Long-planned apartment project in Green Valley Ranch now underway

A long-planned apartment community in Green Valley Ranch is finally under construction.

Building is underway at the 360-unit Elysian at The District, which was designed by KTGY Group Architecture + Planning and is being developed by the Calida Group of Las Vegas.

The 19-acre project is near the 215 Beltway and Green Valley Parkway, and anchors dining and retail center The District at Green Valley Ranch.

Homes at the property include town houses and flats ranging from 740 square feet to 1,860 square feet. They’ll feature private garages, quartz countertops, custom cabinets and stainless-steel appliances.

The Calida Group said it expects the first phase of 122 units will be complete by the end of January. Preleasing is set to begin in October.

The community was initially planned as a 360-unit, high-end, for-sale condominium community, but the recession scuttled those plans. In 2011, Calida reintroduced the project as a 438-unit rental community. Nearby residents protested that the project could crowd local schools, hurt property values and increase parking on side streets. The project was subsequently downsized and refashioned into its current design.

■ Former Nevada Labor Commissioner Thoran Towler has joined the Nevada Association of Realtors as general counsel.

Towler will provide legal guidance, oversee a legal information hotline and handle government affairs for the association.

Towler is scheduled to start Sept. 2, after he wraps up a three-year tenure with the Labor Commission, where he oversees a staff of 19. As labor commissioner, Towler enforced state wage laws, investigated complaints of nonpayment of wages and ensured that all workers are treated fairly under the law.

Towler also served as a deputy attorney general in the Nevada attorney general’s office, and as a Carson City deputy district attorney. He earned his law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane, Wash.

Towler takes over for Teresa McKee, who was promoted to association CEO earlier this year.

■ A regional law firm has launched a blog focused on the legal aspects of construction and development.

Snell &Wilmer’s construction law practice group runs the new Construction Ally blog, which covers issues that affect builders, owners, contractors, subcontractors, design professionals and the construction industry in Nevada, Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Utah.

The blog’s editors are Leon F. Mean II and Bryan Gragg. To view the blog or to subscribe, visitwww.swlaw.com/blog/construction-ally/.

■ Brokers with CBRE handled both sides of a recent medical-office sale.

Charles Moore and Marlene Fujita Winkel represented seller Bank of America in the $800,001 deal, which involved 6,009 square feet of space at 8605 S. Eastern Ave. Fujita Winkel also represented the buyer, Radhika Investments LLC.

■ Newmark Grubb Knight Frank agents closed on a sizable retail sale.

David Lipp and Chris Godino represented Lutfi Antin Etal in its $625,000 sale of 28,750 square feet of retail space at 884 N. Nellis Blvd. Mark Keyzers of NAI Alliance represented buyer Halle Properties LLC dba Discount Tire.

■ Colliers International brokers closed three industrial sales in late July and early August.

Dan Doherty, Susan Borst, Chris Lane and Jerry Doty represented Dean R &Penny S Brunner Trust in its $950,000 sale of a 10,720-square-foot property at 5550 Reference St. Michael De Lew and Greg Pancirov represented buyer Angelo Infante.

Dean Willmore represented Romuald Pycior in the $570,000 sale of a 10,000-square-foot property at 2592 Abels Lane. The buyer was Mark Urakawa.

And Renae Russo and Spencer Pinter represented KB1 Enterprises LLC in its $535,500 sale of a 5,598-square-foot property at 1172 Center Point Drive. The buyer was the Clifford G. and Louise J. Kohler Family Trust.

■ The Southern Nevada Home Builders Association has scheduled a members-only networking event in September.

The “Turn the Tables” night will let associate members meet homebuilders one-on-one to talk about products and services.

Builders scheduled to participate so far include American West, DR Horton, KB Home, Pardee Homes and William Lyon Homes.

Last year’s event drew 200 members, including executives from 18 builders.

The event is scheduled from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 17 at The Orleans Hotel Convention Center. For membership information, email Beverly Williams at beverly@snhba.com.

Contact reporter Jennifer Robison at jrobison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @J_Robison1 on Twitter.