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I will be happy to post any pertinent information here. Are there any specific questions that you want addressed?
We expect to hear about changes to the original masterplan at this meeting and further expect that we will have an opportunity to present any objections then -- and at any future City of Henderson hearings on the matter. (We're assuming that an additional public hearing is required by statute before the City can approve any change, but don't know that for certain.)
Tonight's meeting was well attended and interesting. At its peak, there was standing room only and there must have been over three hundred Inspirada residents in attendance.
Posterboard exhibits were available that revealed plans for the future park spaces, anticipated additional roads and the mostly minor changes in the geometry of that infrastructure in the proposed new masterplan.
Andy Baron introduced himself as a consultant for the Inspirada Builders Group and presented most of the new information and fielded most of the questions that arose afterwards. Tom (?) Amick, lawyer for the Group answered questions that fell within his area of expertise as did Rob (last name??) from KB Home, a Pardee representative and a City of Henderson representative.
Mr. Baron's presentation mentioned that mostly, the changes requested are to provide the builders with "more flexibility in products to meet current market conditions" and to "allow more diversity in product". This obviously generated a lot of concern in the audience. Many of the questions and comments afterwards were about worries that the unique architectural and landscaping character that makes Inspirada unlike any other development in the Las Vegas valley, was going to be abandoned by the builders.
Those representing the builders repeatedly assured the residents that that was not the case, but they also talked about allowing "more traditional products" in the mix of new construction.
SO, who knows?
While I share the same concerns with my neighbors, I DO believe that it is in the best interest of those builders to retain the unique and "upscale" character in order to attract buyers at a higher price point -- something that Mr. Barron and the KB representative both emphasized.
Additional tidbits :
Democracy Road will extend to Las Vegas Blvd. once permits have reached "the required number".
School space delineated in the original masterplan will remain unchanged, but none is in the works at the moment.
There are no plans for additional retail space (as there is in the Solista park) in or adjacent to any of the new parkspaces, so the only retail space even remotely possible is located in the still-planned Town Center area in the far southwest corner of the development -- probably MANY years out and hardly within easy walking distance of those of us in Village 1.
And as far as the retail space in Solista is concerned, the bankruptcy "put it on hold" according to the KB rep, but there has been "a lot" of interest recently from potential renters. The space is 1800 ft sq and they don't want to divide it. The same guy mentioned that one of those interested was a coffee shop and the other was a daycare business...
I took cellphone photos of the five posterboard exhibits and will gladly email them to anyone interested.
I reviewed the maps and talking points provided online by the HOA and several attendees and came across similiar concerns/points of interest:
1. People are worried construction standards will be reduced, affecting comparables, the quality of homes/homeowners and home prices.
2. People are worried about a reduction of ameneties, such as parks, common area landscaping, etc.
3. People were expecting more specific information.
Let's go through each of these, with some impartial observations.
1. I think that people have the right be concerned regarding homebuilding quality. Take a drive through the community and you'll easily notice and tell apart homes built in 2007 from homes built in 2012. There are, however, certain items of importance that all of us, no matter the date of purchase, have to understand. First, this community was anticipated to be fully built out by 2017, with the assumption that prices would continue to rise, thereby increasing the quality of product offered. NO ONE predicted the economy would fall the way it did. If you were any business, wouldn't you do your best to change with the market? Homebuilders and homeowners did, and to some extent, it did eliminate things such as stone facades and rounded corners as it pertained to floorplans.
From my research with homebuilder shareholder calls and financial filings with the SEC, the new "normal" is centered on buyer customization and choice, not "cookie cutter". In 2007, some standards weren't left to the buyer, mostly exterior facades and landscaping. When the economy tanked, those were the first to be reduced in an effort to price product to the buyers interested at that period of time. With a recovering economy, the homebuilder's realize that they will only price a product in a way that allows the homebuilder to select which features appeal to them most. It attracts a larger market and allows flexibility with price point (and margins). I would argue that the developer's plans to allow for more traditional floorplans will increase that market and provide more options for the homebuyer. We have to remember that these homebuilders had to come in with CASH to receive this land back and they had to pay the amount owed to the lenders, not the fair market value of the land, so that's considered a premium. Blame the big bad builders, but their financials will tell you in detail how much of a hit these builders took from their cash positions. That would hint (at least in my opinion) that they are eager to price these homes much higher to receive a modest return of investment.
Of course, these homebuilders are not without fault. I've heard horror stories of those who were unaware of LIDS, or were told grand stories of the future of Inspirada while in Bankruptcy. These are horrible, horrible stories - homebuilders should be held much more accountable as it pertains to educating interested buyers on the REALITY of any situation. This should be an immediate requirement going forward (and should have been in the first place!)
2. The park revisions I've seen appear to be more of a cost savings move in terms of construction than in downsizing ameneties, but that is just my opinion. If they are eliminating smaller "neighborhood" parks in exchange for larger "community-wide" parks, it may be to the benefit of both the developers, homebuilders HOA (if they were to inherit the smaller parks) and the City of Henderson. The drawings appear to make up for any loss with additional open space. I've been told there was no definitive timeline for construction, which is understandable given the City' very restrictive approval process. As long as they keep promised items within each park (pools, tennis, volleyball, baseball, basketball); I personally would be happy with the revisions.
