Summerlin removes decorative grass

Just as water conservation is a big focus for Southern Nevada valleywide, it is also a key focus of The Howard Hughes Corp., developer for the master-planned community of Summerlin and of Downtown Summerlin, its walkable urban core. One of the Las Vegas Valley’s earliest adopters of desert landscaping, the community is on a campaign to reduce decorative grass throughout the 22,500-acre community that will save millions of gallons of water over the next five years. As Howard Hughes continues to utilize more drought-tolerant plantings, The Lawn in Downtown Summerlin — one of the destination’s most popular gathering spots for festivals, events, fairs and concerts —recently received a makeover in which more than 58,000 square feet of fescue was replaced with Bermuda grass, a change that will save more than 1.2 million gallons of water annually.

According to Randy Ecklund, executive director of the Summerlin Council, grass replacement is being done in select areas throughout the community to save water, while also ensuring grass remains in areas used for active play, events and social gathering. In total, more than 180,000 square feet of grass has been removed from areas in Summerlin where the grass served only a decorative purpose, saving more than 8 million gallons of water annually.

“Non-functional grass along both Summerlin Parkway and at several community roundabouts and neighborhood entries is being removed entirely by our Summerlin Community Association partners, and replaced with low water-use plant landscapes,” Ecklund said. “We have long been a partner of Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) as a community leader in water conservation, and our most recent efforts underscore our ongoing commitment to continue to do our part.”

The Howard Hughes Corp. is working with SNWA to certify The Lawn at Downtown Summerlin as a programmable commercial park area given the area is a highly used event location that provides recreational benefit to the community.

“At The Lawn and the Las Vegas Ballpark, we are swapping out fescue for Bermuda grass that uses significantly less water. We are proud of Summerlin’s history of water conservation and Howard Hughes is stepping up our game to do even more for the entire Las Vegas Valley,” said Danielle Bisterfeldt, senior vice president of marketing and consumer experience for Summerlin.

The Howard Hughes Corp. has been a leader in helping to improve the public image of low water-use landscapes valleywide, demonstrating the beauty of well-designed and colorful desert landscapes that can be seen in Summerlin. In 2003, in partnership with SNWA, Summerlin became Southern Nevada’s first community to implement strict Water Smart conservation guidelines on a communitywide basis.

The improvements being made at The Lawn at Downtown Summerlin, as well as the installation of water-smart irrigation systems in select areas of the community, demonstrate Summerlin’s ongoing commitment to water conservation.

Now, entering its 32nd year of development, Summerlin delivers more amenities than any other community in Southern Nevada. This includes more than 250 parks of all sizes; resident-exclusive community centers, pools and events; 200-plus miles of interconnected trails; 10 golf courses; 26 public, private and charter schools; a public library and performing arts center; Summerlin Hospital Medical Center; houses of worship representing a dozen different faiths; office parks; and neighborhood shopping centers. Downtown Summerlin offers fashion, dining, entertainment, Red Rock Resort and office towers. City National Arena is home of the Vegas Golden Knights National Hockey League practice facility. The Las Vegas Ballpark is a world-class Triple-A baseball stadium and home of the Las Vegas Aviators.

In total, Summerlin offers nearly 120 floor plans in 20-plus neighborhoods throughout nine distinct villages and districts. Homes, built by many of the nation’s top homebuilders, are available in a variety of styles — from single-family homes to town homes, priced from the $400,000s to more than $1 million. For information on all actively selling neighborhoods, visit Summerlin.com. Before you visit, call the builders to check on hours of operation. Phone numbers for each neighborhood are on Summerlin.com.