Providence master plan’s themed Information Center wins award

The Providence Information Center has received the Modular Building Institute's (MBI) 2007 Award of Distinction.

The award marked the second time a Focus Property Group master-planned community was honored for an information center, with Mountain's Edge earning similar accolades in 2005.

The 1,536-square-foot Providence Information Center emulates the classic small town soda fountain and ice cream shop, with a soda jerk-style counter where visitors can gather information about the community. Surrounded by mature desert adaptable shade and specimen trees and a wrap-around porch, the Information Center is open to the public every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

"We're proud that a prospective home buyer's first impression of Providence comes from our Information Center, which has proven to be a tremendous resource to those interested in life in this community," said John A. Ritter, chairman and chief executive officer of Focus Property Group. "The Information Center's distinctive design gives visitors a great sense of the spirit and style of the community and of what makes Providence different from other communities in the Las Vegas Valley."

In addition to providing information about the home builders that are offering homes at the master-planned community, the information center updates home buyers about infrastructure projects, parks and future events at Providence.

Center visitors can learn more about the American history and literary themes on which the theme of the community is based.

Founded in 1983, the MBI is a national organization that works on behalf of the modular industry to encourage innovation and excellence in modular applications.

The MBI's Award of Distinction is the commercial modular industry's premiere awards program, offering competition in more than 30 categories for MBI members: building manufacturers, dealers and product and service providers.

Each entry is reviewed by an impartial panel of industry and non-industry construction and code experts, architects, engineers and marketing professionals. Building entries are judged on architectural excellence, technical innovation, cost effectiveness, energy efficiency and calendar days to complete. Marketing pieces are judged on stated objectives, creativity, methodology and results.

In the community's parks and public spaces, Providence celebrates the diversity of literary and historical American voices.

Wide tree-lined boulevards, the central promenade and parks visually reinforce the theme.

Huckleberry Park draws its name from numerous sources, most notably Mark Twain's classic character, Huckleberry Finn.

Providence's Knickerbocker Park was named in honor of literary great Washington Irving's 18th century collection of stories, "Knickerbocker Tales," which includes "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Headless Horseman."

The baseball parks within the community will be reminiscent of old-fashioned ball fields, while parks and green areas will be planted with an estimated 4,000 mature desert adaptable shade and specimen trees, along with varieties of drought tolerant shrubs and plants, while keeping water conservation a high priority. Hundreds of the mature shade trees are being held at the tree nursery, which can be seen across the street from the Information Center.

Visitors can see examples of the drought-tolerant plant palette in the community's Demonstration Garden located on the west side of the Information Center.

Built as a resource for the residents of Providence, the Demonstration Garden will be host to a future series of landscape seminars to educate homeowners on how they can design their backyards with desert adaptable plants.

The Information Center's conservation methods are examples of the water-saving efforts and environmentally sensitive design features used by Providence home builders in their residential subdivisions.

All builders have pledged to eliminate turf from the front yards of all homes in favor of desert-friendly landscaping.

Upon build out, Providence will be comprised of as many as 7,500 single and multi-family units in 39 subdivisions.

For the recreation and education of the community's residents, the community includes plans for parks and trails systems, as well as two elementary schools and one middle school.

Home builders include Avante Homes, Beazer Homes, KB Home, Kimball Hill Homes, Lennar Homes, Meritage Homes, Pardee Homes, Pulte Homes, Ryland Homes, Toll Brothers and Woodside Homes. The master plan has more than 70 model homes open for viewing.

Astoria Homes, Fairview Residential, R/S Development and Warmington Homes Nevada are expected to begin offering homes this year.

To learn more, visit the Information Center at Hualapai Way, just north of Interstate 215, the Las Vegas Beltway, and Hualapai interchange in the northwest Las Vegas Valley.

For more information, call 433-5084 or visit providencelv.com or focuspropertygroup.com.