ASLA 2012 Professional Awards
Analysis and Planning Category
Descriptive Data Summary
Entry Number: 443
Project Title: Cadence
Project Location (City & State): Henderson, Nevada (East Henderson)
Project Type: Master Plan
Project Summary: Cadence, a 2,200-acre mixed-use community in Henderson, Nevada, will be
built on one of the largest brownfield sites in the country. At full build out, the remediated land –
cleared of the industrial chemicals that had leeched into the soil and water over many decades –
will be the site for a new sustainable community of approximately 40,000 people that will
rejuvenate the area socially, economically and environmentally.
Purpose of Project: Located in the oldest part of the city, Cadence has an industrial history
dating back to the 1930s when workers came to the area to build Hoover Dam. A few years later,
the U.S. government built an industrial town on the site to accommodate the 14,000 workers who
came to process magnesium for airplane parts and bomb making for WWII. After the war, the
industrial complex continued to be used for industrial production, contaminating the land, air and
water. A bold developer believed that this site should be rehabilitated in order to create a new and
better place for the town that had grown up around the industrial complex over many decades.
With the help of state and city government leaders, nearly 500 acres of land (2.2 million cubic
yards of contaminated soil) was remediated, laying the foundation for a new sustainable
community to grow. This new community – planned and designed by the consultant – will bring
new people, jobs, housing, shopping, entertainment, schools, civic facilities, transit and needed
tax dollars to this older area of the City.
Total Development/ Construction Budget Amount - $2 billion (Estimated)
Role of Landscape Architect - The landscape architect was the land planner, urban designer
and landscape architect who prepared the community master plan and entitlement/zoning
documents including a comprehensive set of development standards. Additionally, the landscape
architect has developed the community website and prepared conceptual design for the Phase 1
streetscapes, parks, and environmental graphics and signage in the community.
Special Factors:
A comprehensive environmental analysis and remediation plan for the land was prepared with the
foresight of how the land should be used after remediation was complete. The community
framework was structured so that the community could be built as areas of the land were
environmentally cleaned and certified for future development.
Significance:
As the prime consultant, the landscape architect worked closely with the developer, engineers
and City to achieve new standards for some of the roads and parks in Cadence. Specifically,
Cadence will build smaller neighborhood and pocket parks that are spaced more closely together
than most other typical residential developments in the area. A majority of all homes will be within
a ¼- to a ½-mile walking distance of a park, open space or nature way. Moreover, the community
will use reclaimed water for landscape irrigation once the City can build the gray-water
infrastructure. Coupled with the gray-water supply, Cadence’s landscape/plant standards require
the use of native or climatically adapted plants in public and private landscapes. Furthermore, the
two open space corridors that run through the property will be able to use some of the natural
rainfall through micro-pools and bio-swales to help the public landscapes.
ASLA 2012 Professional Awards
Analysis and Planning Category
Descriptive Data Summary
Responding to the Surrounding Context - Bordering the site is the Las Vegas Wash, one of
the region’s more important open spaces and ecosystems. The Wash conveys urban run-off and
rainfall to the region’s primary water supply, Lake Mead. Crossing through the Cadence
Community will be two major “nature ways” or linear drainage corridors that will clean and filter
the water before dispersing it into the Wash, providing opportunities for storm-water collection,
habitat creation, recreation amenities and pedestrian/bikeway connections. Moreover, the nature
ways will provide green linkages between the Wash, the Cadence community and the existing
residential and commercial areas that are adjacent to the property, providing benefit to the larger
community of East Henderson.
Sustainability, Special Features and Design Elements - Design with the End User in Mind
COMMUNITY BUILDING AND CONNECTIVITY – The rehabilitation of the land is only one part of the
story. The developer and consultants decided that Cadence would be unlike any other new
community in Las Vegas because it would not be predominantly made up of have cul-de-sac road
networks, “walled” neighborhoods and large parks that are spaced too far apart for people to walk
to them. Community building starts with people’s ability to move and engage one another on foot
on in public setting. To that end, the landscape architect’s plan modeled the layout of the streets
and neighborhoods after traditional urban neighborhoods where gridded streets and fenceless
neighborhoods allowed for social engagement to occur. However, to make Cadence truly a
pedestrian-oriented community, the plan also needed to create a network of streets that made it
easier to connect all the community amenities and destinations within it. Streets were designed in
a grid pattern, narrower that most, helping to reduce the amount of asphalt paving from a typical
city roadway profile. LED street lights are being considered for major streets which will further
reduce the amount of energy consumed by this community. On-street parking and “bulb-out”
conditions at intersections will be provided on streets, and they will help create a safer, more
convenient path for pedestrians than typical suburban communities. Many homes will face onto
important streets as opposed to backyards and screen walls that are customary in most
communities in Las Vegas.
