Providence starts work on park with winding trail

Providence, a new master-planned community in the northwestern valley, recently broke ground on a linear trail park called the Promenade, a key element of the master plan's Americana theme, according to the developer.

The Promenade, scheduled for completion in the spring of 2008, is about 5 acres with a half-mile trail. Designed as a walking park with benches along the trails, the Promenade will give residents the opportunity to enjoy an active, outdoor lifestyle, said John Resly, director of landscaping for Focus Property Group, master planner of Providence.

"The Promenade will bring to life the Providence vision where residents easily interact and enjoy time spent outdoors," Resly said.

All along the Promenade's winding path will be shaded rest areas and raised planter walls providing seating, all under a canopy of trees designed to provide shade and seasonal beauty, Resly said.

"The landscaping chosen for the Promenade will provide walkers welcome, cool shade in the summer and a brilliant range of colors and textures in the fall," he said. "And as with the rest of the master-planned community, the landscaping used at the Promenade will be desert adaptable and drought tolerant and ensure that Providence follows its strict guidelines for using the desert's limited resources wisely."

Resly also noted that the landscaping along the trail will serve as a resource to help residents identify plant types, should they wish to integrate the foliage found at the Promenade in their own yards.

"The Promenade is scheduled to be completed in spring 2008 and we know that residents are going to enjoy the trails not only for outdoor recreation but also as a resource to see how landscaping can thrive in a desert while still looking great, and employing intelligent use of water," Resly said.

Another resource available for landscaping ideas and plant choices is the community's Demonstration Garden located on the west side of the information center. Providence hosts quarterly landscaping seminars in the Demonstration Garden to educate homeowners and others on how to design backyards with desert-adaptable plants.

Residents of Providence will enjoy tree-lined streets and planted landscapes designed to create a sense of community reminiscent of small towns across America, Resly said.

Providence ultimately will be planted with an estimated 4,000 mature, desert-adaptable shade and specimen trees, along with countless drought-tolerant shrubs and plants, according to Resly.

The trees at Providence are larger than those found in other new communities, as Focus Property Group purchased the trees several years ago and has been growing them for the specific purpose of opening a new community with oversized and lush landscaping in place, Resly said.

The larger trees that Providence selected include raywood ash, allee elm, chitalpa, desert willows, Rio Grande ash, southern live oak and pistachio. Mondale pines will border the exterior of the community.

Providence is planned for 33 acres of parks and 10 miles of trail systems, the developer said. To name the parks and capture the spirit of the community's theme, Focus Property Group utilized names of American literary and historical icons.

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, whose "Knickerbocker Tales" are a collection of stories from 18th century upstate New York that include "Rip Van Winkle," "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and others. Baseball parks will be reminiscent of old-fashioned ballfields.

When complete, Providence will be composed of an estimated 7,500 single- and multi-family units in 39 subdivisions. Additionally, the master plan includes two elementary schools and one middle school.

An elementary school is scheduled to open within the community in 2008. Located on Egan Crest Drive and Severance Lane, the school is slated to welcome its first students for the 2009-2010 school year.

There are 15 home builders in total participating in the Providence master-planned community.

Builders actively selling at Providence include Avante Homes, Beazer Homes, KB Home, Kimball Hill Homes, Lennar Homes, Meritage Homes, Pardee Homes, Pulte Homes, Ryland Homes, Toll Brothers, and Warmington Homes Nevada, Woodside Homes. Home builders including Astoria Homes, Fairview Residential and R/S Development are expected to begin offering houses in the coming months.

To learn more, visit the information center or call 433-5084. For more information on Providence and Focus Property Group, visit providencelv.com or focuspropertygroup.com.