Deer Springs District Livable Center

January 2020   North Las Vegas, NV

Client

  • City of North Las Vegas
  • Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada

Team

  • Kimley Horn
  • Ericka Aviles Consulting

Key Personnel

Key Points

After receiving land from the federal government for the establishment of a Job Creation Zone, the City of North Las Vegas sought to leverage their land holdings to catalyze transformative development.

Urban Design

The Job Creation Zone conceptual plan prepares the City to solicit developers to build out the 150-acre site with nonresidential uses, while meeting the community's vision for vibrant street life and high quality uses such as retail, restaurants, offices and open spaces.

Encouraging Density that Supports Transit

Changes to regulatory tools will diversify residential development, create transit-supportive density, improve connectivity and walkability, and prepare the district for commercial infill or redevelopment.

Active Transportation

The network of trails, bike lanes, and complete streets will encourage transit use, increase walkability, and reduce vehicle reliance, which will enhance the sense of place, increase foot traffic for businesses, and increase community health benefits.

Building on the successes of the Livable Centers programs in Houston and Atlanta, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) funded the Deer Springs Livable Centers Study as a pilot for the Las Vegas Valley.

The Deer Springs District is approximately 2.5 miles in length and is located in the City of North Las Vegas.

The study area includes a broad mix of land uses, several future transit stations, major trail and open space opportunities, and the Job Creation Zone, a large parcel of land adjacent to a destination VA Medical Center, which was provided to the City by the federal government.

Through stakeholder engagement, Asakura Robinson established five goals for the project:

1. Create Value
The Deer Springs District will create value for the City of North Las Vegas through coordinated public investments in infrastructure, parks, and economic development that will attract private investment in housing, jobs, and retail development to enhance the City and serve its residents.

3. Make Connections
The Deer Springs District will be connected by streets, trails, sidewalks, and transit, both within the Deer Springs District and to destinations throughout the City and the Las Vegas Valley.

5. Develop with Distinction
The Deer Springs District will be a unique, distinct destination within the City of North Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Valley that provides authentic opportunities to live, work, learn, shop, play, or grow a family.

2. Build Resilience
The Deer Springs District will be resilient to economic and environmental challenges and will safeguard the long-term fiscal, environmental, and social health of the City.

4. Prioritize Health
The Deer Springs District will build upon the unique assets of the VA Hospital and the North Las Vegas Job Creation Zone to utilize health as a key driver of economic development and livability for the community. The built environment will prioritize community health through infrastructure and programming investments.

 

The study’s recommendations focused on two key concepts

Concept 1 sought to ensure that the Deer Springs District Livable Center develops as a connected, walkable, and transit supportive area that contains numerous housing choices, vibrant commercial areas, and world class open space through recommendations for land use, transportation, parks and recreation, and branding and wayfinding.

Concept 2 focused on the development of the Job Creation Zone as a major job center, that repositions commercial development, and catalyzes adjacent, high-quality residential development for North Las Vegas.

The Livable Centers study proposed a conceptual master plan for a Medical & Research Campus, with multi-faceted health-care services, additional professional office uses in conjunction with the development of supporting commercial services, retail, open green space, and trails.

View the final report here.

Resilient Houston February 2020   Houston, TX