Looking back at 2013
As 2013 comes to a close, View Neighborhood Newspapers looks back at the top stories of the year. Summerlin saw movement on a number of projects as the economy continued to heal.
WORK ON THE SHOPS AT SUMMERLIN RESUMES
The clamor of steel being pounded and growling bulldozers again filled the air at the Shops at Summerlin site, just south of Red Rock Resort, 11011 W. Charleston Blvd. The construction was put on hold in 2008 after the economy spiraled downward.
Motorists along the 215 Beltway near the Charleston Boulevard interchange have a prime view of the steel framework growing larger and taller. Among the planned 125 retail shops are those already signed — Macy’s, Dillard’s and a 36,000-square-foot Nordstrom Rack.
While the main draw will be retail operators and dining, nine stories of office space will sit atop one area of the complex. The open-air shopping environment is planned to cover 106 acres.
The Howard Hughes Corp., developer of Summerlin, expects it to open in fall 2014.
TIVOLI VILLAGE BEGINS CONSTRUCTION ON PHASE TWO
The developers of Tivoli Village, 302 S. Rampart Blvd., have not been twiddling their thumbs. In October, they initiated construction on Phase Two.
When done, it will comprise 200,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, with another 70,000 square feet for offices.
Details for signed leases were scarce, but an Apple Store and a Victoria’s Secret shop have been reported in the mix.
Tivoli Village is owned by IDB, a holding company based in Tel Aviv, Israel, and is part of a subsidiary corporation known as PBC. The $700 million shopping center will increase its footprint to more than 650,000 square feet once Phase Two is complete. It has a planned spring 2015 opening date.
“The leasing process has really improved in the Las Vegas market, and the national tenants have come back and are viewing Las Vegas in a very different light than they were a few years ago,” said Patrick Done, president of Tivoli Village. “We’re back on the map, if you will.”
MORE RETAIL PLANNED AT SAHARA AND HUALAPAI
Tivoli Village’s developers also announced plans for Sahara Center, a retail development planned for the approximately 20 acres at the northeast corner of Sahara Avenue and Hualapai Way.
Developer Sahara Center LLC broke ground Nov. 5. Signed tenants include Petco, T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods, Stein Mart and Sprouts Farmers Market. Sahara Center, 10000 W. Sahara Ave., promises to include other as-yet-unnamed national and regional brands.
Some free-standing retail slabs will front Sahara Avenue.
“The many residential neighborhoods and master-planned communities on this side of town, such as Summerlin, Queensridge and Peccole Ranch, have been underserved in terms of national and regional retail options,” said Ted Baker, Sahara Center’s retail leasing consultant with NewMarket Advisors. “The demand for mid-box retail in this area never waned.”
Sahara Center LLC is a member of the EHB Cos. family. EHB Cos. is responsible for Tivoli Village, as well as developing the One Queensridge Place residential towers near the Suncoast.
BATTER UP? — 51S BASEBALL TEAM SETS SIGHTS ON SUMMERLIN
Speculation is rampant at the possibility of the Las Vegas 51s minor-league baseball team coming to Summerlin.
Sports enthusiasts are waiting to hear whether the Shops at Summerlin site will include a baseball stadium. The possibility is not far-fetched. The Hughes Corp. and some partners have already acquired the 51s, which is part of the Pacific Coast League. Tom Warden, vice president of community and government relations for the Hughes Corp., said no decision has been made on what the centering element will be but that a stadium was one possibility.
Warden said various stakeholders — the city, Clark County and the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority — would all need to be on the same page to make it happen.
A baseball stadium and the necessary parking would require about 20 acres. Representatives from the Hughes Corp. have visited baseball parks in other cities, such as Reno, Sacramento, Calif., and Columbus, Ohio.
If a stadium were built, it would likely seat 8,000 to 10,000 people, Warden said.
GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area closed Oct. 1 after the federal government could not reach an agreement on the budget.
JoLynn Worley, spokeswoman for the Bureau of Land Management, which oversees two-thirds of the state’s land, reported that 36 of the BLM’s 927 Nevada employees remained at work under a government shutdown. The BLM’s entire 16-person staff at Red Rock Canyon was placed on furlough.
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is the busiest BLM site in the country with more than 1 million visitors a year. The recreation area reopened Oct. 17.
TUBERCULOSIS OUTBREAK AT SUMMERLIN HOSPITAL
A pregnant woman apparently contracted tuberculosis after eating unpasteurized dairy products from overseas and died, which led to Summerlin Hospital Medical Center, 657 N. Town Center Drive, testing 140 babies.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Vanessa White, 25, died from undiagnosed TB in July after giving birth prematurely to twin girls. Baby Emma died in June from respiratory problems, and Abigail died in August after being diagnosed with TB.
The disease scare saw more than two dozen people, who had contact with the patient, being tested.
Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 702-387-2949.
