Rhodes Ranch is a master-planned community and golf course located in Spring Valley, Nevada, approximately six miles southwest of the Las Vegas Strip.
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23 Facts About Rhodes Ranch
2.
The community was announced in 1996, after Rhodes gained 1,330 acres, some of it through the Bureau of Land Management.
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3.
Rhodes Ranch was developed by Jim Rhodes, who acquired 950 acres of land from the Bureau of Land Management in March 1996.
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4.
The land was appraised at nearly $9 million, and Rhodes Ranch purchased smaller properties in the area for $8 million, forming a contiguous parcel totaling 1,330 acres.
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5.
The proposed site for Rhodes Ranch was located several miles outside of development boundaries that had been set by the Clark County Commission.
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6.
Rhodes Ranch ultimately had to run pipelines eight miles to reach the new community.
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7.
When Rhodes Ranch was announced in 1996, the area was rural and largely undeveloped.
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8.
Rhodes Ranch initially sought zoning approval for 15,000 homes, retail and commercial space, and a casino.
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9.
Rhodes Ranch sought to annex portions of the proposed land into the Spring Valley Township, which would make planning easier while negating the possibility of rural preservation status.
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10.
Rhodes Ranch ultimately received permission to process 250,000 tons of gravel at the site, on the condition that roads be paved by a certain date to prevent dust from being raised into the air.
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11.
The community's entrance includes a "Rhodes Ranch" sign spelled out in giant letters like the Hollywood Sign.
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12.
Rhodes Ranch became one of the most successful master-planned communities in the Las Vegas Valley.
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13.
Rhodes Ranch said the proposed relocation was sought for the sake of aesthetics, denying that additional homes would be built on the land.
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14.
County planners requested that Rhodes Ranch pay the cost of the relocation in the event that it were approved.
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15.
The county compromised with Rhodes Ranch and agreed to make the flood channel more narrow than previously planned.
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16.
The Clark County Commission later exempted Rhodes Ranch from donating property to the school district, although by 1998, Rhodes Ranch had started selling homes to families of all ages, without notifying the county or donating land for new schools.
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17.
Rhodes Ranch had 500 elementary school-age children as residents, and more than 1,000 were expected to reside there upon full completion.
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18.
Children in Rhodes Ranch attended nearby schools, but the district stated that the community had enough elementary students to warrant a new school site.
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19.
However, Rhodes Ranch had been hesitant to give up property for a school, instead suggesting eight nearby BLM sites, all of which were rejected by the school district.
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20.
Rhodes Ranch had set aside a 10-acre property for a school as a last resort option, but preferred to save the land for more homes.
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21.
The district and Rhodes Ranch Homes reached a tentative agreement for a school site shortly thereafter.
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22.
The property had no water access, but Rhodes Ranch agreed to spend up to $10 million to build the necessary infrastructure, including a pump station.
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23.
Rhodes Ranch believed that the pump station could be finished in 2007, for a school opening that year.
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