Construction continues in Sunrise, Whitney areas despite bumpy economy

While it's no secret that construction is down, it is by no means out. There are several projects under way on the east side of the valley, some that you may pass every day and others that are off the beaten path.

Burger King

3401 E. Tropicana Ave.

When the roof of the Burger King on the corner of Tropicana Avenue and Pecos Road burned last autumn, the owners saw it as an opportunity. The nearly 40-year-old structure was built at a time when drive-through windows were just being added, and decades of design improvements have happened since then.

"The owner decided to scrub it and make it more ergonomically friendly," said Scott Weisheim, executive vice president of Affordable Concepts, the company tasked with the construction project. "We shifted it over on the property and reversed the drive-through. It's going to sit better on that property now."

The project is expected to take 90 work days to finish, and Weisheim plans to have construction finished on Dec. 7.

"It will probably open that day," Weisheim said. "They'll want to open it as soon as possible."

Santa Barbara Palms

Northeast corner of Tropicana Avenue and Santa Barbara Street

Construction began on this Energy Star-rated senior rental housing property in April near the Tropicana Avenue entrance to U.S. Highway 95. It overlooks a bike trail that runs parallel to the highway.

Construction of the apartments has temporarily closed a section of the bike trail, which is expected to reopen in early spring.

The property is set to have 114 two-bedroom units, an 8,000-square-foot clubhouse with a fitness room, a billiards room, a media room and a library.

Builder George Gekakis hopes to have the first 72 units complete in October 2012 and the remainder in December 2012.

"We have had some challenges in regard to the site presenting some unexpected issues with soil conditions," Gekakis said. "There was groundwater at a depth of 10 feet below dirt grade, and a sewer depth of over 20 feet, which caused us to de-water the site and stabilize it prior to installing the utilities. We had to drill 21 wells at 40 feet deep, then groundwater had to be pumped away. We were then able to proceed with fire hydrant and sewer lines. In turn, framing was delayed three months, but construction is now on schedule."

Pre-leasing of units is expected to begin soon. The company has been weathering the bumpy economy because it caters to an underserved part of the community.

"We have been fortunate in being able to continue building through the current economic downturn," Gekakis said. "The need for affordable senior housing is critical, and with construction now well under way, we will be able to deliver much-needed units to the east side of the valley."

Broadstone Ravello

4350 Cappas St.

This apartment complex off Craig Road was originally built as condominiums. But when the housing market deteriorated, Alliance Residential Company, a national integrated ownership, development and management company, bought the property and converted the units to apartments.

"We bought it at your typical distressed property price," said Robert Correa, regional manager for Alliance Residential. "If you want to see a good story out of this mess of a recession, it's that we're trying to bring it back to being a real working entity."

When Alliance Residential purchased the property, there were only five buildings housing 40 completed units. The purchase included plans for a 152-unit complex that already had been approved by Clark County. Correa said the company is on track to complete 24 units each month.

Because they were originally designed as condos, the units have some unusual amenities for apartments, Correa said.

"Most are 1,100 square feet or more with granite countertops, ceramic floors and attached garages," he said.

Correa hopes to have the complex complete and the apartments leased by August or September 2012.

Tonopah Lamb Senior Housing

1841 N. Lamb Blvd.

The name of this project is likely to change as it gets closer to completion. The 34-unit senior housing project is still in the early stages of construction. Accessible Spaces Inc., a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 that provides accessible housing for adults with disabilities, is developing the property.

According to Clark County spokesman Erik Pappa, the housing is designed for seniors 62 or older who have incomes below 50 percent of the area median. It is set to be operated as affordable housing for a minimum of 20 years.

The $5.1 million complex is scheduled to be completed by December 2012.

Mortuary and cemetery

Near the corner of Lamb Boulevard and Carey Avenue

One of the unique projects under way on the east side of town is this structure that is temporarily stalled. Although no one officially connected to the project would speak about it, neighbors say no work has been done there for several months. The property was approved for a mortuary and cemetery in 2009.

Michael Dias, chairman of the Sunrise Town Advisory Board, recalled that the issue came before the board in recent years, although he didn't recall the exact date.

"As I understand it, it's going to be a Muslim mortuary and cemetery," Dias said. "I'm just working from my memory here, but I believe that it didn't conflict with the zoning established for the area."

Contact Sunrise/Whitney View reporter F. Andrew Taylor at ataylor@viewnews.com or 380-4532.