way, indoor-outdoor hologram fireplace, computer alcoves, trash compactors, walk-in closets and high ceilings. The floor plans range from just over 1,000 square feet to the over 4,000-square-foot penthouse units, which come two per building and offer panoramic views from a 1,000-square-foot terrace.

Unit prices start in the high $300,000s and go up to over $1.5 million.

Four stories may not constitute a true high-rise development, but Echelon will be constructed in that traditional manner.

"It's all construction Type 5A, which is not officially Type 1 construction like most high-rises are, but it's basically the same," said Bob Amato, project manager. "It's all steel and concrete, but we've lightened things up a little. It's a hybrid building."

Amato estimated it takes about 21/2 years to finish each building. The first structure is scheduled to open in March or April, and work on the second could begin in September.

Tabb said there are reservations for the second building.

For more information about the project, visit www.echelonlasvegas.com.