Summerlin sets design standards

Summerlin has long been heralded for its standard design requirements that give it a distinctive look and feel while helping to maintain aesthetics and home values.

According to Julie Cleaver, vice president of planning and design for Summerlin, the community’s design characteristics are thoughtful and carefully planned to ensure Summerlin continues to live and look as vibrant today and in the future as it did when development first began 26 years ago.

“We’re entering the second quarter-century of development in Summerlin, and while community standards have evolved with the times, they are always based on classic design principles to ensure architecture, land planning and landscape maintains a consistent, upscale and distinctive look,” she said.

Summerlin requires homebuilders to incorporate at least 15 percent of outdoor living space into their home designs. That includes courtyards, miradors and covered patios and balconies, and it’s why these features are popular in the community. In fact, Summerlin homebuilders typically include two to four of these outdoor living spaces in every floor plan.

Homebuilders are required to meet exterior visual standards, such as including architectural detailing on all four sides of their homes; restrict the use of walls to ensure openness; and deploy multiple elevations, stone, brick and other building materials in one neighborhood to ensure variety. Required plan, elevation and color separation is monitored to eliminate monotony.

The use of open space and pocket parks in every Summerlin neighborhood provides a gathering spot and play area accessible to every resident. There are more than 235 neighborhood parks throughout the 36 square miles of the community. Village parks and open space corridors are deliberate to reflect the unique environment in which they are located. That includes framing views of ridgelines along the community’s western boundary, incorporating revegetated planting into parks and paseos and embracing challenging topography in the community’s trail system, particularly in villages such as The Cliffs and The Paseos.

Summerlin streets are curved at least every eighth home to create more interesting streetscapes and discourage excessive speed. Homes on a given street are intentionally designed and built with varied elevations and set-backs to further ensure visual interest and appeal on a neighborhood scale. Summerlin sidewalks are frequently landscaped on both sides to create visual appeal and enhance safety for pedestrians by further separating sidewalks from streets. And the community’s signature roundabouts keep traffic moving, reduce pollution by eliminating idling at intersections and add visual interest to streetscapes.

According to Cleaver, lighting is an important factor in Summerlin’s design. The community’s eco-friendly light pollution regulations create a more vibrant nighttime sky. And signature L-shaped, square, bronze-colored lampposts line all major thoroughfares to give Summerlin a distinct look.

With more than 150 miles of trails, hundreds acres of open space, 19 regional and programmed parks, dozens of sports fields, 10 golf courses and four resident community centers, including three with pools, Summerlin offers more amenities in greater volume than any other Southern Nevada community.

And Summerlin is the only community in Southern Nevada with its own downtown. Thanks to the 106-acre Downtown Summerlin, residents have many high-quality choices for shopping, dining and entertainment in their own backyard — without having to travel to the Strip. That includes many premier first-to-market brands such as Lazy Dog, Dave &Buster’s and Fabletics. With dozens of restaurants and eateries, including names like Wolfgang Puck, Andiron, Grape Street, California Pizza Kitchen and Fogo de Chao, Downtown Summerlin offers dining options in a variety of price points for every palette.

Today, Summerlin is selling new homes in 20 neighborhoods across four villages: The Paseos, The Mesa, The Ridges and The Cliffs. In total, there are more than 90 different floor plans to meet the varied lifestyle needs of today’s modern families — from young professionals and singles to couples just starting their families or empty-nester couples looking to right-size their home.

Homes in Summerlin are available in a variety of styles — from single-family homes to townhomes priced from the $300,000s and custom homesites are offered in The Ridges, while Constellation is now leasing luxury apartments in the Downtown Summerlin area. Visit www.summerlin.com for more information.