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.
