Coyote Springs, Nevada, is a master-planned community being developed in Lincoln County and Clark County, Nevada. The community was initially planned by developer and attorney-lobbyist Harvey Whittemore and Pardee Homes. Thomas Seeno and Albert Seeno, Jr. became the sole owners of Coyote Springs following Whittemore's resignation from the Wingfield Nevada Holding Group amidst legal troubles. No homes had been built as of June 2018. [1]
A golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus has been constructed, but additional work was put on hold due to the economic recession in the United States [2] and complex legal issues. [3] The planned development has attracted controversy because of environmental concerns and allegations of political favoritism. [4]
The community was planned to cover 43,000 acres (17,000 ha) or 65 square miles (170 km2). While mostly in Lincoln County, initial development was planned for the Clark County portion of the land. Coyote Springs is located between U.S. Route 93 on the west and the Meadow Valley Mountains to the east, a drive of less than an hour from the City of Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Strip. The Coyote Springs valley is bisected by several major washes including the Pahrangat Wash and the Kane Springs Wash. The only access to the community is via U.S. Route 93 and Route 168. The ZIP Code for Coyote Springs is 89067. [5]
The land belonged to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) until 1988, when Congress enacted the Nevada-Florida Land Exchange Authorization Act. [6] This act authorized the exchange of approximately 29,000 acres of BLM-administered lands in Coyote Springs Valley (Clark and Lincoln Counties, Nevada), together with approximately 10,000 acres in Mineral County, Nevada, for approximately 5,000 acres of environmentally-sensitive private land in the Florida Everglades owned by Aerojet Corporation. The purpose of the trade was to provide habitat protection for recovery of ESA-protected species in Florida. The United States did not impose any use restrictions on the lands (fee simple) when conveyed to Aerojet, who originally planned to use approximately 2,700 acres to construct facilities for rocket manufacturing, assembly, and testing, but Aerojet never built the facilities. Aerojet sold the conveyed lands to Harrich Investments LLC in 1996, who in turn sold the Coyote Springs parcel to Coyote Springs Investment group in 1998 with the intent of building a planned community at the site. [7]
Construction of a golf course, designed by professional golfer Jack Nicklaus, began in 2005; the course opened in 2008. [8]
In 2009, BrightSource Energy announced plans to build a 960 MW (1,290,000 hp ) solar thermal power plant within the development that would be on line by 2012. [9] As of 2011, the project had not yet broken ground and the production start date had been pushed back to 2014 for the first stage, [10] and 2015 for the second stage. [11] In December 2013, Brighthouse was in court with Coyote Springs over costs associated with Brighthouse failing to perform this project. [12]
Generators provided electricity until 2012, when an electricity substation was opened. [3]
Construction on the community itself was planned to start following the official ground breaking held on July 5, 2006. Regulatory issues involving water rights and environmental issues delayed construction. An economic recession in the United States placed construction plans on hold. [2] Progress was stalled further by various legal battles between the owning partners. [3] As of September 2016, construction of the development had not begun. [13] [14]
Coyote Springs has proven controversial because of environmental issues and allegations of perceived favors granted developer Harvey Whittemore by politicians including Senator Harry Reid. [8] [15] [16] [17] In 2012, Whittemore was convicted on three felony charges related to illegal campaign donations to Harry Reid.
Whittemore split from his business partners, Thomas Seeno and Albert Seeno, Jr., in 2010, resigning from Wingfield Holding Group and selling his stake in Coyote Springs. The Seenos had accused Whittemore of embezzling funds from the company, including improper use of Wingfield resources to support the troubled Whittemore Peterson Institute. Whittemore responded with a countersuit. Wingfield and Pardee Homes have also been engaged in legal battles. [3]
In February 2009, the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental advocacy group, announced plans to sue the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for violations of the Endangered Species Act. The center contends the Coyote Springs development and resultant loss of water resources and habitat would harm the desert tortoise and potentially hasten the extinction of the moapa dace, both endangered species. The Fish and Wildlife Service and Nevada's water authority responded that they, too, are interested in protecting the moapa dace, a small fish living in the Muddy River north of Las Vegas. [8]
In May 2018, Nevada state water engineer Jason King blocked continued development of Coyote Springs. [18]
Clark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada, which also comprises the Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV Metropolitan Statistical Area. The land area of Clark County is 8,061 square miles (20,880 km2), or roughly the size of New Jersey. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,265,461. Most of the county population resides in the Las Vegas Census County Divisions, which has 2,196,623 people as of the 2020 Census. It is by far the most populous county in Nevada, and the 11th-most populous county in the United States. It covers 7% of the state's land area but holds 73% of the state's population, making Nevada the most centralized state in the United States.
Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport (SNSA), previously known as Ivanpah Valley Airport, is a new commercial airport in development by the Clark County Department of Aviation (CCDOA), located along Interstate 15 (I-15) between the towns of Jean and Primm in Clark County, Nevada, approximately 23 miles (37 km) south of the Las Vegas Strip.
The Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge (MVNWR) is a protected wildlife refuge administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, located in the Warm Springs Natural Area in the Moapa Valley of Clark County, Nevada. The refuge is east of Death Valley and 60 miles (97 km) northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Glendale is an unincorporated community in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The community is at an elevation of 1,519 feet (463 m).
The Warm Springs Natural Area, also known as the Warm Springs Ranch, is located near the Moapa Indian Reservation in Clark County, Nevada, at an elevation of 2,123 feet (647 m). The 1,179-acre (477 ha) area is owned by the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA). The area is a natural oasis in the Mojave Desert. The oasis is fed by close to 24 natural warm springs and contains many naturally occurring California fan palms, creating an ecosystem normally limited to the "low" Colorado Desert and so unique to the "high" Mojave Desert. The springs are the headwaters for the Muddy River.
Frederick Harvey Whittemore is an American lawyer and businessman in the Reno, Nevada area. As an influential lobbyist for the gambling, alcohol and tobacco industries, and for his own ventures, Whittemore was called "one of Nevada's most powerful men." In 2012, Whittemore came under grand jury investigation, initiated by the Federal Election Commission, to determine whether he should be indicted for breaking federal campaign contribution laws. He was charged with four felonies with convictions on three of the counts, and sentenced September 2013 to two years in prison. He was also given a $100,000 fine, along with two years supervision after his incarceration and 100 hours community service.
Spring Valley Wind Farm is Nevada's first wind farm. The farm is owned and operated by Pattern Energy. The facility is located in Spring Valley, northwest of Great Basin National Park and approximately 30 miles (48 km) east of Ely, Nevada. The 151.8 megawatts (203,600 hp) plant utilizes 66 2.3 megawatts (3,100 hp) wind turbines and occupies 77 acres (31 ha) in the center of Spring Valley, which consists of 7,673 acres (3,105 ha).
The Nellis Air Force Base Complex is the southern Nevada military region of federal facilities and lands, e.g., currently and formerly used for military and associated testing and training such as Atomic Energy Commission atmospheric nuclear detonations of the Cold War. The largest land area of the complex is the Nevada Test and Training Range, and numerous Formerly Used Defense Sites remain federal lands of the complex. Most of the facilities are controlled by the United States Air Force and/or the Bureau of Land Management, and many of the controlling units are based at Creech and Nellis Air Force Bases. Initiated by a 1939 military reconnaissance for a bombing range, federal acquisition began in 1940, and McCarran Field became the World War II training area's 1st of 3 Nevada World War II Army Airfields and 10 auxiliary fields. The area's first military unit was initially headquartered in the Las Vegas Federal Building while the WWII Las Vegas Army Airfield buildings were constructed.
Basin and Range National Monument is a national monument of the United States spanning approximately 704,000 acres of remote, undeveloped mountains and valleys in Lincoln and Nye counties in southeastern Nevada. It is described as "one of the emptiest spaces in a state famous for its emptiness."
Since 2002, there have been various housing proposals for Blue Diamond Hill, located in rural Clark County, Nevada. The proposed site is located west of Las Vegas, near the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. The Blue Diamond Mine has operated on the land since the 1920s, but the property otherwise remains vacant. Each of the proposed housing projects have received some opposition from environmentalists, citing concerns about the impact that such a project would have on the surrounding area.
Anthem is a master-planned community in Henderson, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Valley. It was developed by Del Webb Corporation and opened in 1998.
Blue Diamond Hill is a 4,931-foot (1,503 m) peak that borders Red Rock Canyon in Nevada, west of Las Vegas. The Blue Diamond Mine is located on the hill, and the small community of Blue Diamond, Nevada is located nearby. Several housing projects have been proposed for the hill since 2002.
