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Thursday, March 9, 2006

Neighbors Question Building Proposal

By Beth Hahn
Mountain View Telegraph
    The Edgewood Planning and Zoning Commission heard some details— as well as objections— during a presentation Monday on what is expected to be the first part of the sprawling Campbell Ranch development to actually be built.
    Plans for Village 2, Unit 1 were unveiled by representatives from SunCor, a land developer and builder that will be in charge of this portion of the project.
    Village 2 contains about 495 of the Campbell Ranch Master Plan's 8,500 acres and is expected to include 845 residential lots, a commercial development, open space and a waste-water treatment plant.
    During the meeting, several residents of Paa-Ko, Sandia Park and Cedar Crest expressed concern and disdain for the project.
    Monday's meeting was a preliminary hearing where planning commissioners reviewed drawings for the first phase of the Village 2 development.
    Because Campbell Ranch is a master planned community, commission members are limited in what they can ask SunCor to change, said Edgewood Planning and Zoning Administrator Karen Mahalick.
    Many of the audience members said they had no idea they were living so near the town of Edgewood— while Campbell Ranch is miles from the town center, the property was annexed by Edgewood in 2001.
    Others said there is not enough water for such a large development.
    One woman said that by developing the land, Edgewood will reap the benefits but will give Cedar Crest and Sandia Park nothing but problems.
    "We're the ones that have to deal with the traffic and the noise," she said.
    A Paa-Ko man said he moved to the community for its rural atmosphere and large lot sizes, but a commercial area across N.M. 14 from his home will bring noise and decrease the value of his home.
    Ike Pino, president of SunCor New Mexico, said Campbell Corp. officials are negotiating for water rights for the development.
    "(The town's planning commission) isn't going to let me come in here without water," he said.
    Pino was asked several times during the two-hour hearing about water for Village 2. Each time, he stated that Campbell Corp. is in the middle of negotiations for water services.
    Many audience members also said the proposed lot sizes for Village 2 are too small and will turn the area into "another Rio Rancho."
    Pino said the lot sizes in the preliminary plan are not set in stone, and that he will negotiate the sizes with Edgewood to comply with the town's requirements.
    Mahalick said she thinks the town requires a minimum lot size of 6,200 square feet, or a little less than a half-acre, meaning some of the proposed lots in Village 2 will need to be redrawn.
    Tentatively, Pino said, Village 2 will be constructed in phases, with Phase 1 including 266 homes on 118 acres. Phase 2 will have 309 lots on 158 acres and Phase 3 will be 270 lots on 126 acres.
    Phase 1 will also include a commercial development, a landscaping buffer along N.M. 14, open space and a community center.
    Pino said the plans originally included a golf course in Village 2, to which many audience members objected.
    "There's a golf course right across the street," one Paa-Ko woman said. "Why would you want to build another one?"
    The golf course plans were scrapped by SunCor, but Pino said Campbell Ranch plans still include a golf course somewhere in the development.
    Although the lot sizes are somewhat smaller than the neighboring development of Paa-Ko, Pino said there should be plenty of room in Village 2 for custom homes. Most of the homes, however, will not be custom, he said.
    Home prices will begin in the $300,000 range, he said.
    Emergency services protection will be provided by either Bernalillo County, Sandoval County or Santa Fe County through a Public Improvement District, Pino said.
    A PID will require Village 2 and Campbell Ranch residents to pay a set fee annually to provide police and fire protection to the development. No other area residents or Edgewood residents would have to pay the fee.
    Pino said Campbell Corp. is negotiating for police and fire protection with Sandoval, Santa Fe and Bernalillo counties because the development lies in all three counties.
    "All three (governments) are very interested in providing those services," he told the audience.
    When asked for a possible construction date, Pino said there are still "too many things to do" before he can project when model homes will be built in Village 2.
    In the Rancho Viejo development south of Santa Fe, which SunCor also developed, Pino said 1,100 homes sold within eight years.
    Village 2, he added, might sell faster or slower because the housing market in the East Mountains is not identical to Santa Fe's.
    Planning commission members took no action on the proposal but asked Pino to return for several public hearings on the Village 2 proposal.
    Anyone who would like to be notified of future meetings that could include Campbell Ranch or Village 2 proposals can visit Edgewood's Web site at www.edgewood-nm.gov or e-mail info@edgewood-nm.gov.