Summerlin - Master-Planned Community, Las Vegas, NV
Summerlin’s success story is one of the most compelling in the country. Dan Van Epp served as president of The Howard Hughes Corporation, Summerlin developer, for nearly a decade during the community’s most vibrant period of growth. This massive 22,500-acre master-planned community that spans the entire western rim of the Las Vegas valley currently encompasses more than 40,000 homes in 19 villages. At build-out, this multi-generational community will be home to more than 200,000 residents in approximately 80,000 dwelling units. Innovative design and planning features include natural drainage areas and arroyos that serve dual use for parks and trails; shared recreational facilities by schools and parks; a comprehensive trail system master plan that enhance community connectedness; and a strong recreational and social infrastructure that encourages an active, outgoing lifestyle.
Under Dan’s leadership, Summerlin easily became one of the city’s best known and respected brands and is still today Las Vegas’ most desirable address for families, singles, empty-nesters and retirees. At Hughes, Dan led teams that developed land for 21,000 homes, sold property valued at more than $1 billion and developed more than 2 million square feet of office and retail space in Summerlin and throughout Las Vegas.
It was during Dan’s tenure that many of the community’s amenities were developed. Summerlin currently boasts 100-plus parks, 23 public and private schools, 150 miles of trails, nine golf courses, a dozen houses of worship, millions of square feet of Class-A and suburban office space, as well as retail, medical and cultural facilities. The country’s best-selling master-planned community for more than a decade, Summerlin sold, at its peak, more homes in one year than many communities sell in a lifetime. Today, nearly 20 years after development first began, Summerlin remains one of the country’s top ten best-selling communities according to RCLCO, a leading national real estate advisory firm.
Union Park - Mixed-Use Downtown Community, Las Vegas, NV
Union Park is a 61-acre, $6 billion, 10-million-square-foot, mixed-use community under development in the heart of downtown Las Vegas. Designed to invigorate the existing area, Union Park is taking shape as a “city within a city” and is considered the centerpiece of downtown redevelopment. Since 1999, Dan Van Epp served as a personal consultant and advisor on the project to the project’s visionary, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar B. Goodman. Dan continued his role as lead advisor on the project during his tenure with Newland Communities, which was retained by the city of Las Vegas as project manager for Union Park to oversee day-to-day development. Today, as an independent consultant, Dan is still very much involved in ensuring Union Park continues to unfold as planned. He is actively engaged in securing world-class development partners and advising both the city of Las Vegas and Newland Communities on development strategies and initiatives to ensure its success.
Union Park is anchored by Frank-Gehry designed Lou Ruvo Brain Institute, a planned $450 million world-class performing arts center, The Smith Center; a planned Charlie Palmer 400-room boutique hotel, restaurant and entertainment center; and a 1 million-square-foot World Jewelry Center for the domestic and international gem and jewelry industry. Union Park is also planned to include nearly 2 million square feet of office/medical space; 3,200 urban-style residences; nearly 500,000 square feet of retail space and three hotels encompassing 1,800 rooms.
Vistancia - Master-Planned Community, Peoria, AZ
Located in Peoria, Arizona, Vistancia is an award-winning master-planned community reflective of years of careful planning. Encompassing more than 7,100 acres on approximately 11 square miles, Vistancia is entitled for 17,000-plus units, 6 million square feet of commercial space and four golf courses. The community’s superb land plan, which thoughtfully connects residential and commercial uses and integrates natural open space and trails throughout, makes the most of the area’s unique land forms, including lush vegetation and unparalleled views of the Sonoran desert.
With special focus on the preservation of natural surroundings, drainage corridors and wildlife habitat, Vistancia is planned to feature more than 2,400 acres of open space, including a 900-acre mountain preserve and seven community and regional parks, at build-out. An iconic symbol of the community’s stellar land use is Discovery Trail, an existing multi-modal community trail that provides a backbone connection for residents to access parks and other amenities within the community.
Just five years into development, Vistancia is the recipient of various industry accolades, including the Best Master-Planned Community of the Year in 2005 by the National Association of Home Builders. That same year, the Pacific Coast Builders Conference named Vistancia the Best Master-Planned Community and Best Site Plan. In 2007, the community ranked among the top three best-selling master-planned communities by RCLCO.
