County OKs Placitas building moritorium


By Eric Maddy
The SCORE

Expansion in the crowded Placitas area was put on hold Thursday night by the Sandoval County Commission, which unanimously agreed to a building moratorium on the area.

The decision should make it easier for the county’s planning and zoning department to complete an ongoing process of establishing an area plan for Placitas, something it has done in other small communities.

The process may have been made easier earlier this week when the Town of Bernalillo decided it will not at annex property on the eastern side of Interstate 25 for possible commercial development. Placitas residents had feared encroachment on their community could affect property values and the traditional rural way of life in the area.

Placitas zoning cases have long been the bane of existence for the county. Placitas is located in the center of the 1745 San Antonio de Las Huertas land grant, which sets certain conditions that pre-date New Mexico statehood.

Groups that govern the land grants and “acequias,” or water sources established when the area was under Mexican rule, were grandfathered into state and federal law under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which brought the territory of New Mexico into the United States after the Mexican-American War.

The New Mexico Acequia Association describes the acequia structure as “the historic communal irrigation systems that support the culture and livelihood of thousands of families in New Mexico.” The group further describes its mission as “to sustain our way of life by protecting water as a community resource and strengthening the farming and ranching traditions of our families and communities.”

Those philosophies have often come into conflict with land owners who wish to develop or subdivide property, especially for commercial use. Those competing interests often leave the county in the middle with both sides suspicious of any new regulations or plans.

In deciding whether or not to approve zoning changes, the county has traditionally depended on reports from various state agencies to see if changes would create a problem in areas such as water, traffic and pollution. In some recent zoning cases, residents’ testimony has contradicted results from official agencies such as the state engineer’s office, again creating conflict.

County officials conducting an initial public meeting on the Placitas Area Plan were chastised and cursed, forcing the planning and zoning commission board to step in to establish more control of the process. It hired a neutral professional facilitator to run the meetings and schedule them at a more neutral site.

Meetings on the area plan are now being conducted at the new El Zolcolo community center in Bernalillo rather than in Placitas. The next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 17.

County development director Mike Springfield said all Placitas zoning requests filed before Thursday’s decision will be considered through the normal process. He said a total of nine cases are under consideration -- six summary plats, two final plats and one preliminary plat.

The commission also approved amendments to articles 3, 4 and 12 of the county’s subdivision regulations creating more specific regulations on the procedures required for submitting evidence for zoning appeals. Final approval for Phase II of the Diamond Tail subdivision of 545 acres in Placitas was also approved.

In other business, the commission:

• Moved one step closer to completing the county’s broadband project by approving an agreement with the Village of Cuba allowing the county to place 140-foot lighted tower at the fire station. The tower would replace an existing 100-foot structure that county officials hope to place at a fire station in Placitas, the final leg of the county-wide “backbone” that commercial entities could tap into to provide high-speed internet county-wide.

• Approved a resolution supporting a bond issue proposal for the new Eastern Sandoval County Arroyo Flood Control Authority, which has jurisdiction east of the Rio Grande. The new agency is seeking a 2.5 mill levy to raise approximately $6 million for flood control projects east of the river. If approved by voters, ESCAFCA officials said property valued at $300,00 would be assessed about $5.44 per month ($65.28 annually) in additional taxes. The agency was established by the state Legislature two years ago.

• Approved a resolution supporting a bond issue for the Southern Sandoval County Arroyo Flood Control Authority, whose jurisdiction is west of the Rio Grande. Unlike ESCAFCA, SSCAFCA’s bond would replace expiring bonds and would not increase tax rates.