Greenfest to be held April 21
As the developer of Summerlin, which spans 22,500 acres, The Howard Hughes Corp. has long recognized its obligation as a steward of the land. In Summerlin, the company’s dedication to preserving the environment has been demonstrated in many ways over the years, most notably two land exchanges in which Hughes pulled Summerlin’s boundary eastward, adding 6,400 acres to the National Conservation Area and creating a permanent boundary that will forever protect Red Rock Canyon and preserve its pristine character.
According to Tom Warden, senior vice president for community and government relations of Summerlin, the decision to pull the community’s border back was made because The Howard Hughes Corp. knew it would be inappropriate to develop within site of the scenic loop road.
“From its inception, Summerlin was developed with the environment in mind,” Warden said. “Beyond our landmark exchanges that continue to protect Red Rock Canyon today, Summerlin was one of the valley’s earliest adopters of desert landscaping, helping to improve the public image of low water-use landscapes in the 1990s and encouraging other developers and builders to do the same. In fact, Summerlin was the valley’s first community to implement strict Water Smart conservation guidelines, and we continue to use and promote desert-friendly plant materials whenever and wherever possible.”
Given Summerlin’s long history of environmental stewardship, the community is a fitting site of the annual Greenfest organized by Nevada Energy Star Partners Green Alliance. This year, the event is slated for April 21 at Downtown Summerlin from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The free, daylong celebration coincides with Earth Day weekend and features more than 120 exhibitors, displays and activities for the entire family.
Even before Summerlin began to take shape, The Howard Hughes Corp. was integral in establishing a development fee to fund desert tortoise habitat that helped protect this once-threatened species. Company leaders also served on a valleywide development coalition that drafted some of the nation’s toughest self-imposed rules on dust control to protect air quality. And Hughes continues to be proactive in the fight against illegal dumping by organizing and funding desert cleanups in undeveloped areas in and adjacent to Summerlin.
A number of design innovations, such as the preservation of natural drainage areas and arroyos that serve a dual use for parks and trails, as well as the incorporation of the natural landscape and topography, are strong examples of environmentally oriented design principles that have made Summerlin the model community it is today, Warden said.
“Summerlin looks the way it does because of our commitment to preserve as much open space and natural vegetation as possible.”
According to Warden, the community’s environmental stewardship is evolving to include a more intense focus on new urbanism and smart growth, evident in a growing number of higher-density neighborhoods, particularly in the Downtown Summerlin area where more than 3,000 residences are planned, including apartments, town homes, condominiums, lofts and brownstones. In 2016, Downtown Summerlin earned Silver certification status from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.
Several homebuilders in Summerlin are also known for their hallmark green building practices that create some of the most energy-efficient homes available today. Delano by Lennar Homes in The Paseos village offers homes from 3,312 square feet to 3,881 square feet and priced from