Cadence is pedestrian-friendly

Cadence is a 2,200-acre master-planned community designed for the active lifestyle. With 30 acres of walking trails, one of its key distinctions is its design as a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood.

“The overall vision is we want people to be able to live, work and play here,” said Marketing Vice President Cheryl Persinger. “We’re not putting up typical walls around neighborhoods. We’re trying to keep everything open so people feel comfortable walking around the community.”

Developed in east Henderson, Cadence is off Lake Mead Parkway just east of Boulder Highway.

“A lot of people think we are way out there,” Persinger said about accessibility.

“It’s a five-minute drive to the 215 (Beltway) and (U.S.) 95. Union Village, the new health complex, and Galleria mall are also five minutes away.”

With multiple entry points designed to provide easy home access, amenities include 450 acres of open space with unobstructed views of the Las Vegas Strip. This open space features the 50-acre Central park with a pond, and eventually a 100-acre sports park. Free Wi-Fi is available in all public areas, with mobile device charging outlets at the amphitheater.

A bike share program is a unique amenity Cadence offers residents and their guests.

“Some municipalities have bike share programs for their employees,” Persinger said. “But so far as we know, we are the only residential bike share program in the Southern Nevada area.”

The program uses ‘smart’ bikes. Residents can set up an account and reserve bicycles online or with a smart device. Upon making the reservation they are provided a pin to access the bike.

“Our CEO is a cyclist,” Persinger said about the inspiration for the bike share program. “He wanted that ease of getting around the neighborhood, not just with a car.”

Designed for pedestrians first, the streets are narrower causing drivers to reduce speed. The street design incorporates bike lanes, median islands, sidewalks and safe crossing opportunities.

“We’ve made a conscious effort to slow the traffic down,” Persinger said. “So people could walk with their family or ride their bike and feel safe.”

With seven phases planned over the next 10 years, the development is working to complete Phase One. The overall vision of the community includes 13,250 homes for a broad range of buyers from first-time homebuyers to retirees. The multigenerational community incorporates single-family homes as well as multifamily dwellings. The only gated community in the development is for the age-qualified community, Heritage at Cadence by Lennar.

Currently, four builders are featuring a variety of homes from 1,800 to 3,800 square feet with prices starting in the mid-200,000s.

Each tree-lined neighborhood offers unique floor plans and exterior designs that can only be found in Cadence. Persinger said a part of the master plan has set out to ensure homes feature different architectural styles throughout the community, including each street.

“We are very particular,” Persinger said. “We want the architecture to be different.”

According to Persinger, the community is designed for ‘one-stop living.’ Along with several distinctive residential neighborhoods, 1.1 million square feet of commercial space is planned, including a 1,500-room gaming resort on the outskirts of the development.

The community has reserved six school sites with two schools under construction. Lake Mead Christian Academy and Pine Crest Academy plan to open in the fall for the new school year.

Other amenities include a four-lane regulation-size lap pool and 2,000-square-foot splash pad scheduled to open Memorial Day. Eventually, a children’s play area and several dog parks will open as part of a later phase of development.

Landwell Co. purchased the property in the early 1990s with the intention of developing it into a residential community. The land was originally used for magnesium production in Wold War II, requiring the company to remediate the property prior to development.

“We’ve got the cleanest dirt in the valley,” Persinger said laughing. “We spent many years and millions of private dollars cleaning up the land.”

Cadence held its official groundbreaking in 2014 and immediately began working on the infrastructure. Even as an infill community with most of the infrastructure completed, the company plans to develop the property in a methodical pattern, adhering to the overall vision.

“We’re taking it slow and deliberate,” Persinger said about the community. “We want to do it right versus getting it done quickly.”