The biggest worry I have is that the common area landscaping will be further reduced in quality. You can already see this throughout the community, comparing again 2007 to 2012. More developed trees are evident in areas, with younger trees in newer areas, more susceptible to the brutal conditions in summer/winter. To that end it appears developer provides crap for landscaping and then the HOA receives the common area in transfer and will pay (out of our dues) for replacement plants. My recommendation would be to at least inquire the HOA about the possibility for maintenance of larger trees, but not planting - that is developer responsibility. If the developers want to increase home prices, increase the new revised common areas for potential homebuyers! I would love any feedback people received regarding landscaping, because I feel that is one thing we will likely see reduced in terms of quality.
3. People naturally want specifics, and it is incredibly frustrating to see progress so slow on what we will expect from the new Inspirada. That said, I've read and been to enough City meetings to know just how complex this process is. People want answers, but maybe ignore answers that aren't satisfactory. My advice would be to HOUND YOUR HOA - ask for monthly updates, quarterly updates, major updates - whatever it may be. We pay $95/month for dues, shouldn't that go somewhere? We have three (THREE?!) employees. When the event coordinator isn't hosting an event, why not use that time to update us on the event of GROWING INSPIRADA?
Developers (in this instance, homebuilders) are also weary to giving you too many specifics, because they are still competitors at the end of the day. They will only provide enough to get the big picture across an audience. The specifics are usually left to us (or people like me who have no life, I suppose )
I would also encourage people to visit cityofhenderson.com, and view/read/update yourselves on public record meetings. The info you receive (and part of what I use) is what gives me the chance to update you.
A perfect example of using the city website involved a homeowner telling me that no one at the meeting knew who was taking over the vacant land left by Meritage. I was able to go online this afternoon and can tell you that both KB Home and Toll Brothers are planning (not definite) to allocate the land to themselves, probably to build existing product while the development agreement is amended. According to the plans, KB will recieve 15.35 acres and Toll will receive 11.99. The wonders of the internet!!
All in all, I think residents are either hopeful that the community (as amended) will be promising for home values and quality of life, while others feel lied to, but nonetheless believe there is nothing that can be done and to just, "go with it". I understand both sides, and can only hope that the developers and homebuilders can listen very carefully to existing homeowners, providing them with the information necessary to bring inspiration back to Inspirada!
If anyone has any other questions, updates, stories, or even something against the above, feel free to comment! I think great conversations, regardless of your position, will help us continue to accelerate the movement of making Inspirada a premier community!
Is there a way to get clarification on how a piece of land is zoned? The area, if looking at the maps from the meeting is in Village 1, to the left of area 1-1. It is area off of Volunteer, between the neighborhood and the new traffic light on Executive Airport, just south of the airport.
Initially in the meeting they said the piece of land was going to be 'commercial' with warehouse spaces and later in the meeting when someone questioned it, they said it's zoned as residential. Thank you in advance.
The area of land you are talking about is what they are calling the "Limited Transition Area" (LTA) and more specifically, the lower portion of the LTA. The City of Henderson website has a great overview of what the master plan is expected to be here.
To briefly summarize, the lower part, known as the Southern LTA, was formed with the goal of creating research and development buildings and light manufacturing uses. The design aesthetics are comprable (in my opinion) the Greenspun-owned commercial businesses along Green Valley Parkway, near the Green Valley Ranch Resort. The master plan document on that webpage provides examples of what the buildings would have to look like in order to be approved for construction.
Overall, the area will be zoned I-P (Industrial Park). To my knoweldge and according to these documents, there will be no residential uses. In fact, the master plan requires a rather intensive "buffer zone" in between the LTA and the residential villages of Inspirada. The buffer zone design appears similiar to the one you would see with the new Water Treatment Facility along St. Rose Parkway.
I hope this helps, and I encourage you to send this webpage to anyone looking to get more clarification on the goals of the LTA, as it will be an important part of West Henderson.
PS - Someone told me that there was a question regarding the proposed FedEx Facility. This is expected to be located in the Northern LTA area, just west of Executive Airport Drive. Information on the Northern LTA is included in the overall master plan.
This may be for the best, given the situation. Let me pose a question for the board:
IF you were told before buying a home that a stadium was proposed to be built in the area, would that be something you would consider before buying a home in West Henderson, or would it depend on factors (one stadium vs. three stadiums, the sports available, etc.)?
Also, what professional sports do you think would consider the Las Vegas market and would require a stadium of some magnitude?
I always figured that at this time, the best you are going to get would be either MLB or MLS. Would love to hear your insights!
This may be for the best, given the situation. Let me pose a question for the board:
IF you were told before buying a home that a stadium was proposed to be built in the area, would that be something you would consider before buying a home in West Henderson, or would it depend on factors (one stadium vs. three stadiums, the sports available, etc.)?
Also, what professional sports do you think would consider the Las Vegas market and would require a stadium of some magnitude?
I always figured that at this time, the best you are going to get would be either MLB or MLS. Would love to hear your insights!
The way I remember the project it was going to be built over a 20 year period, with the first stadium for soccer.
One thing that I'm not clear on is how did the developer figure on getting the City of Henderson to change the zoning on the property once they canned the stadium project?
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