Based on a climate study that was prepared by the planner, site and architectural guidelines have
been written that will help to reduce peak energy demands of home and business owners in the
hot summer months by requiring future designers to address things like natural wind patterns,
solar gain and sustainable building materials and details. Additionally, the climate study helped
the planner determine how to capture the wind and where to provide shading at key public
spaces.
DESIGNED FOR DIVERSITY AND AFFORDABILITY – Lastly, this community has been designed with
diversity and affordability in mind. A range of housing types and price points will be provided as
the marketplace allows. Neighborhoods will be defined by a mixture, not homogeneity, of homes.
Early neighborhoods will be priced to encourage young families to move to Cadence and as
subsequent development occurs, more variety of housing types and price points will be offered so
that people can move to other parts of Cadence as their financial situation and lifestyle
requirements change over time. This should result in more complete and generationally mixed
neighborhoods or communities of people who, if they choose to, can spend their entire adult lives
at Cadence.
LEGEND
Cadence Sports Park (125 acres)
City of Henderson Bird Preserve
Clark County Park
Mixed-Use District (135 acres)
Mixed-Use Village Center
Fire Station
School
Employment Park
Central Park (50 acres)
Cadence Nature Way/Bioswale Surface
Conveyance Corridors
Las Vegas Wash Open Space Corridor
Adjacent Residential
Tuscany Golf Course
Sam Boyd Stadium - UNLV
City of Henderson Water Treatment
Facility
Black Mountain Heavy Industrial Park
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Boulder Highway
Lake Mead Parkway
Illustrative Master Plan Unlike many Las Vegas communities that have gated residential neighborhoods, circuitous road networks and car-oriented
development, Cadence was designed with community building in mind to rehabilitate one of the nations largest brownfield sites.
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C A D E N C E
Henderson, Nevada
Site Context The community will be located 15 miles from the Las Vegas Strip and 10 miles from Lake Mead. It is bordered by active industrial
complexes and the Las Vegas Wash, one of Clark County’s largest drainage corridors.
To Los Angeles
( 267 Miles )
To Zion National Park
( 170 Miles )
To Death Valley National Park
( 157 Miles )
To Hoover
Dam
Summerlin
Community
North
Las Vegas
Las Vegas
Wash
5 MILES
10 MILES
20 MILES
Lake Mead
Lake Mead
Recreation Area
Lake
Las Vegas
Black
Mountain
Las Vegas Dunes
National Recreation Park
Downtown
Las Vegas
Las Vegas
Strip
McCarran
International
Airport
Green Valley
Ranch
Downtown
Henderson
Cadence
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C A D E N C E
Henderson, Nevada
Brownfield Remediation Area
Existing Effluent Ponds
Constant State Testing and Monitoring of brownfield
Sludge Removal
Future Cadence Community
Las Vegas Wash
Open Space Corridor
City of Henderson
Water Treatment
Facility and Bird
Preserve
10 Miles to Lake Mead
(Primary Water Source for
Las Vegas)
The site was once an industrial complex in which land was contaminated over decades, making it one of the largest
brownfield development sites in the country. Over a quarter of the property’s 2,200 acres was remediated.
Boulder Highway
Lake Mead Parkway
Black Mountain
Heavy Industrial Park
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Brownfield Remediation
C A D E N C E
Henderson, Nevada
The Black Mountain Heavy Industrial Park was created in 1941 to make bombs for WWII. Today, its still used for industrial
production and is comprised of contaminated soils, impacting the water quality of the Las Vegas Wash.
Boulder Highway
Black Mountain Heavy
Industrial Park
City of Henderson
Water Treatment
Facility and Bird
Preserve
Brownfield Remediation Area
Lake Mead
Lake
Las Vegas
Las Vegas Wash
Lake Mead - Water Source for
processing materials for bombs.
Temporary housing for
14,000 workers.
WPA (Works Progress
Administration) in action.
Molybedum - Primary element for
making bombs.
