Las Vegas homebuilder hired to lead Blue Diamond Hill, other projects
Las Vegas developer Jim Rhodes has hired a longtime local builder to run his homebuilding operations — including his long-sought project atop Blue Diamond Hill.
Rhodes announced that Gary Mayo joined the business as president of Harmony Homes. Mayo will oversee development of the massive hilltop community just west of Las Vegas and a project in Golden Valley, Arizona, about 100 miles southeast of Las Vegas.
Mayo, who led luxury homebuilder Toll Brothers’ Las Vegas operations for decades, said he left the company last year and joined Rhodes’ organization in August.
He was a group president with Toll and previously worked for Coleman Homes, until Toll acquired that builder’s Las Vegas operations in 1997.
Southern Nevada’s homebuilding market is dominated by big, publicly traded companies that are based out of state but have local offices and leadership. Harmony, launched by Rhodes in 2008, is a privately owned builder based in Las Vegas, a rare breed these days.
Mayo, however, contends the firm will not be competing with most of the big builders in town, given the houses it’s planning. He said the focus locally is on Blue Diamond Hill, where home prices will span from around $1.2 million to $2.5 million.
He also said the project may be built under a different brand than Harmony.
Hilltop timeline
Harmony previously built standard Las Vegas subdivisions. Mayo confirmed that it currently doesn’t have any actively selling housing tracts, and while he didn’t rule out building entry-level-style projects, he noted it’s “just not a focus today.”
Rhodes’ vision for a sprawling hilltop community near Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area was controversial for years, marked by opposition and litigation. But after an $80 million settlement with Clark County last year, and with project approvals in hand, he’s been getting closer to building the long-envisioned project.
The property, which Rhodes acquired more than 20 years ago, has a long history of gypsum mining.
Overall, his project site spans about 2,000 acres and calls for 3,500 homes.
This past May, the Clark County Planning Commission approved design reviews and a tentative map for around 830 acres with more than 1,000 single-family homes. At the time, Rhodes’ group called this the first phase of the project.
Mayo said they are waiting for an easement that would let them build an access road to the site through federal Bureau of Land Management property. He hopes to start construction on the roadway in the first quarter of 2026.
Mayo said he aims to start grading the hilltop project around the same time and to have homes under construction by the end of next year.
Plans for Arizona
Meanwhile, the project in Golden Valley, an area just west of Kingman, calls for 363 homes in the first phase, according to a news release.
Mayo said home prices would likely start in the mid-$200,000 range, though he couldn’t estimate when construction might begin.
During the mid-2000s real estate bubble, Las Vegas developers ventured to rural, outlying areas for new projects — often massive ones at that. Lured by cheaper land and emboldened by easy money for homebuyers and builders alike, developers typically planned to sell homes for less money than what people were paying in Las Vegas.
The Kingman area was no exception to the frenzy. Rhodes, original developer of Las Vegas’ Rhodes Ranch community and other projects, reportedly drew up plans for 131,000 homes in several communities in northwest Arizona.
The notion of the Kingman area as a commuter outpost was a big selling point for developers during the boom years, a local broker previously said.
Mayo pointed out that it’s a long drive to Las Vegas from Golden Valley and figures maybe a few people will commute. However, he’s banking more on buyers who are priced out of Southern Nevada or want to leave the Phoenix area for a slower, more affordable place to live.
Contact Eli Segall at esegall@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0342.