Long before Pahrump Valley heard about current developers Focus Property Group, Concordia Homes of Nevada, Beazer Homes and Celebrate Homes, there was Las Vegas developer Al Collins and the Mountain Falls project.

Pahrump was abuzz with talk about the planned 8,200-home project in the southern part of the valley in the late 1990s, a project that may have ushered in the way for many of today's master planned communities.

Unfortunately, Al Collins' death in 2001, left the project in disarray. After a brief start in which about 20 homes were constructed and the first nine holes of golf course laid out, the project eventually ended up in foreclosure.

Wednesday, representatives of William Lyons Homes spent a long day haggling with Nye County Commissioners over a multi-year development agreement to build up to 1,500 homes as part of the Mountain Falls North subdivision, on 230 acres north and west of the existing golf course. The plan calls for 215 homes in 2008, 141 in 2009, 264 in 2010, 166 in 2011, 129 in 2012, 196 in 2013, 165 in 2014 and 224 homes in 2015.

In contrast to the packed house concerned with the Focus Group's plan for a major development southeast of Pahrump, the Bob Ruud Community Center was nearly empty during the Wednesday negotiations with William Lyon Homes.

Bob Gronauer, an attorney with Kummer, Kaempfer, Bonner, Renshaw and Ferrario -- the same firm Mark Fiorentino works for as an attorney for Focus Property Group --extolled the amenities provided by the Mountain Falls project so far. He said William Lyons Homes was one of the few developers willing to take a risk from the Al Collins development after it went into bankruptcy.

The company expects to acquire the 230 acres in December, Gronauer said, and has already made non-refundable deposits on it but needs a development agreement to get funding from the bank. A 30-acre strip fronting on Homestead Road is not part of the agreement but is excluded by the owners for future commercial use.

Gronauer said the existing Mountain Falls development includes a 22,000-square-foot clubhouse with public bar and dining facilities and a 30,000-square-foot water park among over $6 million worth of amenities for the public. The 18-hole golf course stretches over 225 acres and has attracted 30,000 rounds of golf per year, he said.

William Lyon Homes plans to construct a five-acre sports park as part of the expansion, though company president Terry Connelly said the ball fields and soccer park would be for private use by the residents and will be maintained by the homeowners association.

William Lyon Homes donated five acres in the current Mountain Falls development for fire and sheriff's department facilities, improvements Gronauer estimated would be worth $1 million today. The company also built oversized water and sewer lines which could serve the future community college site.

Gronauer added the company will be providing the Nye County School District $450,000 on top of the residential impact fee for a new school. The sheriff's department will receive $65,000 to purchase two new vehicles.

"So these costs and community agreements, when you add them up for Mountain Falls and Mountain Falls North, is going to be just shy of $14 million," Gronauer said, adding, "We have the open space for the golf course itself."

Gronauer said the company donated 700 to 800 rounds of golf per year to various charities and to the high school golf teams. He said almost all the 54 golf course employees are from Pahrump, with a total payroll of $1.1 million.

A big issue under negotiation, however, was whether the company could use the old development agreement granted E.A. Collins.

Much of the language being discussed between attorneys involves using provisions in a development agreement hammered out with Focus Group the day before. That involves striking provisions allowing condemnation proceedings, ensuring the developer has sufficient water rights, rules on operation of batch plants, requiring the delivery of construction material on site so Nye County can reap the sales tax and paying traffic impact fees up front.

The company agreed to build off-site improvements to Manse and Homestead roads in stages, though Gronauer said the traffic impact study hasn't been completed. Commissioner Patricia Cox said, "Homestead Road and Manse Road cannot wait until their subdivision gets built out."

Gronauer suggested meeting with local property owners on Manse Road.

Nye County Public Works Director Samson Yao said Manse Road won't be able to go in as a five-lane road but should be at least a three-lane way.

While Commissioner Candice Trummell was supportive of the Focus Group development agreement, she had a lot of critical questions about Mountain Falls North. She questioned the open space requirements being limited to parks.

Trummell added, "I'm not convinced the mitigation above and beyond the impact fees will mitigate the increased density."

Gronauer argued the company will be granted provisions under the Collins development agreement which allows eight housing units per acre and no minimum lot sizes. But he said in reality the company will only build about four and a half homes per acre.

Gronauer said three development agreements preceded this one, the E.A. Collins agreement for 2,600 to 2,800 acres back in the year 2000, the Mountain Falls agreement in 2002 and the American West agreement. Gronauer argued the Collins agreement is a legal recorded instrument valid on all 2,800 acres originally part of the Mountain Falls project.

"We have title reports from title companies that state that this specific plan has zoning on our parcel," he said.

The other Mountain Falls and American West development agreements didn't require rezoning the property, Gronauer said, which allows up to eight housing units per acre.

Mark White, the attorney handling development matters for Nye County, countered that when Commercial Federal Bank foreclosed on the Collins property, the Collins agreement became null and void. He added that when the original agreement was approved with Al Collins, the county didn't have zoning. Even if there was zoning, White said the original agreement was for 8,360 housing units, of which 3,200 were applied to the original Mountain Falls development and the remaining 5,160 to American West Homes.

Commissioner Cox, who led the critique of the Focus Group, was more squeamish about criticizing the Mountain Falls agreement, which had recorded documents on file that could be transferred with the land.

Gronauer talked about drafting a planned unit development, or PUD, which allows more flexibility in lot sizes.

White said the remaining hurdles involve traffic and the zoning. Gronauer estimated William Lyon Homes would pay $121,000 in traffic impact fees. White estimated Mountain Falls and Mountain Falls North could put as much traffic on Manse Road as the traffic generated by the Focus Group on Highway 160. There was also talk about an entrance to Mountain Falls North from Gamebird Road.

The public hearing was continued until 2:30 p.m., Oct. 16.