Family taps Dakota

During their search for a new home, gaming industry professionals Tom Dougherty and his wife, Eun Kyung, sought an easier commute to their jobs on the Las Vegas Strip. They found it at Pardee Homes' Dakota neighborhood at Shadow Mountain Ranch.

The community is located in the southwestern valley.

"We can drive right down Tropicana Avenue to work," Tom Dougherty said. "After looking at a lot of other developments in the southwest area, we believe we found the best-looking neighborhood at Dakota."

"With lower density and great home designs, the quality of the neighborhood is a major factor when families decide where and how they want to live," Pardee sales executive Ray Landry said.

The Dougherty family, which includes sons Sung Hyuk, 14, and Min Woo, 11, chose the two-story Plan Six.

In its standard design, the residence includes three bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, a bonus room and den in 2,694 square feet. A three-car garage is standard. In its expanded form, the home can be built with as many as six bedrooms and four baths in 2,925 square feet.

Homes at the neighborhood are priced from $351,950 to $473,450. Each exceeds national energy-efficiency standards by at least 30 percent, earning the Energy Star designation from the Environmental Protection Agency. Two- and three-car garages are featured.

The single-story Plan One includes three bedrooms, two baths and a two-car garage. The plan measures 1,431 square feet. In its 1,597-square-foot expanded version, a fourth bedroom and optional den are available.

Plan Two, also a single-story design, provides three bedrooms and two baths in 1,555 square feet. It can be built to 1,688 square feet with three bedrooms, a den or fourth bedroom, and two baths.

The two-story Plan Four features as many as five bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, a loft, great room and studio-casita options in space ranging from 2,241 to 2,503 square feet. A three-car tandem garage is standard.

To visit, take Tropicana Avenue west, past Durango Drive, to Grand Canyon Drive and turn left. Office hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Monday, when it opens at 11 a.m.

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