It doesn't even have a formal name yet, but when all is said and done, the Olympia Group's plan to develop nearly 2,700 acres along the Interstate 215 beltway in North Las Vegas is expected to be a billion-dollar project.
So said Olympia representatives Jennifer Lazovich and Bob Gronauer as they recently unveiled project details to the North Las Vegas City Council.
The largest master-planned community in the city's history, said Gronauer, will take place on two parcels -- one of 601 developable acres near the North Las Vegas boundary, east of Decatur Boulevard and between Grant Teton Drive and Elkhorn Road; the other, larger parcel to the east of the Aliante master-planned community along both sides of I-215, between Grand Teton and Deer Springs Way.
Densities throughout the development will range from two to six dwelling units per acre on 304 acres to as many as 50 units per acre on 26 acres near the beltway and major arterial roads.
City Manager Gregory Rose said such densities may sound extreme, but the developers need to put in more units to lessen the cost of individual homes and still allow them a reasonable return on their investment.
"The market has changed, and there's no denying that," he told the council during the April 19 special meeting.
Gronauer said a Mediterranean theme will prevail from one end to the other.
The development also will feature two large-scale regional commercial sites on 112 acres; 29 acres of neighborhood commercial uses, such as supermarkets and associated businesses; and parcels dedicated to new schools, emergency services and lots of parks.
"We are going to propose six school sites in this master-planned community," Gronauer said.
The developers will put up a library building, a police area command center, a fire station and a post office on the east parcel.
He added that a site of 5 to 6 acres will be set aside for religious use. Eventually, the developers hope to install more than 16,000 housing units, and that may be the minimum, they said. The fact that one site might be made available for a casino didn't sit well with some city residents.
Mike Mathes submitted what he said was a petition signed by roughly 2,000 residents who are dead set against building more casinos. Nine such facilities already exist in the city.
Mathes said he understood four more casinos might be on the way, counting one planned for the Aliante community and the site suggested by the Olympia Group. "I just think that's overkill," he said.
But North Las Vegas Mayor Michael Montandon corrected Mathes. Yes, he said, four sites are zoned for casino use. But he added that "There are not four more proposed."
Rose said no recommendation has been made for the Olympia Group. "It's simply that we believe there is a site feasible for gaming," he said.
North Las Vegas resident Steve Lauber said the plans submitted by the Olympia Group need to mesh with the city's comprehensive plan being drafted by Clarion Associates, which coincidentally was discussed by the city planning commission and city council two nights prior to the Olympia Group unveiling.
Lauber said the traffic flow through Olympia Group's parcels is not being properly addressed, and said he hoped the development also would attract professional businesses to keep residents working in North Las Vegas instead of commuting elsewhere around the valley -- a suggestion the mayor said was excellent.
Resident Cherlynn Thomas asked that the council ensure residents' input regarding the development process. She also said the parks, library and other amenities must be made available to all city residents.
"It can't just be for that community in and of itself," she said.
City planning commission member Dean Leavitt reminded the developers that there is a need for walking and bicycling trails to encourage a healthier lifestyle.
Resident Bob Borgersen said he is concerned that higher densities will lead to more crime, higher taxes, and a greater need for police and fire resources.
But he added that a new casino doesn't bother him -- if one is not built, he said, another thousand homes will go up and add just as much traffic.
Resident Harvey Ferber also voiced concerns about traffic, especially that by the planned Olympia Group development that is likely to pass through the neighborhoods between I-215 and the downtown area.
Montandon said intense traffic, water and sewer studies are under way.
"They are extremely extensive studies," he said, "and they reach far beyond the boundaries of the (planning) commission."
Lazovich said she had the good luck to talk to the council about the amenities she thinks most people will want.
All through-streets, she said, will be fully landscaped and, new to North Las Vegas, include 11-foot medians and sidewalks.
The proposed five elementary schools and one high school will be placed so that students can walk to and from school and not have to cross the beltway or North 5th Street, she said.
More than 8 miles of trails are proposed, connecting parks to other parks, as well as to schools. Parks will total 120 acres. A large open preserve will be the central focus of the eastern parcel. The parks will range from 4 to 40 acres apiece, Lazovich said, with four including water sprays for recreation, 10 tennis courts, a dog park and basketball courts.
She said a park will be the first piece of development, even before the first homes go up.
A sports complex on the eastern parcel, she said, will offer seven lighted playing fields, six lighted tennis courts, a skateboard park and perhaps a performance amphitheater.
Passing through the development like a main cable for relaxation, Lazovich continued, will be a regional trail along the Grand Teton corridor that will range from 20 to 200 feet across.
Gronauer said the council and city at large should see their own personal desires reflected in the proposed development.
"At the end of the day, it's going to be people like you and us who are going to be living in this type of master-planned community," he said.
Among uses to be forbidden in the development are payday loan stores, sexually oriented businesses and pawn shops.
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