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A development group will spend $245,100 to remove burials and finish archaeological work at an ancient Hohokam site near Continental Ranch.

The payment ends a dispute between the developer and Marana officials, who wouldn't approve a plan to build condominiums on the site because, they said, the developer hadn't done enough to preserve artifacts and what may be a cemetery.

As a compromise, the town proposed an agreement last month under which the developer would have paid $235,000 to remove dozens of burials, and the town would have paid additional costs that came up during the dig — such as dealing with the discovery of other burials.

The proposal was rejected by the Town Council in a 4-3 vote during its Dec. 5 meeting.

After the meeting, the developer agreed to pay Tierra Right of Way Services Ltd., a Tucson-based archaeological firm, $245,100 to finish work on the site. Also, the developer will cover any additional costs, according to an agreement between the developer and Marana.

Once the work is completed, the development will be allowed to continue, the agreement said.

Town Attorney Frank Cassidy said last week that he was pleased with the developer's decision.

Town Manager Mike Reuwsaat agreed. "The owner stepped up," he said at the Dec. 19 Town Council meeting.

Richard M. Rollman, an attorney who represents the developer, wouldn't comment.

Town archaeologist Su Benaron called for additional work on the site after reviewing the work done by the initial survey group, Aztlan Archaeology of Tucson, according to town letters and e-mails.

Benaron said the initial survey failed to dig down deep enough to find ruins, and dug where it knew it wouldn't find any artifacts. Her conclusions were later supported by Desert Archaeology, another Tucson-based firm hired by the town as an independent consultant.

Representatives from Aztlan Archaeology rebutted Benaron's claims, arguing that the firm did everything it was required to by law and that the town was being unreasonable, public records show.

Aztlan's work for the developer found only a handful of burials and other artifacts, according to a letter from Aztlan sent to Marana.

The letter also said Aztlan didn't dig in certain areas because there wasn't any evidence that anything was buried there.

However, during its two-day survey of the site, Desert Archaeology found at least 70 artifacts, 24 burial sites, several fire pits and the remains of numerous houses, according to the report it prepared for the town.

The burials were some of the most elaborate ever found in Arizona, the report said, and the site may have once served as a cemetery.

The area was most likely part of a Hohokam village that was populated between the years 550 and 900, the report said.