Lennar is joining with Wilson Meany, a San Francisco developer, along with Stockbridge Capital Group, Hillwood, Scala, Estein and Kenwood Investments, a real-estate fund founded by former Democratic lobbyist Darius Anderson, to build the TreasureIsland project, which includes up to 8, 000 homes, a 500-room hotel and about 300, 000 square feet of commercial space.
In addition to the Mirage Volcano and the TreasureIsland lagoon, there are the Venetian Hotel's canals and the Bellagio Hotel and Casino's fountains, with jets that shoot water skyward, choreographed like showgirls to music.
Environmentalists treasure Plum Island as a home to rare plants, a site where seals rest on rocks in large numbers, a stopover point for migratory birds and a habitat for endangered species like the roseate tern.