Adjacent Industrial Park
Future Cadence Community
C A D E N C E
Henderson, Nevada
LOWER
PONDS
UPPER
PONDS
McCullough and River Mountain Ranges
Highlands Precipitation
LAKE MEAD PARKWAY
BOULDER HIGHWAY
The landscape architect completed an environmental analysis and remediation plan which illustrated the air, soil
and water pollution that impacted the site in 1940.
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LEGEND
Water Movement
Chemical Waste Movement
Water and Chemical Infiltration
Pond Evaporation
Primary Area of Effluent
Disposal
Residential and Related
Development
Black Mountain Industrial Park
Airborne Dispersion
Active Trade Effluent Ponds
Inferred Direction of Deep Zone
Groundwater Flow
Direction of Upper Zone
Groundwater Flow
Upward Gradient
Brownfield Remediation Area
Cadence Community
Deep Zone Aquifer
Groundwater Mounding
Las Vegas Wash Impacted by
Chemicals
Las Vegas Wash
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Brownfield Context in the 1940s
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C A D E N C E
Henderson, Nevada
McCullough and River Mountain Ranges
LAKE MEAD PARKWAY
BOULDER HIGHWAY
Highlands Precipitation
Millions of cubic yards of contaminated soil were removed and two nature ways have been planned to treat and
convey storm water to Las Vegas Wash, and then to Lake Mead, the regions primary water supply.
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LEGEND
Water Movement
Residential and Related
Development
Non-Residential
Development
Black Mountain Industrial Park
Tronox Capture Wells, Slurry
Wall, and Reinjection
Inferred Direction of Deep
Zone Groundwater Flow
Direction of Upper Zone
Groundwater Flow
Upward Gradient
Cadence Community
Deep Zone Aquifer
Cadence Nature Way / Bioswale
Surface Conveyance Corridors
City of Henderson Water
Treatment Facility
City of Henderson Bird Preserve
Las Vegas Wash
Drainage Water to Lake Mead
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Proposed Remediation Strategy
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C A D E N C E
Henderson, Nevada
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Boulder Highway
10 miles to Lake Mead
(Primary Water Supply for
Las Vegas)
Lake Mead Parkway
LEGEND
Cadence Sports Park (125 acres)
City of Henderson Bird Preserve
Clark County Park
Mixed-Use District (135 acres)
Central Park
Micro Pools at Intersections
Bioswale / Surface Conveyance
Park / Drainage / Recharge Zones
Seep Area Capture Wells
Las Vegas Wash Open Space
Corridor
Black Mountain Heavy Industrial
Park
City of Henderson Water Treatment
Facility
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These vital corridors will provide new habitat for multiple species, cooler micro-climates for people and sustainable desert landscapes
that will help to clean the water before it enters the Las Vegas Wash.
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Water Strategy
C A D E N C E
Henderson, Nevada
The regional trails within the Nature Way are a significant amenity to adjacent neighborhoods.
Neighborhoods and adjacent housing will be oriented toward the Nature Way.
Key Plan
LEGEND
Pocket Park accents the Nature Way
and provides shaded rest stops
Surface Drainage Spine with native
vegetation
Micro Pools at intersections
Visitor Parking Spaces
Homes face the open space corridor.
Walls should be extended from houses
and not be a single, continuous barrier.
Trees from the intersecting streets extend
to the parkway as accent planting.
Nature Way corridor averages 80 feet in
width.
Median landscape is Native Desert to Desert
Adaptive plants with irregular planting pattern.
Paved walking trail with permeable surface
and 80% minimum tree coverage.
Pedestrian Access from end of cul-de-sac
Street landscape type should be Native
Desert to Desert Adaptive.
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Cadence Nature Way / Bioswale Surface Conveyance
C A D E N C E
Henderson, Nevada
The water from the adjacent development collects in micro pools and then travels through a drainage spine with native
vegetation to clean and filter the water before emptying into the Las Vegas Wash.
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Cadence Nature Way Section
LEGEND
Pocket Park accents the Nature Way
and provides shaded rest stops
Micro Pools at intersections
Visitor Parking Spaces
Homes face the open space corridor.
Walls should be extended from houses
and not be a single, continuous barrier.
Trees from the intersecting streets extend
to the parkway as accent planting.
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Median landscape is Native Desert to
Desert Adaptive with irregular planting
pattern.
Paved walking trail with permeable
surface and 80% minimum tree coverage.
