Senior community on Boulder Highway approved

By Jeremy Twitchell

Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008 | midnight

A proposed mixed-use project for seniors is gearing up for construction on seven acres on Boulder Highway near Horizon Drive.

The Henderson Planning Commission voted 4-0 Sept. 11 in favor of Ashbury Senior Community, a seven-building development that would combine 220 residential units with 18,000 square feet of retail space.

At least 80 percent of the residents must be 55 years or older, according to the zoning the project received.

The age-restricted mixed-use project would be the first of its kind in Henderson. It is scheduled to go before the City Council for final approval Oct. 7.

Though relatively small in scope, when completed, Ashbury Senior Community could become the first step in the city's new vision of Boulder Highway as a thriving, mixed-use corridor. The city has already approved other, larger mixed-use projects along Boulder Highway, but all are likely still years away from completion.

Since the Regional Transportation Commission announced in 2006 that it would place a bus rapid transit system on Boulder Highway, Henderson planners and outside consultants have been working on the Boulder Highway Investment Strategy, the planning document that would govern future development along the corridor.

The plan presented to city officials earlier this year would create mixed-use zones along the corridor, particularly at major intersections where the rapid transit system will have stops.

Though no plan has been finalized, city officials have favored the approach and some mixed-use projects are being planned or are already under construction.

Cadence, a 2,200-acre mixed-use project being built by The Landwell Co., is scheduled to begin construction next year and, when finished, will front the east side of Boulder Highway from Lake Mead Parkway to Warm Springs Road. Other projects have been proposed farther north.

A precursor to Ashbury Senior Community was proposed and approved on the site in 2006, but was delayed for funding reasons when the housing market began to struggle. The city granted developers a one-year extension in April. The Sept. 11 vote allowed developers to reconfigure the site layout and granted a waiver to reduce the required number of parking spaces from 493 to 347.

Planning commissioners were initially concerned about granting the parking waiver, but agreed to do so after Ashbury's developers said they would provide a shuttle service.

In a letter to the city explaining the request, project planners indicated that they are ready to move forward and will begin construction as soon as they complete the required drainage and traffic studies and obtain the necessary building permits.

Jeremy Twitchell can be reached at 990-8928 or [email protected].