Credits: KXNT

Having spearheaded a number of million-dollar projects in Las Vegas, Michael Nigro has thorough knowledge of the thousands of things that can thwart construction.

A key challenge to real estate development now is financing, the president of Nigro Construction said.

Credits: Review Journal ]]> http://www.lvred.com/2008/10/01/nevadan-at-work-builder-manages-to-thrive-in-downturn/feed/ 0 http://www.lvred.com/2008/10/01/building-in-progress-for-wyndham-time-share/ http://www.lvred.com/2008/10/01/building-in-progress-for-wyndham-time-share/#comments Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:00:32 +0000 admin http://www.lvred.com/?p=296 Martin-Harris Construction is building the first phase of Desert Blue, a 19-story, 281-room time share project by Wyndham Hotels and Resorts on Twain Avenue, west of Interstate 15.

It will be Wyndham’s flagship time share property with one- and two-bedroom units and Presidential Suites. Amenities include a lobby, outdoor pools, fountains and spas.

The initial phase is scheduled for completion in early 2010. Two more high-end towers are planned for the 14-acre site north of the Rio hotel.

A seven-story parking structure with 1,100 spaces is under construction. Concrete has been poured for tension decks and steel is in place to proceed with a unique exterior of “panelized skin,” Martin-Harris project manager Brian Schmidt said.

Florida-based Wyndham operates more than 145 vacation ownership resorts, including three WorldMark brands (formerly TrendWest) in Las Vegas.

COLLEGE BUILDING: Core Construction completed the first permanent building for Nevada State College at 1021 E. Paradise Hills Drive in Henderson.

It was first planned as a liberal arts building, but will now accommodate general education and student services with laboratories and multiple classrooms.

Core built the two-story, 42,000-square-foot facility from the ground up starting in May 2007. The contract from Nevada State Public Works Board was for $13.3 million. Carpenter Sellers Architects is the architect of record.

NEW CONTRACTOR: Gemstone Development changed general contractors on its ManhattanWest condo project near Russell Road and the Beltway.

Camco Pacific Construction has replaced UPA and will complete the first phase of the $350 million mixed-use project. Gemstone Chief Executive Officer Alex Edelstein said the change was made for “performance” reasons.

The 20-acre project will have 700 condo units along with offices, restaurants and shops.

Edelstein said he’s on track to complete the Union Square commercial plaza in the fall. The midrise residential buildings are about 80 percent finished and the nine-story Element House residential tower is about 70 percent finished, he said.

APARTMENT VACANCY: Spencer Ballif of CB Richard Ellis brokerage reported 8.35 percent apartment vacancy for Las Vegas in August, down from 8.44 percent in July. Class “A” apartment vacancy was 7.19 percent for 30,926 units reporting; class “B” vacancy was 8.70 percent for 43,423 units reporting; and class “C” vacancy was 9.16 percent for 25,882 units reporting.

HOUSING UPTICK: Southern Nevada’s housing market showed encouraging signs of recovery in August, Robin Yates of Windermere Real Estate said.

Of the 5,627 new listings in August, about 42 percent, or 2,365, were foreclosures. Bank-owned properties represented 68 percent, or 1,982, closings in August, according to Windermere.

The uptick in foreclosure sales is a sign that home buyers are seeing the “silver lining” in the housing market and it shows banks are more willing to cut deals for qualified buyers, Yates said.

RETAIL CENTER: Nigro Construction completed two design-build projects at Park Central Plaza on Losee Road in North Las Vegas. The first was a 6,600-square-foot Timbers Bar and Grill at a cost of $1.6 million; the second was a 6,000-square-foot Checker Auto store for $1.7 million.

CATHOLIC SCHOOL: Las Vegas-based JVC Architects and general contractor Crete Construction have completed a 2,550-square-foot multipurpose lunchroom at St. Francis de Sales Catholic School, 1111 Michael Way. The $425,000 project has roll-up doors that open to the playground and bring natural sunlight into the room, architect Jim Van Compernolle said. Students currently eat lunch under a covered canopy area.

Credits: Review Journal

“I graduated from the Art Institute of Las Vegas and told the career placement department I was interested in working for a builder. At the same time, we were looking for a new home and found one we liked at Richmond American’s Brentwood Grove community. We decided to buy it, signed the contract, and a few weeks later I heard Richmond was hiring for a design associate at their Home Gallery. The timing couldn’t have been better.”

One of the qualities that first drew the Robinsons to Brentwood Grove was the location. Situated in northern Las Vegas, the neighborhood offers close proximity to Interstate 215, the Las Vegas Beltway and U.S. Highway 95, creating an easy drive to shopping, Nellis Air Force Base and downtown.

“It’s close to our friends and family,” Paul Robinson said, “so we were already familiar with the area and loved the new retail and dining nearby.”

“The roomy backyard for our two dogs was also important,” Robinson added. “When we were looking at different plans, the RichmondAmerican.com Web site was definitely helpful. I compared floor plans from several communities until we found just the right one.”

The couple chose the Willow, a two-story home with about 2,050 square feet. Priced from the $230,000s, the plan features three bedrooms, 21/2 baths, and a two-car garage with additional storage. The main floor includes a formal dining room, kitchen, nook and family room.

Other highlights include circular entries, lofts, upstairs tech centers and master bedroom suites with private baths and two separate walk-in closets.

“One thing we especially liked about the Willow was the master bath,” Stefanie Robinson said. “We each get our own vanity and closet.”

Once the couple decided on a floor plan they visited the Home Gallery to browse design options and upgrades.

“The Home Gallery was such a beautiful place,” Stefanie Robinson said. “Right away, I felt like it was exactly the kind of thing I wanted to be doing. I even asked our designer about working there, but it wasn’t until a few weeks later that a position opened up and I applied. Now I get to show buyers all the same things I got excited about when I bought my home.”