Aliante is a master-planned community located in North Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2001, American Nevada Corporation and Del Webb Corporation formed North Valley Enterprises, which purchased 1,900 acres (770 ha) of land in the city and began construction of the community a year later, with the opening held in May 2003. Aliante is located in the city's northwestern area.
Further Future was a festival held in southern Nevada. The Further Future model was, “a shared experience that’s beyond our future,” and, "promises a carefully curated slate of, business and cultural leaders, chefs, mixologists and masseuses". Further Future catered to a techie club of invitation only exclusives in a controlled setting. Further Future's membership was 4000-5000 people and was structured around a corporate retreat setting. Further Future, located on the Moapa River Indian Reservation, claimed to offers an "all inclusive" festival experience, different than the, "vanish and leave no trace" principles instilled in those who participate in Burning Man. Further Future was the brainchild of a group called Robot Heart, an art and music collective known for the parties it throws during the annual Burning Man gathering in Northern Nevada's Black Rock Desert. The Further Future event aspired “to be a gathering of people with the common goal to spend time together celebrating the infinite possibilities of the future, without necessarily being shackled to the dictates of the past or the cycles of present-day society." The invitation-only festival for as many as 5,000 people ran from April 29 to May 1 in 2016 and 2017.
Gold Butte National Monument is a United States national monument located in Clark County, Nevada, northeast of Las Vegas and south of Mesquite and Bunkerville. The monument protects nearly 300,000 acres of desert landscapes featuring a wide array of natural and cultural resources, including rock art, sandstone towers, and important wildlife habitat for species including the Mojave Desert tortoise, bighorn sheep, and mountain lion. The area also protects historic ranching and mining sites such as the ghost town of Gold Butte, although little but mine openings, cement foundations, and a few pieces of rusting equipment remains. The monument is managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
The White Pine Energy Station was a proposed coal-fired power plant that was to be built in White Pine County, Nevada. The plant was to be built in the county's Steptoe Valley, and would be located 34 miles north of the city of Ely. White Pine Energy Associates, LLC, a subsidiary of LS Power, announced the project in February 2004, with plans to begin construction in 2006, with the possibility of having it operational in 2010. The 1,590-megawatt project would consist of three units, each producing 530 megawatts.
The Moapa Southern Paiute Solar Project is a 250 megawatt (MWAC) photovoltaic power plant located in Clark County, Nevada on the Moapa River lands of the Southern Paiute people. The project was commissioned in March 2017 and was constructed by First Solar and its sub-contractors in close consultation with the Moapa Band of Paiutes and federal agencies. It is the first utility-scale solar project to be located on North American tribal lands, and is anticipated to evolve as a model for similar future economic and environmental partnerships.
Jim Rhodes is an American real estate developer, mine operator and commercial farmer. He founded Rhodes Homes in 1985 and has developed various housing projects in the Las Vegas Valley, including the golf course communities Rhodes Ranch and Tuscany Village. In the 2000s, he was a well-known philanthropist in Las Vegas. In 2008, he formed Harmony Homes and began buying distressed properties during the Great Recession. Not including Harmony Homes, Rhodes filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on behalf of many of his companies in 2009 and turned over most of his residential projects to creditors.
Rhodes Ranch is a master-planned community and golf course located in Spring Valley, Nevada, approximately six miles southwest of the Las Vegas Strip. It was developed by Jim Rhodes. The community was announced in 1996, after Rhodes gained 1,330 acres (540 ha), some of it through the Bureau of Land Management. At the time, much of the surrounding area was rural, and nearby residents opposed the development of the land. Despite the opposition, the Rhodes Ranch project was approved and began construction.
Tuscany Village is a golf course community located in Henderson, Nevada. It was originally proposed by developer Jim Rhodes in 1995, under the name Palm City. The project was proposed for the former site of the Stewart gravel pit. The surrounding area initially sparked concern about the location's suitability, due to various environmental issues at the time. The site was located near sewage ponds and a longtime manufacturer of chemicals which had contaminated the land. Groundwater was also found to have high radioactive levels.
Municipalities and communities of Clark County, Nevada, United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Indian reservations | ||
| Proposed communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
36°47′59″N114°55′27″W / 36.799595°N 114.924302°W
Municipalities and communities of Lincoln County, Nevada, United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Proposed communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
