Coyote Springs developer sues homebuilder

Harvey Whittemore, developer of the master-planned Coyote Springs community, has sued homebuilder partner Pardee Homes for stalling the project during the housing downturn and economic recession.

The lawsuit accuses Pardee of breaching its agreement to develop finished residential lots and of stopping work on the sewage treatment plant and golf clubhouse.

The first model homes were scheduled to open in early 2008, but that was pushed back when the housing market started to crash.

Kathy Hilty, marketing director for Pardee in Southern Nevada, said Friday that the company does not comment on pending litigation. A Pardee executive has said the builder is continuing to develop infrastructure, including a water and sewage treatment plant.

Some 160,000 homes were planned for Coyote Springs, which is about 60 miles northeast of Las Vegas, straddling Clark and Lincoln counties on U.S. Highway 93.

The Jack Nicklaus-signature golf course at Coyote Springs is open for public play.

Whittemore, a Reno attorney, bought 40,000 acres for Coyote Springs for
$15 million in 1996. The previous owner was California-based defense contractor Aerojet, which had acquired the land from the federal government in 1988 for use as a rocket-testing site.