Retail Relief
By Tony Illia

A new Mediterranean- themed retail project will soon provide cool relief to desert residents in Las Vegas.

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Burke & Associates Inc. of Las Vegas, is building the first phase of Tenaya Village, -- a $9.28 million, 46,403-sq.-ft. shopping complex developed by the Montecito Cos. The project is at Tenaya Way and Azure Avenue in the northwest valley.

Plans call for five, single-level stand alone buildings set on concrete- slab foundations. The construction contract is worth $3.3 million.

The wood-framed structures are built from a combination of stucco and block, glass and tile. Frazier Masonry Corp. of Las Vegas, is the framing contractor.

The 6.3-acre property has required 18,000 -cu. yds. of imported soil in order to level and compact the site for construction. Additionally, a portion of Tenaya Way was realigned to improve vehicle access and egress from the new center, which has 327 surface parking spaces.

Rock-n-Roll, Las Vegas, is the earthwork/paving subcontractor, and Pasadena, Calif.-based Tetra-Tech Inc. is the civil engineer.

"This eight-month project will see 110 tradesmen and 40 subcontractors and suppliers during the height of construction activity," said Gary Radil, Burke's project manager. "The biggest challenge is the coordination and communication between the trades and subs to meet the project's critical path schedule."

The center is marked by a distinctive gateway plaza that serves as a visitor entrance. A 24-ft.-tall, 48-ft.-wide arch is constructed from painted tubular steel that supports the signage, with base pedestals wrapped in stone.

Designed by Perkowitz + Ruth Architects of Long Beach, Calif., the complex features a 13,000-sq.-ft. decorative apron resembling cobblestones that lend an old world feel.

There are also eight signature towers, which give the buildings an added sense of scale and height. The 38-ft.-tall turrets serve as visual beacons, establishing the center's context while announcing its arrival. The open-air center is bathed in tan hues with recessed canopy entrances.

Forty 20-ft.-tall palm trees, supplied and planted by Parkwest Landscape of, Las Vegas, are spread throughout the center.

Tenaya Village, a $20 million, 60-acre master-planned development, ultimately will have up to 15 inline and standalone tenants, with spaces ranging from 1,200 sq. ft. to 10,000 sq. ft. Gateway Realty of Las Vegas is the leasing agent.

A total of 100,000 -sq. -ft. of retail space is to be built- out over the next 18 months, along with a $20 million office park.

"Retail space in the Nnorthwest had a low 2.1 percent vacancy during the third quarter of 2004, making it one of the valley's strongest submarkets," said
John Restrepo, principal of Restrepo Consulting Group LLC, a Las Vegas-based economic research firm. "It also had 392,000 sq. ft. worth of absorption, which was the highest of any submarket in the U.S."

Population in the north valley has been growing at a rate of 10 percent annually with new residential master-planned communities such as Aliante, a 7,500-home joint-venture development by American Nevada Co. and Del Webb Communities that opened in 2003.

Currently, Focus Property Group is developing an 8,000-home master-planned community nearby called ""Providence." The 1,200-acre development is located at Hualapai Way and Centennial Parkway.

"Over 186,000 people live within 5-mi. radius of the new Tenaya Village center with an average household income of over $84,000 annually," said Nick Hannon, Montecito Co.'s director of development. "It's the fastest growing zip code in Nevada and the country."