Monday, Aug. 22, 2005 | 10:57 a.m.
In the dry, dusty valleys west of Clark County's Spring Mountains, developers are eyeing private plots of land that could one day be home to thousands of new houses.
The prospect of building 65,000 homes in Inyo County, just over the state line in California, might be inviting to developers. To the existing residents of the area, however, especially residents of nearby Pahrump, the proposals spell potential disaster.
Steven Scow, a Las Vegas lawyer, represents the family that owns 10,000 acres in the pocket of privately held land surrounded by federal land in Inyo County. The land where developers are interested in creating a new town is held by the Wiley Trust, the family of the late Clark County District Attorney Roland Wiley, Scow said.
He confirmed that the family is developing plans, but said it was premature to discuss those plans in detail.
"There is nothing going on," Scow said. "We are presently evaluating what to do, doing water studies and other background information. There have been wild speculations and rumors, and people have been told all sorts of things by other people, but not by us.
"There is no place. There is no city name. There is no city."
However, the Inyo County Planning Department certainly believes there is a plan, and officials there believe they have a name for the town: Charleston View. As in, a view of Mount Charleston, the highest point in the Spring Mountains.
While Inyo County officials did not return numerous phone calls last week, employees in the planning department directed those with questions to the county's Web site, which includes a discussion of steps taken in the development process for Charleston View.
Scow confirmed that developers are exploring the prospect of building something at the site, which is on the southern end of the Pahrump Valley.
"We have speculated that it would be nice to sell 10,000 acres to build 50,000 homes, but nothing has been proposed. ... We are in very preliminary discussions with Inyo County."
Inyo County's Web site says three developers have shown interest in the project, but does not name them.
Bill Marion, a Rhodes Homes spokesman, confirmed the company's interest but said the company does not have any firm commitment to develop land in the area.
"Rhodes has looked at land in the area," Marion said. "He has no land under contract."
According to the county, other developers also have proposed building 7,000 to 14,000 more homes on another 2,900 acres nearby.
Scow cited an Aug. 7 Los Angeles Times story on Charleston View.
"Any story right now, including the one that was already published, would be premature by six months at least," he said. "We could speculate about building Disneyland in Las Vegas too, but it ain't coming."
Developers who would build a massive development in the Pahrump Valley, on either side of the state line, would have to overcome some obstacles, chief among them a scarcity of water.
Donna Lamm, a broker with Pahrump's Provenza Realty and a 30-year resident of the city in Nye County, said she is extremely concerned that such a new city just over the state line would drain already shrinking water supplies.
"If we don't have any water, we disappear," said Lamm, who also is a member of the Southern Nye County Conservation District board. She said water levels are falling by a foot a year. Drawing groundwater for so many new homes would mean that many of Pahrump's homeowners would have to re-drill wells, a prospect that could cost thousands for each well.
"I think they're out of their minds," Lamm said of the potential developers. "I can understand the appeal from a proximity to Las Vegas standpoint, but it's like getting blood out of a turnip.
"I cannot imagine they (Inyo County government officials) would let them do that. I think it would be totally irresponsible."
Lamm said locals are already having a tough time encouraging water conservation.
"Putting in 65,000 homes is not a conservative thing to do," she said. "Sadly, people don't realize we live in a desert. We have to make our behavior match our environment."
She said the development might be able to go forward if water could be imported from another basin.
Such a move might be required. California requires developers to prove that they have water adequate to supply proposed subdivisions before construction can begin.
A test well drilled in June to a depth of 1,540 feet "did not encounter any significant water," Inyo County reported. Developers "have stopped drilling and will abandon the well and pull off the site. No word on future drilling plans."
Tom Bugo, a consultant providing hydrology advice to Nye County government, said he is not surprised that the well turned into what is called "a duster."
"There's not enough water in Pahrump to support the future growth of Pahrump. If you put 65,000 more houses on the California side, it's only going to make it worse, a lot worse."
The aquifer under Pahrump is recharged by water falling on the Spring Mountains, and it has not kept pace with the city's growth, he said.
"There's no new water on the Nevada side," he said.
Ron Williams, Nye County planning director, said he hopes that Inyo County will take the water issue and other potential issues seriously. He hopes that Nye County and Pahrump officials will be involved in the planning process.
"I'm sure that Inyo County, when they see this, becomes a little more serious, would invite in all the stakeholders," Williams said. He noted that Nye County officials already have their hands full with accommodating the needs of Pahrump's 33,000 population.
Inyo County also appears to have had some issues with the would-be developers. According to the county Web site, the planning department sent a letter July 21 demanding $140,000 before Aug. 8 to cover initial planning costs.
"The county will cease assisting the developers until a check is received," the county declared. "No further meetings benefiting the developers will be held until the developers are able to cover the costs of this phase."
Scow said the developers did not submit such a payment to Inyo County.
While the water and planning issues might present obstacles to building a new city on the desert sands, Brian Brown, owner of the China Ranch date farm near Tecopa, Calif., is not breathing easy.
"This Charleston View development, the proposal is on such a massive scale," Brown said. "There's only 18,000 people in Inyo County. With 65,000 houses, even if there's just two people per house, that's 130,000 people. It's on such a gigantic scale that it just stuns you."
Brown depends on a small surface stream, Willow Creek, to sustain the date palms that form the heart of his 218-acre working ranch about 50 miles south of the Amargosa Valley and 85 miles west of Las Vegas.
"All of us, from Utah to the Sierra, are essentially sitting on the same puddle of water," he said. "If you do massive withdrawals, probably over the long haul it's going to affect all the surface water and seams.
"We have a nice little place here. We have a running stream and a little fish that we take care of," Brown said. "Our concern is that this project would be just another large water withdrawal that will affect us ... The long term conservation implications of these (developments) are often not considered.
"I'm not against development," he said, "but it has to be on an appropriate scale."
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