Summerlin committed to revegetation program

In an effort to sustain the natural beauty of the Summerlin area, The Howard Hughes Corp. has implemented a plant revegetation system that helps preserve and protect naturally occurring vegetation.

The process includes removing native plants that can be salvaged, relocating them to an on-site nursery, reshaping the developed surface, and then reintroducing the salvaged plants to mimic the natural, undisturbed landscape.

"We recognize that Summerlin's topography is especially beautiful because of its higher elevation, which results in a greater abundance of naturally occurring desert plants," said Dan Van Epp, president of The Howard Hughes Corp., the community's developer. "We believe we have a responsibility to preserve and protect the natural beauty of the area."

Partnering with Native Resources, a company dedicated to protecting plants and land restoration, Hughes is using methods to ensure that potentially affected land will thrive when development is completed. The company recently completed a project in The Ridges, a golf course village located on a hillside adjacent to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

"The Ridges represents one of the largest restoration jobs in Southern Nevada," Jerry Stanley, president of Native Resources, said. "The entire 75-acre perimeter of the Bear's Best Las Vegas golf course was completely restored."

Other golf courses, including TPC at Summerlin and TPC at The Canyons, and several residential villages have benefited from revegetation programs, Stanley said.

"The Howard Hughes Corp. has donated significant resources to preserve the area's natural beauty. The result is a beautiful master-planned community that incorporates natural topography as much as possible, helping create an environment that is both unique and attractive," Ken Dufresne, director of construction for the company, said.

Summerlin has ranked as the nation's best-selling master-planned community nine of the past 10 years. It is being developed in villages along the western rim of the valley and is home to eight golf courses, more than 100 parks, 105 miles of trails, 17 schools, houses of worship, shopping centers, medical facilities, cultural facilities, business parks and nearly 100 model homes.

Single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums are priced from the mid-$100,000s to more than $700,000. Custom-home sites ranging from one-half acre to three-quarters of an acre are priced from the high $300,000s to more than $1 million, and predesigned custom homes are priced from $500,000 to more than $1 million. Apartments offer monthly rents starting from the high $700s.

To visit the community's home finding center, travel west on Sahara Avenue past Hualapai Way to Town Center Drive and turn north. Or, take Interstate 215 to Sahara Avenue and head east to Town Center. The center is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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