MARK WAITE / PVT Developer's Greg Hafen and Vicki Hafen Scott, at left, sit at the same table with Mark Fiorentino, representing Focus Property Group, and Nye County Public Works Director Samson Yao at right, during a debate over the Focus Group development agreement during the Aug. 23 Nye County Commission meeting. Advertisement

Influential developer Tim Hafen and his family took off the gloves and came out slugging at the Focus Property Group's development agreement during last Wednesday's Nye County Commission meeting.

Several other residents also took some swipes at the development plan.

The Hafen family has plans for a motel, casino and recreational vehicle park complex on Manse Road and Highway 160, approved by the commissioners July 19.

The Focus Group development agreement would allow the building of up to 6,200 homes on 900 acres around Hafen's development, from Manse Road two miles south to the Clark County line. The company's local developments would be constructed by PV Land Investments.

Previous discussions in public between Hafen and the Focus Group focused primarily on the alignment of Manse Road and Highway 160, with the Hafen family preferring a curved road and the Focus Group advocating a right-angled intersection.

The lengthy discussion Aug. 23 began with accusations that Focus Group company violated the state open meeting law by putting a revised version of the development agreement onto the county Web site the Friday before the meeting.

Nye County Chief Civil Deputy District Attorney Ron Kent said he believed the county was in technical compliance but admitted the revisions were substantial. Kent suggested the discussion be continued to a future meeting.

"When it was indicated that PV Land was going to maintain parks, that wasn't true. When it was said they were going to build an elementary school, that's not true," Hafen said.

The previous development agreement didn't mention that fees paid to Nye County would be deferred until 4,000 homes are constructed, he said.

The current agreement says a homeowners association will maintain the parks. The section pertaining to building an elementary school was stricken. Nye County school board President Debbie Wescoatt said the board's attorney objected to the language regarding the donation.

Commissioner Patricia Cox felt the development agreement was being rushed through. She criticized Focus Group for not including any of the comments from the planning staff in the agreement.

Commissioner Candice Trummell, however, wanted the commission to move quickly on the plan. The public hearing was continued until an 11:30 a.m. Tuesday meeting in Tonopah, which will be available by videoconference in Pahrump.

Mark Fiorentino, senior vice-president of government affairs for Focus Property Group, said the development agreement was "as close an agreement as we're going to be able to reach with your advisors."

He said the company began work on the project two years ago, while the design guidelines were presented five months ago. He said Focus Group participated in a number of open discussions about its plans.

"We are at least partly responsible for the hospital by guaranteeing the finances of the hospital," Fiorentino said. "We are committed to the community ... Frankly, everybody knew what we were planning to do months ago."

"Unless the developer changes the development from 4,000-square-foot lots, there is no way I can support this development," Cox said. "The reason people move here is for some elbow room and not stacking the homes on top of each other."

She also had concerns over setting a precedent for other developers.

But Trummell said if Nye County wanted Focus Group to provide more concessions, it would have to allow more density.

"That's called negotiation, not strong-arming," she said. "I've had seniors come to me who say they'd like to live in smaller units or multi-family housing."

The state engineer's office will decide if Pahrump needs to limit the number of housing units to be built due to concerns over water, Trummell said. She said Las Vegas developments are a lot more dense than those in Pahrump. The delivery of water and sewer would also be more efficient in denser developments, Trummell said.

Fiorentino said the company can't build on 4,000-square-foot lots throughout the subdivision. He added that a waiver won't increase the total number of housing units either. But the ability to build on 4,000-square-foot lots allows the company some diversity, he said.

Commissioner Roberta "Midge" Carver objected to language requiring the county to cooperate with Focus Group in obtaining rights-of-way and easements through acquisitions from private property owners, including power of condemnation. Fiorentino said that could be taken out of the agreement.

Several residents blasted the agreement. Stephanie Farmer said she has lived in Pahrump 12 years and knows what happens when high-density housing comes into a community: "crime, people living in rat cages, no room to grow personally, feeling entrapped.

"They want to rape our community and then run with their money," she said. "Do they want to live here with the crap they left behind?"

Jane Schmidt said it was absolutely insane to consider eight homes on an acre. "Every one of you should be recalled and thrown out of office," she said.

Andrew "Butch" Borasky, a candidate for Nye County Commissioner District IV, said commissioners should stick with the minimum 8,000-square-foot lot size.

"I would strongly encourage commissioners before they approve any more subdivisions to require developers to furnish information they have adequate water supply to deal with their subdivisions," Borasky said.

Nevada Tolladay said Focus Group asked for twice the density permitted under county code.

"The issue is not about profit or loss to a community but whether we, as a community, will control our own density," Tolladay said. "It will undoubtedly open the flood gates to similar requests. The action you take will send a very clear message not only to this developer but to others who are intensely interested."

John Brent said other developers in Pahrump Valley are building single-story homes in line with the 8,000-square-foot lot restriction.

Attorney Greg Hafen, son of Tim Hafen, said Focus Group tried to buy two pieces of property his family wanted for signs. Focus also put the approach onto Manse Road from Highway 160 as far as possible from their property.

But Nye County Public Works Director Samson Yao pointed out, "If Focus Group land is vacant, it's never going to develop. That particular road that Mr. Hafen proposed would be just a road to his casino."

Vicki Hafen Scott said access to the north side of their property was critical.

"We reached an agreement with Focus group on July 19th," Greg Hafen said. "We would try to work out some joint design standards for the commercial property, and if we couldn't agree on it, it would come back to the board. If you look at the new development agreement, there's a new twist to it. They have a right to certify if it meets the guidelines. We don't have the right to certify it meets the guidelines."

He added that in the new agreement Nye County acknowledges Focus Group has adequate water rights.

"There are serious issues presented to the state engineer about them developing new wells, impacting existing wells that have been there forever, since the '50s," Greg Hafen said.

The new agreement also allows Focus Group to change areas in the master-planned community from one zone to another without county approval, he said, which he called "floating zoning."

The company would also take a credit on their impact fees for constructing parks and maintenance, he said.

Fiorentino said, "There are probably two dozen things that changed" in the agreement due to county input.

"We're doing substantial regional improvements. We agreed which improvements deserved a credit," he said.

Fiorentino said it wasn't fair to keep delaying the Focus Group plans.