Tom Warden, vice president of community and government relations for The Howard Hughes Corp., is asked all the time if the regional retail center planned in the village of Summerlin Centre, "which looks like a pile of dirt right now," will really be built. He assures them the project is right on track.
"People will start to see steel in May," he said. "So it's real, and it's real big."
He gave a presentation on the project to a Las Vegas Northwest Rotary Club meeting on Feb. 5 at the clubhouse of the Tournament Players Club, 9851 Canyon Run Drive.
So far, the project has not been given an official name. The underground parking is already under construction. When it comes to buildings, everything will be built green, Warden said.
The shopping destination will combine retail, hospitality, entertainment and office elements within easy access of major roads. The parcel spans from Sahara Avenue to the Red Rock Resort and butts up against the Las Vegas Beltway.
Right now, commitments from retailers are from Nordstrom and Crate & Barrel. They will anchor the northwest corner of the parcel. General Growth Properties, owners of the project, and The Howard Hughes Corp., developer of Summerlin, expect to announce more retailers in May.
"I think it's great that we'll have upscale stores in this end of town," said Judith Filangeri, Rotary member. "The days of everything being on the Strip are over."
Warden said his company was getting inquiries from "some phenomenal restaurants" and that the property would attract people on a regional basis, not just draw from Summerlin. It's expected to open in late 2009.
Just to the east of the 100-plus-acre regional retail center will be a new community. It's in the planning stages right now, but ideas like wrap buildings are being considered for the roughly 200-acre parcel. A wrap building surrounds a parking structure, to disguise it from outside viewers.
Another envisioned wrap building scenario involves a seven-story condominium building surrounding a five-story parking structure. The roof of the parking structure might have a swimming pool and garden area incorporated into it.
"If you're standing there, you feel like you're in a courtyard, when in reality, you're on top of a five-story parking structure," Warden said.
That neighborhood, also not yet named, is expected to attract people who work at the regional retail center. It will allow residents to walk home from work and pick up items along the way, "just like people in real cities," joked Warden.
Archived Editions| Advertising | Contact The Staff
