Developers won approval Tuesday night to create the equivalent of a brand-new town near the shores of Lake Wylie.

In a decade or so, The Palisades is expected to have 4,145 homes - roughly the current number in Mount Holly, a few miles upstream on the Catawba River.

It'll also have a golf course, equestrian center, offices, stores, a potential elementary school site - and the strictest water-quality protection rules ever imposed in Mecklenburg County.

No one doubts that the decision by the county commissioners Tuesday night - approving the controversial development with an 8-1 vote - will have a significant impact on the river.

Opponents fear the county has OK'd a massive pollution source that can never be reined in. The majority of commissioners, however, hope they've set a precedent that will protect water quality now and in the future.

"Tonight we take one step forward for our river," commissioner Tom Cox said. "The issue is really where do we go after Palisades."

To win approval from the county, developers Crescent Resources and Robert C. Rhein Interests agreed to a host of water-quality safeguards beyond those required by current law.

Cox wants to develop a new ordinance that leads to developers elsewhere in the Catawba watershed applying the same stringent measures. He plans to start developing those new rules in January. Several of his fellow commissioners said they support the effort.

"I think it's great that we look ahead," said commissioner Darrel Williams. He also thinks it's important that The Palisades developers be closely monitored - even if it means hiring new county employees or beefing up the budget.

Commissioner Becky Carney cast the sole vote against the project. She said the plan should be reviewed by the city, which has stronger development controls, and wanted to see a water-quality impact study before voting.

Several commissioners said no matter what they did, southwest Mecklenburg will change with the widening of N.C. 49 and water and sewer service on the way.

By approving an upscale golf-course community, they hope to boost property values and maintain the quality of life in that once-rural corner of the county.

"This land is going to develop anyway," Chairman Parks Helms said. "You can expect dramatic growth in this area. It just isn't going to happen any other way."

Tuesday night's OK was a remarkable turnaround for a project that received a 6-0 thumbs-down from the planning commission just last week. After that vote, the developers went back to the negotiating table and hashed out a deal that satisfied Mecklenburg's top water-quality official.

Among other things, they will implement an extensive water-quality monitoring program to ensure that they don't pollute eight Lake Wylie coves.

Tuesday night, they also agreed to follow major portions of the city's proposed residential tree ordinance, which requires street-tree planting and saving at least 10percent of the tree cover.

Planning director Martin Cramton still opposed one provision, though, in making a rare appearance before the commissioners. His concern: A request by the developers to remain exempt from city building standards - including sidewalk rules - for a five-year "vesting period," instead of the usual two.

That means The Palisades will be developed under county building regulations, even though Charlotte has extended its development jurisdiction to that portion of Mecklenburg.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg planners argue that areas that will one day be annexed into the city should follow city rules. "They have a larger staff with more resources. It's just that simple," planner Tom Drake said.

The developers wanted a five-year vesting because of the long time frame it will take to build their project. They don't want the rules to change on them just two years into their work, and they believe some county standards better fit their plans.

"We do plan to develop this as a model community," said Jim Medall of Rhein Interests.

The commissioners agreed to five-year vesting, with only Dumont Clarke voting for two.