Henderson developers consider theme, backstory when naming streets

Monet Sunrise and Mist Effect avenues in the Inspirada neighborhood didn’t get their names just because they sound pleasant.

The developers behind master-planned community said the naming of neighborhood streets is a matter of research and method. It’s a process that can be tricky, said Jim Rizzi, vice president of land development for Pardee Homes.

All street names in the Las Vegas Valley must be differentiated so 911 dispatch centers don’t misinterpret an address, Rizzi said. Sound-alike names or duplication of names is prohibited. To comply, developers increasingly are opting for three-word street names.

In Inspirada, Monet Sunrise, Mist Effect and Blue Palette avenues and Canvas Edge Drive are examples.

“It could be 50 miles away from somebody and nowhere near the same ZIP code, but it can’t have that same street name,” Rizzi said.

When working on a new neighborhood, Pardee’s marketing manager and its director typically decide upon nine to 15 street names in a three- or four-day period. The quickest research tool is the internet, but Pardee employees also check the county assessor’s website for any potential conflicts and to rule out duplicate names that would be rejected.

Pardee’s marketers approach the task as if looking at “a series of trail maps” to make sure the backstory behind each name is somewhat cohesive.

The team then submits names for approval by the company’s marketing director, who passes them on for consideration to the city of Henderson’s Department of Public Works Land Development Division. They often include more names than are needed because of the possibility that some might be rejected.

Typically there’s a theme for street names in a master-planned community.

Inspirada was conceived with an artist theme, so developers referred to historic Italian artists, techniques or places with street names such as Via Seranova and Porto Vittoria Avenue.

Pardee’s marketing manager, Adrian Gonzalez, has been in the street-naming business for nearly ten years; he’s seen themes of horse breeds, cigar types and butterfly species.

“We try not to lose too much sleep over it,” Gonzalez said of naming streets. “But certainly you don’t want to be that person who’s ordering furniture and they ask for your street name and you’re embarrassed to say it or have to spell it. That’s pretty much the two things we try to avoid.”

Some names are in place by the master planner before the home developers move in. If the marketing team identifies any of them as potential problems, they act before homeowners complain. One such street name at Inspirada, named after a city in Italy called “Venaria,” was quickly renamed to “Lascari.”

There have also been cases of approved street names that are later objected to by incoming homeowners, if they deem it difficult to spell or offensive. Gonzalez said it’s not uncommon for individuals to want to change a street name once Pardee has moved on from the development. It’s not simple, either.

To change a street name, a notarized application must be submitted to Henderson’s Community Development and Services department with an approved list of possible names, letters of approval from every property owner adjacent to the street proposed for change and a county assessor’s map showing the street in question. There are also application and notification fees totaling more than $700.

Pardee is set to open a neighborhood next year, Terra Luna, that was conceived with a constellation theme.

For Gonzalez and Rizzi, the creative process of street naming is worth it just to see the signs posted at completion.

“Not that they’re so amazing, but it’s just kind of cool to see something that you came up with,” Gonzalez said. “Not every idea is novel, but it’s a cool thing to see.”

Contact Alex Meyer at ameyer@viewnews.com or 702-383-0496. Follow @alxmey on Twitter.