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Thursday, March 15, 2007

Main Street Plan's Goal Is to Dress Up Moriarty

By Beth Hahn
Mountain View Telegraph
    Changes in what drivers see when they enter Moriarty from Interstate 40 or N.M. 41 are likely to start with signs proclaiming the town's presence.
    Eventually, the changes should include landscaping, sidewalks and other aesthetic improvements.
    The idea to make Moriarty more pleasing to the eye is part of a proposal to dress up the town and make it more welcoming to tourists and prospective residents alike.
    The Moriarty City Council authorized the plan last year.
    Phyllis Taylor of Sites Southwest, an Albuquerque planning and design firm, presented the Main Street Master Plan to the council on Feb. 27.
    Taylor said the Main Street plan is designed to bring out the best in Moriarty.
    "The big idea behind it is looking at ways to use landscaping and public improvements to help with the identity of the community (and) to make it attractive," she said.
    Sites Southwest has done similar plans for Clovis and Las Cruces as well as landscaping plans in Los Alamos, Albuquerque and Reserve.
    For Moriarty, Taylor said she wanted to enhance existing landscape while honoring the city's agricultural and ranching history as well as the history of Route 66.
    "Clearly, it's a center for that area of the state," she said of Moriarty. "Most people who want to move out there want to live on a big piece of land and they forget about the town being a place to live ... and we want to help remind people that Moriarty is a nice place to live."
    Landscaping will also make the town more attractive to tourists driving along I-40, Taylor said.
    The plan calls for the city to dress up entrances into Moriarty, place a swath of landscaping along the southern boundary of I-40 to improve the appearance and work with private landowners and businesses along Old Route 66 to install landscaping to make the town more attractive.
    City Councilor Steve Anaya, a supporter of the Main Street Master Plan, said that although the suggestions may seem drastic, the plan is a good road map for future improvements.
    "I think it's a pretty aggressive schedule, but ... it gives us a road map to follow," he said Tuesday. "Main Street is the lifeblood of our community, and we need to look at what we can do to (help) that continue."
    High priorities listed in the plan include:
   

Landscaping along the western portions of Old Route 66 that could include public-private partnerships and incentives such as water bill rebates.
   

Gateways near each I-40 exit and at the southern entrance to the city on N.M. 41. Gateway improvements are estimated to cost about $2.1 million and could be funded through legislative appropriations.
   

Public safety complex. Tentatively, this would be located on Broadway, near current city government offices. Cost estimates are not provided in the plan and would depend on the size and architecture of the building.
   

Amend the city's zoning code, write landscaping guidelines for Route 66 and provide landscaping incentives for business owners and property owners along the Main Street corridor.
    The basic ideas are already contained in the city's master plan and could be added to its zoning ordinance through amendments.
    According to the Sites Southwest proposal, a variety of funding is available through the Legislature and other grants.