AMARGOSA VALLEY -- Residents who commented last week on the development of the Amargosa Valley area plan said they don't particularly like planning but felt there wasn't much choice.

Amargosa Valley is still sparsely populated, with only 1,386 residents spread over 575 square miles from U.S. Ecology near Beatty east to the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge near Pahrump.

But community activists see the spill-over of development from Pahrump Valley over the hill and complained of being ignored on some planning matters by the Nye County Commission.

J.W. Cunningham, an Amargosa Valley resident since 1999, recalled when town leaders talked about a master plan, but it was scrapped.

"We decided we didn't want to have a plan. That's the reason we live in Amargosa. If I want to have 50 junk cars in my front yard, I'm going to have 50," Cunningham said.

"But let me tell you something, folks, it sounds good, but it ain't going to work. Because we have got people who are coming over that hill," Cunningham said, "They would love to be able to make our plans for us."

Jean Adams, a valley resident for just about as long, concurred: "We really need to come up with a plan because the county is just egging to do it for us, and I think it's real important we have input."

Bruce Crater, a member of the area plan subcommittee, said, "They're certainly putting a lot of development into this area. We need to be looking 50 to 100 years in advance."

But subcommittee member Dave Hall thought 20 years was enough, a time frame that is already specified in the goals of the plan. He said what was eventually passed in the area plan could also be changed "on a week-by-week basis" as the valley develops.

Subcommittee member Andy Gudas said it's not a detailed plan: "This is a general philosophy of how we would like to see the valley develop."

The plan is expected to be ready for consideration by the Amargosa Valley Town Board by its regular meeting in late September and approved by the Nye County Commission after that.

"There are two things we need to look at: protecting the water, the quality of the water, and the roadways," Hall said. "One of the things we have to do is work closely with the state."

The goals are still rather open but may limit future land parcels to a minimum of 2.5 acres if located in the central portions of the valley and encouraging higher density development to be placed on the outer perimeters.

The plan asks that heavy development by federal, state or county government entities on property in the northern part of the valley be discouraged. Such development could, it is feared, have an adverse impact on future water supplies flowing south through the township. That appears to refer to the Yucca Mountain project.

"Anything 10 acres or less probably really ought to have some kind of a graveled access to, number one, minimize the dust," Hall said.

The plan is being prepared with assistance from state planner Kent Canfield, Hall said.

Town activists said a plan could also mean more money.

Hall said Canfield, the state planner, even suggested Amargosa Valley could incorporate to receive money like federal community development block grants, such as Beatty has gained.

"Being that we're a very small populace at this time, we are not a separate entity, we are part of the county. Until we incorporate we don't have that identity," Crater said.

Resident John Basta said when he served on a federal impact board representing Amargosa Valley, during a trip to Carlsbad, N.M., he was informed it wouldn't receive U.S. Department of Energy money unless it had a master plan, and to have a plan it had to have a regional planning commission.

"What we have to do in this plan, we have to be specific about the infrastructure we need or being able to implement those things that the Yucca Mountain program needs. We are within the 50-mile radius," Basta said.

Amargosa Valley could receive some of the payments equal to taxes (PETT) provided by the U.S. Department of Energy, he said.

Bob Regan asked whether the town has made a plan to acquire more town property. Town clerk Shelly Kadrmas said locations for five future fire stations and three ambulance bays have been mapped out and would be requested from the Bureau of Land Management.

Bill Barrackman wants the master plan to include two resolutions the town board passed last year. They would have regulated concentrated animal feeding operations like the Ponderosa Dairy but were rejected by the Nye County Commission.

Kadrmas talked about introducing business registration to keep track of the kind of businesses that would be opening, but not demanding business licenses.