The presentation was part of a conference session about town center-style retail in master-planned communities. The ULI conference brought speakers and attendees from throughout the United States and as far away as New Zealand, focused on the creation of master-planned communities.

And what better place to hold a conference on planned communities than Las Vegas? With seven major master-planned communities now selling houses (Aliante, Mountain's Edge, Providence, Lake Las Vegas, Anthem, Summerlin, Southern Highlands) the valley is a virtual petri dish of experimentation.

That experimentation leads to successful projects while others, successful in some ways, didn't reach the high expectations of city planners.

The vision for Centennial Hills was formed in the mid-1990s, when Las Vegas decided that it wanted to locate all of its commercial uses to one area, near U.S. 95 and Centennial Parkway, while at the same time creating an employment base for the 300,000 residents projected to eventually live there. The idea, which included pedestrian friendly shopping areas, attached and higher-density housing, was to prevent sprawl and create cohesive development.

Originally planned as 1,400 acres, the city expanded its master plan to include 2,600 acres, said Tom Perrigo, the city's planning manager of comprehensive planning.

But instead of a community with flowing retail, mixed uses and easy access between neighborhoods and commercial districts, what has been developed is more of the same, Perrigo said.

"What we're getting instead is more detached (residential) with block walls," he said.

Perrigo said unlike master plans such as Summerlin and Aliante, where the city only has to work with one master developer, Las Vegas has had to work with dozens of developers, all with different timelines and visions of their own.

Much of the land planned for commercial development was bought up by homebuilders in the frenzy of the housing market in the past two years and rezoned to residential, he said. Land previously designated for employment centers also has been greatly diminished.

Nick Hannon, senior vice president of the Montecito Cos., said despite changes developers have made to the city's vision, he thinks the project has turned out well. Montecito has built numerous projects throughout the master plan, including Montecito Town Center.

"All in all the project is coming out wonderful, it's an amazing community," said Hannon, citing the under-construction hospital, area parks and current and future retail.

Perrigo told the audience that while many of the developments are beautiful and well thought out in their own right, the community is a typical subdivision.

As an example, Perrigo showed a picture on a projection screen that depicted a neighborhood of three-story houses surrounded by a cinder block wall, next to a strip shopping center. He said there was no easy access from that neighborhood to the retail — creating a situation where most homeowners must get in their car to go next door.

"It's all nicely done, but it's not connected," he said. "We didn't quite get there."

Perrigo said there is remaining land within the master plan, and that they will work harder with the development community so that future development is closer to what was envisioned by the city.

"We recognize the positives and will build on that to get back to the development of a more walkable community and to create those employment centers," he said.

Some developers said part of the problem is the city's high parking ratios, making pedestrian-friendly developments next to impossible.

Perrigo did not return phone calls for additional information.

• Having reported on RedBox's automated kiosks throughout the Las Vegas Valley that provide DVD rentals for $1 — we were interested to hear about a new entry into the market: a vending machine that sells iPods.

The corporate Web site indicates that the Zoom Systems sells everything from iPods to CDs and toiletries in machines scattered throughout the country.

San Francisco-based Zoom Systems was founded in 1998 and invested more than $20 million in developing, patenting automated retail.

So far, eagle-eyed readers have spotted the machines at the Boulevard mall and at a Vons grocery story in Summerlin. Local bloggers have reported seeing the machines at four additional locations.

Phone calls seeking additional information from Zoom Systems were not returned.

• In hopes of attracting buyers to its Hacienda Park neighborhood in Henderson (west of Stephanie Street and north of Russell Road) Pulte Homes is offering a 50 inch plasma HDTV to people who buy in the neighborhood before June 30.

Of course, the large TV will take up precious room in these houses that top out at 1,363 square feet. Prices for the houses start at $238,990 — and the Pulte Homes mailer is needed to get the TV.

• Condotel Capital, a mortgage company geared toward high-rise condominium and condominium-hotel buyers and owners, recently opened at 2575 Montessori Street, Suite 150, in Las Vegas.