The Smith Center for the Performing Arts will open in just 11 days. It is just one more new development that is sparking a new interest in working and living downtown.

There are more and more people who are trading in life in the suburbs for urban living. They say it is all about being where the action is. Just three years ago, many apartment buildings downtown were uninhabited eyesores. Now, places like the Ogden are completely full with a waiting list.

The urge to move downtown is exactly what developer Sam Cherry was banking on when he decided to build two residential high-rise condo towers in 2002.  Soho Lofts opened in 2006 with 120 units. Newport Lofts opened in 2008 with 168 units. After a few investors went belly-up, prices came down. The towers are 98 percent occupied with waiting lists for rentals.

The office of Nevada Senator Harry Reid will host a home foreclosure prevention workshop on from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in Las Vegas at Consumer Credit Counseling Services, 2650 S. Jones.

Struggling homeowners with a Bank of America loan in Nevada who attend the workshop will have the opportunity to sit down with a HUD-approved housing counselor and a representative from Bank of America to discuss the options that may be available to help avoid foreclosure.

Those interested in attending must RSVP by sending an e-mail to foreclosureprevention_reid@reid.senate.gov or by calling Senator Reid’s Las Vegas office at 388-5020.

Homeowners who attend the workshop should bring the following financial documents if requesting workout assistance from their lender:

Residents facing foreclosure can receive some much-needed help during a Home Rescue Fair on Friday, May 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Saturday, May 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. inside the Grand Ballroom at the Palace Station Hotel Casino, 2411 W. Sahara Ave.

Residents will be able to take advantage of face-to-face sessions with loan specialists, housing counselors, and attorneys, as well as take part in informative workshops.