Building Nevada Briefs - May 2001

Building Nevada Briefs

Plise Starts Work on Siena Office Park

Plise Development and Construction (PDC) has started work on Siena Office Park, a 30-acre mixed-use development adjacent to St. Rose Hospital’s Siena campus in Henderson. The project will consist of seven Class A professional office buildings, which will provide 250,000 square feet of medical and office space. Potential tenants include doctors, dentists, out-patient services, labs and imaging centers. The site will also contain 35,000 square feet of retail space, in addition to sites for a hotel and a bank. The initial phase of the development is scheduled for completion in December 2001. PDC is a Las Vegas-based firm specializing in commercial development and construction. It is currently developing the 28,000-square-foot Rainbow Diablo (Medical Office) Park, the 30,000-square-foot Rainbow Quail Professional Office Park and a 50,000-square-foot office development at Jones Boulevard and Edna Avenue.

Kevin Higgins Named Top Industrial Broker

CB Richard Ellis recently announced that Kevin Higgins, a senior vice president in its Las Vegas office, was its top-producing industrial broker for 2000. The firm has more than 10,000 employees worldwide in 250 offices in 43 countries. Higgins reported more than $106 million in industrial and land sales and leases last year. His most notable transactions included land sales for Station Casinos totaling $72.5 million and Insight Holdings’ purchase of 40 acres from the Howard Hughes Corp. for $3.5 million. Higgins also represented Dermody Properties in a $5.3 million, five-year lease to Fellowes Manufacturing and negotiated a five-year lease for Cyberbills, Inc. with Harsch Investment Properties valued at more than $2.2 million.

M.J. Dean Completes Fairfield Las Vegas

M.J. Dean Construction has completed construction of the Fairfield Las Vegas timeshare project situated on seven acres at 265 E. Harmon Ave. near the Las Vegas Strip. The 12-story, 410,000-square-foot building contains 184 luxury timeshare units, a health club, food court and swimming pool. The structure features mansard roofs, a porte-cochère entrance and two-level subterranean parking. Developer for the $50 million project is Fairfield Communities, the largest vacation ownership company in the United States, with resort properties at 33 locations in 12 states and the Bahamas. Fairfield intends to build a 17-story, 123-unit tower as Phase II of the development. Architect for the project was Morris Architects of Orlando, Fla.

UNR Conducts Earthquake Research on Bridge

The University of Nevada, Reno has been awarded a three-year, $450,000 grant to assess the seismic vulnerability of the Las Vegas Downtown Viaduct, which carries Interstate 515. The award from the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) includes a $97,000 match from the University & Community College System of Nevada Applied Research Initiative program. A research team led by UNR civil engineering professor Saiid Saiidi will conduct in-depth computer modeling of the bridge, followed by extensive earthquake simulations on large-scale models of critical bridge elements. The bridge, built in 1968-69, is almost 2,000 feet long and covers 24 spans. Even though it is not located in the most active seismic zone in Nevada, it carries a very high rate of daily traffic. Retrofitting the viaduct tops the seismic retrofit priority list, according to Bill Crawford, NDOT’s chief bridge engineer.

Del Webb Corporation Connects with Cisco

Del Webb Corporation has agreed to participate with Cisco Systems in Cisco’s Connected Communities program, designed to educate builders and developers on the consumer benefits and revenue opportunities of Internet technologies in master-planned communities. Cisco will work with Del Webb in designing and providing customized home networking solutions. Del Webb communities in Southern Nevada already offer structured wiring as standard in homes, and Anthem Country Club and Sun City Anthem allow homemakers to completely customize their electronic systems, including home theater systems, security systems and high-speed database communications. "The pervasive use of the Internet has challenged homebuilders and developers to keep pace with the technology demands of their customers," said Tom Lucas, vice president, Del Webb Corp., e-Business Division.

Ground Broken for MagnuM Distribution Center

MagnuM Opus Development broke ground recently on the MagnuM Distribution Center, a 346,500-square-foot, master-planned warehouse/distribution center in northern Las Vegas. The $14 million development is situated on an 18-acre parcel at Lamb Boulevard and Cecile Avenue. The multi-tenant distribution facility will consist of 14 units, each divisible to 23,625 square feet. Each will have 30-foot ceilings, five dock doors, one grade-level door, two man-doors and an individual storefront entrance. The units come equipped with gas heat, evaporative cooling and sprinkler systems, with high-speed data lines available if needed. United Construction is serving as the general contractor and architect for the project, which is scheduled for completion in August 2001.

SR Construction Builds Three Las Vegas Projects

SR Construction, a Las Vegas-based contractor, will complete work this month on the Eastern & Wigwam Office Building, located at 8475 S. Eastern Ave. in Las Vegas. The 29,840-square-foot facility is a Class A, two-story office building. The owner/developer of the $1.5 million project is Paladin Development of Mission Viejo, Calif. SR is also constructing the Hand in Hand Pre-School located at the corner of Serene Avenue and Tamarus Street in Las Vegas. The 8,100-square-foot, state-of-the-art building is SR’s third design/build daycare facility. Completion of the $1 million project is scheduled for August 2001. The corporate office of Realty Management, Inc. (RMI), a design/build project recently completed by SR Construction, received a merit award at the recent NAIOP Spotlight Awards. The 30,250-square-foot, two-story building includes office and warehouse space.

Nevada Title Company to Anchor Tech Center II

Nevada Title Company, Nevada’s largest title company, is moving its corporate headquarters into Tech Center II, a $125 million project being developed by Thomas & Mack Development Group. The Tech Center is located at Buffalo Drive and Smoke Ranch Road in Las Vegas, just west of the I-95 freeway. Nevada Title and its insurance company, Westcor Land Title Insurance Company, will occupy 35,000 square feet of a 90,000-square-foot, two-story building, including a 5,000-square-foot lobby and 12 conference suites. An affiliated company, Nevada Construction Services, will occupy an additional 3,500 square feet in the building, scheduled to begin construction in June. Nevada Title will operate two eight-hour shifts at its new headquarters to perform central processing functions for its main office and five satellites located throughout Southern Nevada.

Cold Storage Facility Built in North Las Vegas

Carson Construction of Las Vegas is finishing construction this month of a 100,000-square-foot facility at 3840 N. Civic Center Dr. in North Las Vegas, between Craig Road and Cheyenne. Civic Center Cold Storage houses a 31,000-square-foot potato processing plant for Farm Fresh Foods, a division of Michael Foods. It also contains 69,000 square feet of cold storage space for Ice Cold Storage of Nevada, which will offer chill rooms, freezer space and facilities for blast freezing. The building is constructed of concrete panels, with insulated wall panels lining the interior and exterior. The facility uses an ammonia refrigeration system that meets all local and state safety requirements.