Urban Renaissance
By Tony Illia

The District at Green Valley Ranch, a new mixed-use urban project in Henderson, reflects the growing trend towards lifestyle developments.

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The project targets the baby-boomer generation, a growing demographic that now controls 40 percent of the nation's disposable income and 77 percent of its private investments.

"Nearly 45 percent of baby- boomer households are interested in living in denser residential communities with a combination of retail, restaurants, and office spaces nearby," said John Restrepo, principal of the Restrepo
Consulting Group LLC, a Las Vegas-based economic research firm. "As a result, developers are tailoring their products for the wealthiest group of elderly in history."

The District at Green Valley Ranch is a perfect example, combining shops and restaurants with residential and office for a total entertainment experience. The $80 million upscale complex developed by American Nevada Co. is on 30.6 acres at Interstate 215 and Green Valley Parkway in Henderson. The project consists of seven buildings totaling 406,260 -sq. -ft.

McCarthy Building Cos. was the general contractor.

Although The District had its grand opening in April, tenants such as the 10,200-sq.-ft. stand-alone Lucille's BBQ House restaurant and the 7,500-sq.-ft. Elephant Bar came online in the third quarter 2004, followed by the 10,200-sq.-ft. Anthropologie in December.

The 3,400-sq.-ft. Gianne Christine Aveda and 1,400-sq.-ft. Fatali Gallery will be opening during the first quarter of 2005.

The District consists of 14 restaurants and specialty food stores such as King''s Fish House, Ethel M. Chocolates, and Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream. Breslin Builders of Las Vegas completed Al's Garage and Kennedy Steakhouse in the third quarter, two restaurants combining for 7,600 -sq. -ft. Carpenter Sellers Associates was the architect with Yates Silverman as interior designer. >>

The District also has 14 men's and woman's clothing stores, including national retailers Chico's, Ann Taylor and Coldwater Creek. And there are 20 distinctive retail outlets, including Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Sharper Image and a 22,500-sq-ft. REI, the Seattle-based company's first store in Southern Nevada.

The complex offers 88 high-end luxury condominiums units, ranging from 875 -sq. -ft. to 1,749 -sq. -ft. in size, and priced from $350,000 to $1 million. Residences feature travertine marble floors, granite counter tops, and maple cabinetry. The District even has 30,000 -sq. -ft. worth of Class "A" office space available.

"The whole concept is a mixed-use urban project in a suburban neighborhood," said John Kilduff, American Nevada's president. "The neighborhood and demographics are strong enough to support this type of a development."

The District is inside the 1,310-acre Green Valley Ranch master-planned community in Henderson, which is another American Nevada development.

About 175,455 people with an average annual household income of $83,430 live within a 5-mi. radius of the new development. And an estimated 111,000 cars pass by the site every day.

The buildings are clustered along a stone-paved, tree-lined Main Street, envisioned as a pedestrian- friendly boulevard that serves as the project's focal point. The buildings, which range from two to four stories tall, are bathed in a palette of desert tones.

The steel and wood-framed structures each have distinctive façades of EIFS, stucco and glass.

"We wanted a fun mixture of buildings that didn't appear planned or monotonous," said Howard Perlman, president of Perlman Architects Inc., the project architect. "The idea was to create an environment with a sense of place."

The buildings have an Old World village feel with narrow alleyways, broad glass storefronts and wrought iron balconies. The tropically landscaped site has 40 towering palm trees with surface parking for 1,400 vehicles.

"The mixed-use concept creates synergy between the separate components by inviting the shopper to experience different levels of shopping and entertainment," said Greg Jones, American Nevada's vice president of commercial operations.