Vol. 3, No. 10, October 2007
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Get Out of Town
Bedroom communities of Las Vegas will boom in next decade
Why, then, would some intrepid souls who currently live and work in Las Vegas consider moving even further away from the city, to “bedroom” communities that offer some of the things that are being lost in Las Vegas?
Bedroom communities are sometimes also called “exburbs” and differ from the simple suburb designation by being located a further distance away from the core city. In many cases, the exburbs are located more then 50 miles from the core city with non-congested travel time of an hour or more. The reasons for the rise of these towns are varied, but the principal reason seems to be economic: When workers in a region cannot afford to live where they work and must seek residency in another town with a lower cost of living.
The rise of these exburbs in most cases has been accelerated by the construction of “real” highways and the “information” highway. As more and more people are able to work from home, it becomes less important to live within a city that might be your home base. Someone who only has to trek to a major city a couple of times a week—if even that much—may opt to live in a community that is less costly, offers a better quality of life and/or has more land to expand.
Las Vegas is a special case in this discussion, however. Ringed by mountains on three sides, the Las Vegas Valley is rapidly running out of developable land. Yes, there are still some huge parcels under the control of the federal Bureau of Land Management that may be released someday in the future, but for now, the valley is land-constrained. Developers, therefore, are looking further afield and considering regions that once were barren desert, good for nothing except sagebrush and tortoises.
New and improved highways are opening these areas up. While commute time to Las Vegas continues to be rather lengthy, it will still be considerably shorter than in previous years when two-lane blacktop roads were the only option.
Jean/Goodsprings/Sandy Valley
The announcement two years ago that a new airport would be built in Jean, Nevada, has spurred interest in that area, 30 miles south of Las Vegas. For years, it was just a glorified truck stop with two casinos, a recent purchase by MGM Mirage will turn Jean into a typical bedroom community, right off I-15, which was recently widened all the way to Las Vegas. Although details have yet to be revealed, MGM closed the Nevada Landing casino and will concentrate on making the Gold Strike the one large casino in that area.
Outside of the residents of the Nevada state correctional facility, there are currently few residents in Jean, but that will change as developers amass the land necessary to begin to build communities that would be very familiar in Las Vegas: thousands of homes on small lots.
Down the road from Jean is Goodsprings. Although some call it a modern ghost town, there are currently around 200 residents. The most famous building in town, the Pioneer Saloon, has been operating for over 90 years, making it arguably the oldest saloon in Nevada. If you look closely, you can see bullet holes in the walls from some of the gunfights held there. Some say the saloon is haunted by the victims of these fights.
Goodsprings is currently attracting some Las Vegas residents who want larger lots, but there are no current plans for housing projects within the city limits.
Just over the mountains from Goodsprings is Sandy Valley, one of the most unique of the up-and-coming bedroom communities. Home to around 2,000 people, Sandy Valley straddles the California state line. More out-of-towners are coming in to build primary or secondary homes in Sandy Valley. Many homes are located adjacent in the Sky Ranch Estates Airport, a fly-in community that attracts visitors from around the region.
Development in Sandy Valley is currently limited to larger lots (1 acre or more), but as the Jean airport progresses, Sandy Valley could become a satellite community for that development.
Northern Arizona
Two years ago, there were few hotter real estate plays than Northern Arizona. Construction of a $240 million bridge that will bypass the Hoover Dam as the main port of entry on the Arizona/Nevada border was well underway. The potential for cheaper land and affordable housing on the Arizona side of the border was attracting many interested developers.
But then an accident in September 2006 that brought down two huge cranes building the footings for the bridge, also dampened the hopes for this area. As a result of the accident, the completion date for the bridge was pushed back from 2008 to 2011. And that has been enough to delay development plans in Mohave County, Arizona for the time being.
But it’s just a matter of time before Mohave County becomes the hub of the area. With the slow growth philosophy of Boulder City, on the Nevada side of the dam, Mohave County could boom soon after the completion of the bridge, which would deliver commuters to Las Vegas in 45 minutes.
Development plans, meanwhile, are moving forward.
Rhodes Homes is working on a large-scale development at Pravada, a 6,000-acre, 30,000-home master plan near Kingman. The company is also finalizing plans for the Villages at White Hills, a 2,727-acre community with more than 20,000 homes planned east of Bullhead City, Arizona. The company has not yet broken ground, but is gathering all the necessary approvals from Mohave County.
Las Vegas developer Leonard Mardian plans to develop 47,000 acres of land in White Hills, Arizona, 27 miles south of Hoover Dam on U.S. Highway 93. Called the Ranch at White Hills, Mardian’s development will be linked with the new bridge by a four-lane highway scheduled to be completed in 2009.
Because of the delay, however, land in Mohave County remains a reasonably priced investment, and, once the bridge is completed, may become one of the most popular of Las Vegas’ bedroom communities.
Pahrump
Another explosive-growth area is Pahrump, located about 60 miles northwest of Las Vegas on the California border. Pahrump is one of the fastest-growing cities in Nevada, with housing developments rapidly taking over land previously used for farming. By the end of the year, more than 10,000 housing units will have been added to Pahrump’s residential base. Many are moving to Pahrump from Las Vegas because of the affordability of the housing.
There are five full-service casinos in Pahrump, and its proximity to Death Valley makes it a great jumping-off point for visitors to that barren wilderness.
