Placitas groups make final presentations

By Eric Maddy
The SCORE

The Sandoval County Planning and Zoning Board conducted the last of its community meetings seeking input on the controversial Placitas Area Plan on Wednesday.

Five different groups made presentations to the standing –room-only crowd of more than 50 people at the Sandoval County Commission chambers in Bernalillo. Community groups One Placitas and Placitas Roots joined representatives from the village itself, the San Francisco/Las Placitas neighborhood and the Wild Horse Observer’s Association in offering recommendations to the board in the three-hour meeting.

Meeting facilitator Cliff Spirock will compile all the community input and present it to the board for consideration on Nov. 5. County planning and zoning staff will also submit their recommendations to the board on that date.

The timetable calls for the board to consider the goals and recommendations of the plan on Nov. 13. A draft would undergo final review on Dec. 11 and receive final approval on Jan. 29, to be passed on to the county commission for approval in February.

One Placitas offered specific recommendations in the area of commercial development, residential development, transportation, water/drainage/wastewater, open space and public services/facilities. Placitas Roots, meanwhile, concentrated on aesthetics by showing a brief slide show demonstrating wildlife, scenery and unique development in the area.

Representatives of homeowners of the actual Village of Placitas expressed their concerns about water use, agricultural land use, varied architecture and commercial development in a power-point presentation. Representatives requested a zoning overlay for their area of about 400 homes including the traditional area recognized as the village (182 homes) plus nine other neighborhoods, most of which has been developed.

Representatives of the more rural and undeveloped San Francisco/Linda Placitas area asked that its wildlife corridor be protected under any plan. It especially opposed any additional roadways, including a possible East Loop Road. Since many homeowners in the area are on wells and septic systems, the group expressed concerns over allowing additional development so their water table is not reduced.

WHOA representatives offered a slide show about their organization, joining others in stressing it does not want a loop road to connect NM 165 with NM 14.