two residential subdivisions, to be built by Rhodes Design and Development. The subdivisions would contain 29 acres each. Construction of the golf course was underway later that year. Opening and ownership changes The Rhodes Ranch Golf Club opened on November 6, 1997, with little fanfare. It was designed by Ted Robinson, and was open to the public. The 135-acre course featured eight lakes, and was the centerpiece of the Rhodes Ranch community. The course was later increased to 162 acres, and it includes more than 3,500 palm trees. The community's entrance includes a "Rhodes Ranch" sign spelled out in giant letters like the Hollywood Sign. Rhodes Ranch became one of the most successful master-planned communities in the Las Vegas Valley. In 1999, Rhodes Design and Development Corporation proposed a hotel-casino for Rhodes Ranch, with 1,040 rooms, a shopping center, movie theaters, and a bowling alley. The following year, Rhodes sold property in Rhodes Ranch to Station Casinos, which has had plans for years to eventually construct a hotel-casino known as Durango Station. Construction of new homes continued into 2000. At the time, approximately 700 homes had been built in the community. Rhodes Design and Development sought to relocate a proposed drainage ditch so it would be built directly outside of the Rhodes Ranch project, rather than on-site. The company said the proposed relocation was sought for the sake of aesthetics, denying that additional homes would be built on the land. Residents and the county had concerns about the cost of relocating the ditch and the impact it could have on the design plans for a nearby school and park. The presence of a drainage ditch would reduce the value of the property by $186,000, and Rhodes had been opposed to the ditch since 1997. During 2000, commissioner Kenny, a friend of Rhodes, arrived unexpectedly at a staff member meeting to advocate for the relocation of the drainage ditch. Staff members later said they felt intimidated by Kenny to approve the relocation. County planners requested that Rhodes pay the cost of the relocation in the event that it were approved. With Kenny's help, Rhodes won county approval for the proposal and was given three months to make the relocation happen. However, after months of meetings, the county decided to keep the ditch on Rhodes' property. The county compromised with Rhodes and agreed to make the flood channel more narrow than previously