The small-town feel of the community makes Pahrump the perfect destination for families with recreational opportunities almost limitless. Sporting events, festivals and community activities fill out the social card of many families in the town.
Just before you get to Pahrump, the 950-acre, Mountain Falls development is one of the leading housing regions in the area. A master-planned golf community, Mountain Falls includes six separate neighborhoods with homes ranging from just under 1,200 square feet to almost 3,000 square feet. Prestigious builder, William Lyons Homes, has built award-winning developments in and around major cities such as San Diego, Anaheim and San Jose, California, and Surprise, Arizona.
As an alternative to the fast-paced Las Vegas lifestyle, Mountain Falls offers something completely different.
“In just a few years, approximately 400+ families have moved to Mountain Falls,” says Linda Kemper, a representative for the developer. “Buyers are drawn to the affordability, natural beauty and slower pace of the region,” said. “Mountain Falls gives our builders a unique opportunity to offer spacious, top-quality homes at prices difficult to match in Las Vegas.”
With extremely low home owners association fees, and much greater benefits when compared to Las Vegas communities, Mountain Falls has something for everyone.
“Mountain Falls has evolved into a dynamic community with home choices to suit nearly every lifestyle and budget. As growth continues, more and more people will realize their dreams of becoming first-time homeowners or vacation homeowners,” says Kemper.
With innovative floor plans, spectacular views and a community clubhouse and swimming pool, Mountain Falls truly lives up to its motto: Fresh, Real, Active, Clear.
For more information, visit www.mountainfalls.com.
Coyote Springs
There was a time when people considered Howard Hughes and his company crazy for buying up land in the western part of Las Vegas, considering it to be too remote and out of the way for anyone to consider living there. That land today, of course, is the venerable Las Vegas community of Summerlin, one of the greatest development success stories in the western U.S.
So when Reno lobbyist Harvey Whittemore teamed with Pardee Homes to buy 43,000 acres of desert land 60 miles northeast of Las Vegas, no one was laughing. And the vision set out for Coyote Springs fulfills all the aspects that create the great bedroom communities.
While Coyote Springs will offer good housing at more affordable rates than Las Vegas, it will also implement all the other reasons people choose to buy in a bedroom community. The choice of lifestyles drives each selection. In addition to affordable primary housing, Coyote Springs offers second homes for weekend getaways, vacation properties with a wide selection of amenities (timeshares and “fractional” ownership), ranch estates with acreage, retirement residences for seniors, and town and village centers that provide amenities for residences, as well as employment opportunities.
Located mostly in Lincoln County (70 percent of the land), some is situated in Clark County. The first 3,000 are currently being developed, with Pardee planning 10,000 homes in that first phase. Early-bird potential buyers, called Trailblazers by Pardee, have flooded the company with queries.
Our Trailblazers tell us they want to get away from the noise and congestion of the city, to see the stars at night and be pioneers in Nevada’s newest town,” said Klif Andrews, the president of Pardee Homes Southern Nevada Division.. “One woman told us she already has her furniture picked out and plans to be in her new home by Christmas 2008.”
Trailblazers get exclusive access to what’s new at Coyote Springs, including development updates, exclusive invitations to special events, special offers and sneak previews. To become a Trailblazer, register on the website, www.villagesofcoyotesprings.com.
“Coyote Springs is designed to be an outdoor-oriented, environmentally responsible and technologically advanced town, offering a wide variety of home choices that reflect the architectural heritage of the American West,” said Andrews.
Coyote Springs also promises to become a world-class golf destination, as well, as the first-ever PGA Village at Coyote Springs will provide a unique golf experience that will include:
• The PGA Learning Center, an unparalleled learning experience for golfers of all skill levels, dedicated to teaching the sport in a fun environment, and;
• The PGA Historical Center, which unlocks the history of golf—its growth, traditions and the championship moments that embody the sport’s rich legacy.
Golf is not the only activity that Coyote Springs residents will enjoy. The community will offer special features for fishing, horseback riding, biking, hiking, boating/sailing/windsurfing, tennis and more.
For more information on Coyote Springs, call 1-800-944-1594, or visit the website, www.coyotesprings.com.
Mesquite
A little further east on 1-15, the town of Mesquite arrives like an oasis in the desert about 90 minutes outside of Las Vegas. If 90 minutes seems like a long commute, there are many major cities where workers do just that.
The quality of life in Mesquite is usually the deciding factor for people who move to the city at the border of Nevada, Utah and Arizona. Residents of this town are just minutes from Lake Mead, the Valley of Fire, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park and the Grand Canyon. Home to six spectacular golf courses that wind through the arroyos and mesas of eastern Nevada, Mesquite is more a community unto itself than it is a bedroom community for Las Vegas.
The verdant valley that is Mesquite is undergoing a small boom of sorts. The city’s motto—“Come for a day. Stay for a lifetime.”—has enticed many a disenchanted Las Vegas resident to the region. Mesquite’s proximity to Utah makes it the gateway to Nevada through the Virgin River Gorge, a spectacular highway that spills the western bound travelers into Mesquite.
A new development called Solstice is now under way that will bring to Mesquite new residences, shops, a hotel casino and spas—including the only “medical” spa in the Southwest.
Unlike other bedroom communities of Las Vegas, land and housing prices in Mesquite have escalated at a similar rate, so the justification of a less expensive cost of living may not be there. But if lifestyle is what you desire, you can’t do much better than Mesquite.