C A D E N C E
Henderson, Nevada
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Boulder Highway
Lake Mead Parkway
LEGEND
Cadence Sports Park (125 acres)
City of Henderson Bird Preserve
Clark County Park
Mixed-Use District (135 acres)
Central Park
Pocket Park
Parks Adjacent to Schools
Cadence Nature Ways / Bioswale
Surface Conveyance Corridor
Galleria Trail
Lake Mead Trail Corridor
Urban Park / Plaza
Las Vegas Wash Open Space Corridor
Black Mountain Heavy Industrial Park
City of Henderson Water Treatment
Facility
Proposed Shared Use Path
Proposed Bike Route
Existing Bike Lane
**Circles Represent a 1/4 mile
Walking Radius
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Cadence will have neighborhood and pocket parks within 1/4-mile of every home, business and school. This required the developer
to create an agreement with the City’s Park and Recreation Department to build and maintain smaller parks.
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Park Connectivity
C A D E N C E
Henderson, Nevada
Key Plan
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LEGEND
Limit Lawn for Active Play Only
Reclaimed Water Pond for Public
Landscape Irrigation
Native Desert Landscape
Wetland Surface Conveyance
Cadence Nature Way
Wind Turbine/ Vertical Pylon
Focal Point
Park Structures with Solar Panels
Axial Pathways Relating to Mount
Charleston and the Las Vegas Strip to
the west
‘The Knoll’, Overlooking Mount
Charleston and the Las Vegas Strip
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The 50-acre Central Park will provide programming (i.e. sports fields, play grounds, community center, outdoor amphitheater,
Overall Central Park wetland interpretive area, etc.) that will appeal to all people who live or work in East Henderson.
C A D E N C E
Henderson, Nevada
Key Plan
LEGEND
Minimal Lawn for Active Recreation
Single Family Housing - Alley Loaded
Native Desert Landscapes
Wetland Island or Wetland Bench
Community Center
Bioswale Surface Conveyance Wetland
Area
Cadence Nature Way / Bioswale Surface
Conveyance
Reclaimed Water for Irrigation of Public
Landscapes
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Cadence Central Park will offer recreational, passive and educational outdoor programming and amenities. A small lake will provide
Central Park Lake a source of reclaimed water for the desert landscapes, an idea conceptualized by the team with contributions from UNLV.
C A D E N C E
Henderson, Nevada
LEGEND
Cadence Sports Park (125 acres)
City of Henderson Bird Preserve
Clark County Park
Las Vegas Wash Open Space Corridor
Central Park
Mixed-Use District (135 acres)
Mixed-Use Village Center
Downtown Henderson
Black Mountain Heavy Industrial Park
City of Henderson Water Treatment
Facility
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The Mixed-Use District is part of an urban renewal zone where sales taxes will be used to fund new public improvements in the older
areas surrounding the Cadence community.
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Boulder Highway
Lake Mead Parkway
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Urban Renewal District
Urban Renewal
C A D E N C E
Henderson, Nevada
LEGEND
Urban Park/Plaza
Pocket Park
Cadence Nature Way/Bioswale
Surface Conveyance Corridors
Future BRT Transit Station
Existing Development
Future Casino/Hotel Development
Single Family Housing - Attached and
Detached, 6 - 18 du/ ac.
Multi-family Housing - Attached and
multi level, 12 - 35 du/ac
Mixed Use Development - Retail or office
with office or housing above
Desert Landscape/Bioswale Surface
Conveyance Corridor
Black Mountain Heavy Industrial Site
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The Mixed-Use District is comprised of a resort casino/hotel, main street retail center, urban park, cultural facility,
Urban Core / Mixed-Use District BRT transit center and a range of low to mid-rise housing and office space.
Key Plan
C A D E N C E
Henderson, Nevada
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LEGEND
Community/Service Retail
Multi-family Housing
Single Family Housing - Attached and
Detached, 6 - 16 du/ ac.
Fire Station
Shade Trellises for Retail Promenade
Rain Gardens in Planting Areas
Pocket Park
Native Desert Landscape
Residential ‘Neat’ Street
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Mixed-Use Village Centers will integrate regional/community retail with MFR & SFR housing, professional office space,
Mixed-Use Village Center community facilities such as a fire station and pocket parks that create inseparable physical connections.
Key Plan
C A D E N C E
Henderson, Nevada
Design Workshop Landscape Architecture Archive