During his tenure with Sunbelt Holdings, Michael led entitlement, planning and design efforts for the community. This included leadership for the planning and entitlement of a 500-acre, mixed use and commercial campus along the southern boundary of the project. The future mixed-use project, which boasts proposed heights of 165 feet and proximity to the future Loop 303 transportation corridor, includes more than 2,000 dwelling units, 6-plus million square feet of commercial, a regional city park and library and a full-service regional hospital. This project is positioned to become a major retail and employment center of regional significance.
Tradition - Master-Planned Community, Biloxi, MI
Tradition is the largest master-planned community under development in Mississippi. Located in central Harrison County, north of Biloxi and Gulfport, Tradition is a 4,800-acre town that will eventually include more than 15,000 residential units, 2 million square feet of commercial and development and approximately 40,000 residents.
The vision of world-renowned developer and Biloxi native, Joseph C. Canizaro, Tradition is planned as a model university community with core values of excellence in education, health and wellness, arts and culture and environmentally sensitive and sustainable development.
The phased $2 billion development includes a 314-acre new urbanism community, a 2,275-acre active adult community, a 1,121-acre all-ages golf course community and a 600-acre town center. Tradition will offer a wide range of housing options to create a multi-generational community. More than 30 percent of Tradition’s acreage is designated as common area green space and parks, and plans include abundant outdoor and recreational amenities such as parks, hiking and biking trails, community pools and more. Other planned major amenities include state-of-the-art fiber optic network, a family care clinic, public and private schools and William Carey University.
Now under active development, Tradition is already home to its first residents and William Carey University is on schedule to open in fall 2009. Following his chairmanship of an Urban Land Institute panel focused on bringing clarity to Tradition’s sustainability plan, Dan advised Columbus Properties and the Tradition team on project and product repositioning strategy, marketing strategy and team development.
Newland Communities
Newland Communities is the nation’s largest privately-held developer of master-planned residential and urban mixed-use communities in the United States. With a legacy that began in 1968, the Newland portfolio currently includes more than 40 projects in 14 states. Newland and its affiliated companies hold more than 57,000 acres under purchase or option agreements for residential, commercial and mixed-use development; it manages assets valued at approximately $1.6 billion; and it holds entitled land for more than 138,500 single-family, multi-family and urban residences. As executive vice president and chief operating officer for Newland, Dan assumed overall responsibility for operations of the company nationwide and led Newland through a change program focused on improving operational efficiencies after a period of sustained growth.
Newland’s portfolio includes the following projects and communities:
- Estrella, MPC, Goodyear, AZ
- 4S Ranch, MPC, San Diego, CA
- Paseo del Sol, MPC, Temecula, CA
- Whitney Ranch, MPC, Rocklin, CA
- Stonegate, MPC, Parker, CO
- FishHawk Ranch, MPC, Lithia, FL
- MiraBay, MPC, Apollo Beach, FL
- Waterset, MPC, Apollo Beach, FL
- Sterling on the Lake, MPC, Flowery Branch, GA
- Clarksburg Town Center, Clarksburg, MD
- Stonemill Farms, MPC, Woodbury, MN
- Union Park, master-planned downtown community, Las Vegas, NV
- Briar Chapel, MPC, Chapel Hill, NC
- Churton Grove, MPC, Hillsborough, NC
- RiveRim, MPC, Bend, OR
- Taralon, MPC, Clackamas, OR
- Lake Shore on Lake Wylie, MPC, Tega Cay, SC
- Cinco Ranch, MPC, Katy, TX
- Eagle Springs, MPC, Humble, TX
- Falcon Pointe, MPC, Pflugerville, TX
- Seven Meadows, MPC, Katy, TX
- Summerwood, MPC, Houston, TX
- Telfair, MPC, Sugar Land, TX
- Teravista, MPC, Round Rock, TX
- Ladysmith Village, MPC, Ruther Glen, VA
- Creekstone, MPC, Kennewick, WA
- Eagle Ridge, MPC, Spokane, WA
