Summerlin celebrates 30th anniversary this year
Thirty years ago, the master-planned community was in its infancy. The then-new Summerlin Parkway, Nevada’s first tri-level interchange, was jokingly dubbed “the road to nowhere.” The first neighborhoods were in planning and early development, and in a move that was a departure from standard development practice, The Hills Park opened months before the first residents began to move to the area — making a statement that Summerlin would be a community like none other.
Today, some 30 years later, the community has proven that sentiment true. It is home to more than 100,000 residents and continues to set and maintain the standard for quality of life in Southern Nevada, according to Kevin T. Orrock, president, Las Vegas Region for The Howard Hughes Corp., developer of the community.
“As they say, location is everything, and Summerlin boasts the best location in town,” he said. “The community, which spans 22,500 acres along the valley’s western, elevated edge, sits at the base of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. It boasts cooler temperatures thanks to its elevation, which also delivers spectacular views — not to mention sunsets. Summerlin not only looks different, it feels different.”
From the beginning, Summerlin’s master plan was unlike any other in Southern Nevada. It factored in ample space for parks, open space, trails and golf courses — setting aside more than one-quarter of its total acreage for abundant outdoor, active spaces foundational to the community’s active lifestyle.
Of note is the fact that The Howard Hughes Corp.’s predecessor, Summa Corp., helped to establish a boundary for the National Conservation Area to forever protect Red Rock Canyon from development. In a landmark exchange with the Bureau of Land Management, the company helped to create a buffer zone in the late 1980s, well before Summerlin development began. That boundary still stands today and will forever protect Red Rock Canyon and the environmentally and culturally sensitive lands that surround it.
In fact, the community’s high design standards are created to complement its natural surroundings. As one of the valley’s earliest adopters of desert landscaping and the first commu
nity to implement strict Water Smart conservation guidelines, Summerlin has long fostered a culture of environmentally sensitive development.
The design standards that keep Summerlin looking clean, beautiful, modern and peaceful include sidewalks with tree-lined streets, beautifully manicured streetscapes designed with the desert environment in mind, outdoor signage restrictions, street and trail lighting that points downward to minimize nighttime glare and light pollution. Other features include curated plant palettes, colors that blend with the environment, and design standards that require four-sided architecture on all homes. “Attention to detail is everything,” Orrock said. “Summerlin’s overall aesthetic is proof of that.”
Summerlin’s master plan also identified ample space for a plethora of schools — public, charter and private — to ensure future residents