By Hannah Grover
The Edgewood Planning and Zoning Commission once again recommended approval of a proposal to divide the 1,200-acre Campbell Ranch property into five smaller parcels, despite opposition from nearby community members.
The Planning and Zoning Commission voted 5-0 in favor of the application. The meeting began at 6 p.m. on May 8, but it continued for more than six hours. The commission made its decision after midnight.
The recommendation comes after the Edgewood Town Commission remanded the case to the Planning and Zoning Commission after community members appealed the previous decision.
The Planning and Zoning Commission has not recommended development of the property, only the division of the acreage into five smaller parcels. However, opponents say that the division of the property is being done with future development in mind.
Community members are concerned development of the Campbell Ranch property will impact the declining aquifer. They also expressed concerns about increasing fire danger, traffic and strain on local resources such as law enforcement and schools.
The commissioners said they also have concerns about those factors, especially water.
“There’s a lot of issues that I believe that Campbell Farming Corporation is going to encounter as they move forward with any kind of development,” Chairwoman Diana Williams said.
The property owner — Campbell Farming Corporation — is asking to have the property divided because it will be easier to attract developers to purchase a smaller size parcel and easier to finance development on smaller parcels, according to Sheldon Greer, a project manager who spoke on behalf of Campbell Farming Corporation on Thursday evening.
One of the reasons behind the planning and zoning commission’s decision was a development agreement the town entered into with Campbell Farming Commission in 1999 leading up to Edgewood annexing the property. That agreement included that development would follow the ordinances that were in place in 1999.
“I really feel caught between the rock and a hard place, because the land owner entered into agreement with the powers that be at that time, with the town of Edgewood, and it is still a legal binding document,” Commissioner Lois Reeves said. “And whether anybody likes it or not, that’s just what’s in front of us.”
One of the reasons the Campbell Ranch leaves a sour taste in the mouth of nearby residents is because it is located away from the majority of Edgewood. Campbell Ranch abuts New Mexico Highway 14 in the Sandia Park area. It is located in Bernalillo County while Edgewood is located in Santa Fe County. This has created concerns that Edgewood could benefit from increased property tax revenue should the Campbell Ranch development occur while other communities are left to deal with the negative impacts, including additional strains on limited water supplies.
Bernalillo County has not officially taken a stance on the proposal to divide the property into five smaller parcels, an attorney told the Planning and Zoning Commission. However, the county hydrogeologist, Corbin Carsrud, told the Planning and Zoning Commission that in the Sandia Basin water levels in monitored wells are declining at a rate of approximately two feet annually. The county monitors more than 200 wells in the Sandia Basin.
“Every aquifer that’s available underneath Campbell Ranch is in decline,” Carsrud said.
Should a developer move forward with a proposal to build a neighborhood on the Campbell Ranch property, the developer would be required to show that there is water available to support the development.
Community members have fought against proposed development at Campbell Ranch for decades, including through a 14-year court battle. They say overpopulation in the East Mountains is causing wells to run dry.
Carsrud said he is not aware of any major agricultural properties in the Sandia Basin and the primary reason for the aquifer decline is the pumping of water to support residential properties.
Robert Pine, a hydrogeologist specialist with the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources who lives in the East Mountains, said climate change has led to different precipitation patterns that is reducing the ability for the aquifer to recharge.
What future development could look like on the Campbell Ranch property remains unclear. A past proposal called for 4,000 homes, two golf courses and a hotel. However, Greer indicated that may not be what actually occurs if development moves forward.
Greer said that comments expressing opposition to development of the Campbell Ranch are too late because that decision was made about 20 years ago when the land received its zoning. He said the comments from the public saying that if development does commence, it should be done in a smart manner and cognizant of limited water supplies are too early.
“Some of the parts and pieces are not worked out,” he said.
He said the landowners are not trying to do a “development” and put lots on the land.
“I can’t raise my hand and say we’ve solved the water issues, the sewer issues,” Greer said. “Any development of this magnitude in this location is — it’s a tough thing to do economically. If it wasn’t tough … it would already be done. The ship would have sailed.”
Greer said that while the development has not moved forward yet, it will likely move forward one day.
Commissioners expressed doubts that future developers will be able to find water supplies sufficient to support development.
“I think everybody has a right to develop their property, so the next phase is on the developer to determine that and come up with some miracle of how they resolve those problems,” Commissioner Bobby Rush said.
Two state legislators representing the East Mountains — Rep. Stefani Lord and Sen. Ant Thornton, both Republicans — spoke out against the proposal during the public comment session.
Lord spoke about the community’s broad opposition to the development of the Campbell Ranch property.
“People are here because they don’t want it,” she said. “I’m here to represent them. They do not want this. I don’t know how we can get this through to your heads that they do not want it.”