But what it did do was add fuel to the fire between the Las Vegas furniture market and High Point, N.C., market, currently the nation's largest at about 11.5 million square feet.

World Market Center officials plan to expand the furniture market to 12 million square feet of permanent and temporary showrooms -- doubling the project's cost to $2 billion from $1 billion. The original plan consisted of 7.5 million square feet of showrooms.

The new development plans call for the buildings to be constructed in eight phases (totaling eight buildings) on its 57-acre site with a completion date of 2015.

The first 1.3 million-square-foot World Market Center building is nearing completion at Grand Central Parkway and Bonneville Avenue near downtown Las Vegas. Additional space has been leased at the Las Vegas Convention Center, bringing this summer's debut show to 2.5 million square feet of permanent and temporary exhibition space. The first Las Vegas market will run July 25-29.

Bruce Miller, chief executive of the Home Furnishings Center, High Point's largest furniture showroom complex, said he thinks the announcement is simply an attempt to lend credibility to what World Market Center officials are doing.

"They are perceived as too small to be a significant player," said Miller, adding he is talking about the current size of the Las Vegas market, not the developers themselves.

Miller said there has been grumbling within the furniture industry that 1 million feet -- the size of the first World Market Center building -- isn't large enough to be much of a force.

"The Vegas market is basically a replacement for San Francisco; it's a regional market and that's the extent of it," he said.

The San Francisco Mart, a regional furniture market, is based in two buildings and is about 1 million square feet. Many have said the almost 100-year-old San Francisco market already appears to be faltering under the yet-to-open Las Vegas show.

"The industry will not allow Las Vegas to be a regional market. They want a first class, state-of-the-art market in a world-class city that brings together all of the industry segments on one campus," said Dana Pretner, World Market Center spokeswoman. "World Market Center is poised to become a major international market, which will be evidenced at our grand opening."

The furniture show scheduled for July is the largest debut for any Las Vegas convention and the biggest market debut in the history of the home furnishings industry, she said.

"Not only do we have nine of the top 25 manufacturers with our first market alone, we have 2.5 million square feet comprising 700 exhibitors in our first show," Pretner said. "That's approximately 25 percent of the number of exhibitors and the square footage of High Point."

The upcoming market's product lines, along with the "shows within a shows" featuring the Heimtextil and Ambiente trade shows from Europe and the timing to coincide with the Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers tradeshow in July and Surfaces in January (both 1 million-square-foot trade shows) has never been tried by a regional market, she said.

"All of these factors and our international draw is evidence that our strategy of creating an international market in the U.S. is working and will continue to expand," Pretner said.

Judy Mendenhall, president of the High Point Market Authority, said, despite the announcement, High Point remains the leader in the furniture industry.

"I see no reason to assume that Las Vegas is going to 12 million square feet, if indeed that happens," she said in an e-mail. "And since theirs is still in the planning stage and ours is a reality, I think it's clear that High Point is still the leading show in the industry."

Mendenhall said that if there is enough demand for the World Market Center to grow, there also is no reason to believe the High Point market won't grow correspondingly.

"We are currently at 11.5 million (square feet) and with the announcements and planned expansions on the drawing board, we will probably exceed 12 million (square feet) by late 2006," she said in the e-mail.

Marvin Kirby, current president of the Western Home Furnishings Association and owner of a furniture store based in Mesa, Ariz., said there has been some "bantering around" that the World Market Center can't pull it off.

"The bottom line is it doesn't matter how big it is. Are people going to go there and show their furniture?" he said. "As long as they have a place available for the people to go and do that. And to have 1 million square feet in one building doesn't sound too small."

Kirby said he is looking forward to the first World Market Center furniture show and will look forward to any space expansions.

"I like the idea because I hate High Point. You're abused so badly it's ridiculous," Kirby said, referencing hikes in hotel and car rental rates during market time. "I don't know if Las Vegas will be a lot cheaper, but it will be close to me."

In other news

• CB Richard Ellis, Las Vegas, reported that apartment vacancies dropped in February to 4.37 percent from 4.54 percent in January.

Apartment vacancies in class A apartments have shifted from the highest occupied in 2004 to the lowest occupancy currently, with a 4.67 percent vacancy, Spencer Ballif, senior vice president at CB Richard Ellis, reported.

The reason is as concessions have disappeared and rents have risen, fewer renters can afford class a rents, he reported.

Class A apartments are generally defined as those that have the most amenities, were built with first-rate construction materials and have a prime location.

• The Penta Building Group is scheduled to start construction on the Donald C. Moyer Student Union building June 1. The student union marks Penta's entry into the institutional and public works market.

The 143,000-square-foot building will include meeting rooms, offices and food service stations. The budget amount is more than $32.4 million.

• The Platinum Condominium Hotel & Spa, 211 E. Flamingo Road just east of Koval Lane, completed mass excavation work at the site and currently is installing rebar for foundation concrete, representatives with the project said.

The Platinum is being developed by Diversified Real Estate Concepts. Upon completion the hotel portion will be managed by Marcus Hotels and Resorts.

The 17-story building, with 255 units, is scheduled to be completed by April or May 2006. Project costs are expected to be about $100 million.

• Blue Heron has started construction on its first homebuilding project in Southern Nevada, Stone Canyon Luxury Loft Homes, at Buffalo Drive and Del Rey Avenue. The first homes are expected to be complete by September 2005.

• NAI Horizon moved into its new 15,000-square-foot offices at Marnell Corporate Center, 6725 Via Austi Parkway, this month.

• Shadow Mountain Marketplace LLC broke ground on its retail center at the northwest corner of Interstate 215 and North Decatur Boulevard.

A 148,000-square-foot Costco Wholesale, now under construction, will anchor the center. An additional 216,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space will be built at the center, scheduled for completion in the first quarter 2006. Costco is scheduled to open the Sept. 1.

The developers are Darrel Wright and Mark Linehan out of Southern California.

• Western Single Ply Inc. recently received the 2005 Master Contractor Award from Firestone Building Products Co. The award recognizes the company for their roofing installations. This is the fifth time Western Single Ply has received Master Contractor status.

Jennifer Shubinski covers real estate and development for In Business Las Vegas and its sister publication, the Las Vegas Sun. She can be reached at (702) 259-8832 or by e-mail at js@lasvegassun.com.