ELDORADO: City ties fortunes to northern expansion

WANTED: Developer to acquire 1,000-plus-acre Bureau of Land Management parcel in North Las Vegas and build master-planned community that will spur area growth and improve the image of the city.

North Las Vegas has actively solicited bids for 1,700 acres of BLM property -- the first installment of 7,500 acres controlled by the agency -- located within its limits. City officials hope to attract a major developer who will provide upscale housing and commercial products, a sense of planning and continued growth for the county's third largest municipality.

One possible prototype for the new master plan already exists immediately south and east of the parcel: Pardee Homes' Eldorado community. In fact, the community was devised under very similar circumstances more than 10 years ago.

With the city lagging behind the valley's rapid growth, then-Mayor James Seastrand and the city council entertained offers by three major home builders to develop a 1,080-acre BLM parcel located north of Ann Road.

The only development in the area for miles was a few ranch estates, a golf course, pig farm and model airplane field. The opportunity was prime for a home builder, according to Ray Landry, an executive with Pardee, because it represented a "clean slate."

"The city of North Las Vegas was ready to grow, but they were looking to address the county's need for quality, affordable homes," Landry said. "They wanted to find a builder who could not only promise but complete the project."

The city, which effectively controlled the land's disposal, heard proposals from the builders and awarded the project -- the city's first semblance of master planning -- to Pardee in April 1988. Construction began in mid-1990.

The deal was somewhat complicated. The city pledged incentives to Pardee, which in turn pledged incentives to the city. Pardee built a desperately needed fire station, provided open areas and parks within its community, and actively promoted the city's name -- something several developers still shy away from doing. With a planned 7,500 homes and a sizeable upfront cost, launching the project was a major step for a home builder in the late 1980s, according to Landry.

"This represented a major commitment on the part of Pardee. Prior to the first sale, we had invested over $27 million into this project," which included 11 models, a 9-acre park and 10 acres reserved for the school district, Landry said. The company also moved 411,000 cubic feet of dirt; carved out 459 lots; installed 5 1/2 miles of streets; set down 1.4 million square feet of pavement; paved 9.2 miles of sidewalk; raised 142 street lights; laid nine miles of sewers; and planted 748 trees, 6,555 shrubs, 11 acres of lawn and 2 1/2 acres of ground cover. Yeah, Summerlin and Green Valley are much bigger, but this was one home builder doing it all.

Pardee and North Las Vegas are longtime partners. As Pardee-Phillips, the developer was one of the first tract-home builders in the city, opening its first development in 1952, just six years after the city was chartered.

Jacquelin Risner, community development director for North Las Vegas, believes Eldorado has done well to fulfill its purposes for the city. She offers a few statistics:

-- Throughout the 1980s, North Las Vegas grew at an annual rate of 1.2 percent. In the first half of the 1990s (the first five years Eldorado was open for sales), the city grew at a 12.6 percent annual rate before slowing to about a 10 percent rate for the remainder of the decade.

-- In 1990, the city's population was 47,707. In 2000, it was estimated at 125,000, most of the new residents having moved into neighborhoods near Eldorado (about 10,000 actually residing in the community).

-- In terms of square miles, the city grew nearly 50 percent over the past 10 years, from 54.1 to 78.6 square miles.

"Eldorado was absolutely the catalyst for the growth that happened up there in the past decade," Risner said. "Without something like Eldorado, none of this would have happened. That's why we're so excited about this BLM piece that is coming on line in May. It's going to be the new catalyst for growth in the area."

Risner believes Eldorado changed the image of the city for the better, although the city still carries the title of "most affordable housing in the valley." She points out, however, that the community greatly increased home values in the city.

The city, in turn, has changed the complexion of Eldorado. When the community first opened, it was so far north of any other development that Pardee had no plans for a "rear entrance" on the north side. When growth made it necessary for the city to extend the Las Vegas Beltway north of the community along Centennial Parkway, Pardee executives realized a need for northern access.

"Our original conception of Eldorado was with the main entry (on Ann Road, south of the community). This beltway throws a whole new wrinkle into the project. We're looking at adding a second entry," Landry said.

"With the beltway coming through, that's going to take the whole valley into that area."

With a new standard of development, many within the city believe the area is ready for an even higher standard, which the community is trying to reach, according to Rob Tuvell, a sales executive with Pardee. Tuvell believes the community has established itself as a "family community," with an emphasis on its two large parks.

"The community revolves around those two parks," Tuvell said.

He said the three new neighborhoods the developer is releasing this year show the direction Eldorado is headed.

Two of the neighborhoods, Talavera and Fontana, opened yesterday. Offering homes priced from the $120,000s to the $130,000s, these neighborhoods continue the community's role for affordable homes. Another, opening later this year, will feature some homes priced at more than $200,000. Before the community opened, almost no home in the city would have fetched a six-figure asking price.

Given the facts -- Pardee has a long history in North Las Vegas, has built a master-planned community in the city on a large BLM parcel, and has spent 10 years developing a piece of land a stone's throw from the newer BLM parcel up for auction -- begs the obvious question: Will there be an "Eldorado North?"

"I hope so," Tuvell said.

"Although you hear talk of a recession, I don't think our market is going to be affected too much. (Developers) are all real bullish on this market. We're all expecting to see growth in this market and in North Las Vegas."

Last year, Pardee Homes closed sales on 855 homes in Southern Nevada, one-quarter of which were in Eldorado.S U N D A Y , J A N U A R Y 2 1 , 2 0 0 1

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