For Las Vegas renters, pricey resort-like options increasing

The Domain apartment complex has quartz countertops, a digital fireplace in the lobby that emits heat, free yoga classes and massages and 50-inch flat-screen TVs in each unit.

The Somerset Hills complex will have a sand volleyball court and dog park. A poolside cabana dubbed the Cave will have flat-screen TVs and Xbox gaming systems.

Elysian at the District will have an outdoor movie theater, a pet spa, billiards and arcade room, tanning salon, massage and facial room and, in the units, stainless steel appliances and built-in speakers.

These rental properties, designed to feel like boutique resorts, arent cheap to live in, and they arent in flashy Miami, Los Angeles or San Francisco: Theyre in the Las Vegas suburbs.

Despite the still-sluggish economy, investors are building a burst of higher-end rental complexes with larger units, lots of amenities and much higher prices.

They include the Lennox, which is scheduled to open next week. Its units range from about 850 to 1,800 square feet and cost $1,300 to $2,800 per month. The Gramercy, formerly called ManhattanWest, is scheduled to open Jan. 15 and has apartments ranging from 530 to almost 2,100 square feet. Rents will be from $950 to $3,500 per month.

Domains monthly rents are between $895 and $1,445. Elysian, opening in mid-January, will likely charge up to $2,500 per month hopefully higher, developer Eric Cohen said this summer. Vantage, in Henderson, is charging more than $4,000 a month for its largest units.

By comparison, the average asking rent for a Southern Nevada apartment is $866 a month, according to Colliers International.

High-end rental projects would almost be assured of filling up in wealthier, more established cities. Las Vegas' properties seem off to a good start, but its unclear how many people want and can afford to live in them all, and whether too many developers are chasing a small number of customers.

No one knows, said broker Patrick Sauter, managing partner of NAI Vegas.

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For Las Vegas renters, pricey resort-like options increasing