Mason, a 32-year resident of Las Vegas and a retired district court administrator, opted to give up her 2,800 square-foot home in Sun City Summerlin for a custom high-rise condominium.

Last weekend, Mason and other residents started moving into One Queensridge Place's two 18-story towers in the valley's first suburban luxury high-rise.

For Mason, it was a chance to stay close to Summerlin and not have to maintain her single-family home.

That means not worrying about mail or newspapers piling up when she's out of town.

"I just got tired of yard work, and I wanted to travel," said the 66-year-old Mason. "With this you close your door and go, and the security is like Fort Knox. That's always a concern when you live in a house."

The custom high-rise homes, in a $500 million project managed by an affiliate of Executive Home Builders, are priced from $1.8 million to more than $25 million.

Some 80 percent of the 219 homes are sold.

Executive Home Builders turned to the concept because custom lots were becoming scarce and expensive and its market research showed the demand for a high-rise lifestyle away from the Strip, said Frank Pankratz, president of Executive Home Builders.

Queensridge units range from as small as 2,000 square feet to more than 16,000 square feet.

The concept caters to mostly local residents who want to give up their home but a different lifestyle, and yet live in elegance in the suburbs, Pankratz said.

Most have grown children and now want to "lock and go" and not worry about the pool and landscaping, he said.

High-rise living not only offers residents security but the density that makes it easier for them to socialize than if they were living in a home, Pankratz said.

One Queensridge Place has a spa, wine cellar, gardens, guest casitas and concierge service.

It has attracted people like Dr. Lionel Handler, a Las Vegas dermatologist, who is moving into the high-rise complex with his wife and three children, ages one, three and six. A 10-year resident of Las Vegas, Handler said he grew up in the high-rise lifestyle in Manhattan and couldn't pass an opportunity to do so in Las Vegas.

A view of One Queensridge Place, a luxury high-rise condo project at Alta Drive and Rampart Boulevard, taken from the Sun Coast parking garage on Monday Photo by Steve Marcus

Handler and his family live in a 4,500-square-foot home in Red Rock Country Club. To remain near Summerlin and live in a high rise of 5,000 square feet is the "best of both worlds," Handler said.

He has all the amenities, including a pool, without having to maintain them.

"It is an easier lifestyle," Handler said. "You have a gym and you still have a swimming pool and park nearby for the children to play. You have all the amenities. I like the thought of valet service. It is almost like living in a hotel."

Handler said he never even considered purchasing a high-rise luxury condo near the Strip. There are nice towers, but their location next to the Strip isn't conducive to raising a family.

By staying in Summerlin, his children could keep their same school and friends, he said.

"The Strip is a great place to go to dinner, but it is not a place I want my family to live," Handler said.

The residents rave about their panoramic views of the Strip and mountains. They also have the accessibility of 500,000 square feet of retail and restaurants under construction next door at the Village of Queensridge.

Danny Dalonzo, a former pitcher with the New York Yankees organization, said living in the high rise was an easy choice for him and his wife. They no longer have to worry about children in the house, but they wanted to live somewhere large enough where they could entertain guests and visitors.

"Being a developer, I knew what I was looking for in quality," Dalonzo said. "I didn't want to be next to the Strip. There is a lot less traffic in Summerlin. It's cleaner, and there's less crime."