From the design selection to the construction stages to the loan process, they found that Richmond American’s customer service helped make their home-buying experience a positive one.

“My father is in construction, and on our walks, I was concerned he would be over the top with questions,” Paul Robinson said, “but our superintendent and Home Care team answered everything to his satisfaction. If we had questions or concerns, our Home Care Specialist went above and beyond to make sure we were satisfied. He always answered his phone and would call us occasionally just to check in.”

Brentwood Grove offers three floor plans in addition to the Willow. Priced from $159,990, the Elm is a single-story home with three bedrooms, two baths and about 1,100 square feet. One of the bedrooms is available as an optional study, and an optional patio is also available.

Priced from the $240,000s, the Birch is a two-story home with three bedrooms, three baths and about 2,150 square feet. The first floor features an open family room, nook and kitchen, with a separate dining room and study.

The second floor offers a master suite with a private bath and two walk-in closets, as well as a loft, a laundry room, two secondary bedrooms and a bath. Both the loft and the study are available as optional bedrooms.

The largest floor plan is the Empress, priced from the $250,000s. This home features about 2,350 square feet, four bedrooms and three baths. The main level includes a formal dining room, family room, kitchen, nook, study and full bath. An optional bedroom is available in place of the dining room, and an optional patio is offered off the family room. The second level features a bonus room and an optional deck off the master bedroom suite.

Models at Brentwood Grove are open for touring daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., except for Friday, when they open at noon. To visit, take I-215 to the Jones exit and go north. Turn right on Horse, left on Bradley and right on Brent Lane.

Credits: Review Journal

Gordon McCaw and Robert Taylor elementary schools, both built in 1954, experienced several changes during the summer, courtesy of funding from Clark County School District’s 1998 building bond, which provided more than 100 new schools and rebuilt or refurbished several others. McCaw and Taylor were on the list, earning them both new buildings with all the bells and whistles.

“This place is amazing,” McCaw Assistant Principal Renee Muraco said.

One of the big changes is moving into the latest prototypes, which are indoor schools that group each grade into pods. Both schools were outdoor campuses before.

Some of the bells and whistles include computer stations and audio systems in each class, amplifying teacher voices so the students can hear more clearly. It also provides students with a microphone that can be used whenever the teacher deems necessary.

At the center of each school is a large library with an open window looking out onto the courtyard. Taylor’s library received the final touches shortly before the children came in. It has new books on the shelves and new paint on the walls, as well as a giant, cartoon sunshine seen from the library door.

Janet Dobry, principal at Taylor, couldn’t stop raving about her school’s murals. Henderson artist Shawn Ealy spent the last several weeks leading up to the first day of school painting a giant mural on the courtyard’s main wall, as well as the sunshine and a few other paintings around the library.

When school started, McCaw’s library wasn’t unpacked yet. Because of late construction, teachers weren’t allowed into the building until the Thursday before school started, resulting in the teachers spending much of their own time preparing the classrooms, including the library. New books are on the shelf, but some of the older books were still in boxes.

Muraco said the only big thing her school is waiting on is the completion of its playground. The school has some blacktop and brought out the P.E. equipment for the children to play on, she said, so it’s not too different from a regular playground. Eventually, though, new playground equipment will be set up.

“We’re still a bit under construction, so we’re kind of making do,” she said.

The administrative staffs at the schools had to work through the summer rather than take the traditional July vacation, but no one seemed to mind.

“It’s a good administrative experience,” Muraco said. “It teaches you quite a bit about how things work.”

Credits: Las Vegas Sun

Letchinger, president of Chicago-based JDL Development, said the 113-unit midrise condo project is about 60 percent sold and scheduled to open by the middle of next year.

Even as the Las Vegas housing market struggled, JDL poured concrete footings for the podium deck. Walls are framed for the first floor and shoring is in place for the parking garage.

“We’ve decided, right or wrong, that we need to build it and our bank is sticking with us,” Letchinger said. “We’re in pretty deep. We think we have a good product and a decent price.”

Two-bedroom units are priced from the low $400,000s, he said.

The stalling or cancellation of competing projects such as Spa Lofts, Promenade at Rainbow and Sullivan Square has opened doors at The Mercer, Letchinger said. He’s had three sales in the last month.

Buyer demographics range from a woman architect who recently moved here from New Orleans to “empty nesters” who are looking to downsize from their homes in Siena, an age-restricted community in the same area.

First American Bank of Chicago is financing The Mercer. Vanguard Construction is the general contractor.

LAND VALUES: Applied Analysis, a Las Vegas business advisory firm, reported record-low land sales and declining value in the second quarter.

Roughly 232 acres were sold, compared with 252 acres in the previous quarter and 531 acres in the same quarter a year ago.

The average price was slightly more than $4 million an acre, more than double a year ago. However, taking out 66.5 acres of premium resort property that sold during the quarter, the price was $570,279 an acre, or $13.09 a square foot. That’s down 20.6 percent from $718,511 an acre, or $16.49 a square foot, in the year-ago period.

Roughly 59 acres transferred title for $751 million, or $12.8 million an acre, on Harmon Avenue near Koval Lane, former site of the failed Las Ramblas project and W Las Vegas condo-hotel.

STEEL FACILITY: PDM Steel of Las Vegas has contracted Core Construction to build a 95,000-square-foot distribution center on 9 acres at Alto Avenue and Abels Lane. The industrial building will have a 5,280-square-foot sales office, 84,840-square-foot warehouse and 4,880-square-foot shipping office. Construction of the $8.83 million project began in early July; completion is scheduled for March.

Credits: Review Journal