By Connor Currier
The Town of Edgewood will permit the water utility company EPCOR to rezone two of its properties.
The town commission voted 4-0 Tuesday to approve two of EPCOR’s requests during a quasi-judicial hearing. Stephen Murillo was the only commissioner not present during the hearings.
“Our future plans are to maintain the existing storage tanks,” said Thomas Torres, the agent representing EPCOR. “What we did was we separated two properties so they can each be secured.”
The quasi-judicial hearing focused on approving EPCOR’s request for a Special Use Zone. EPCOR, will now be able to operate its water utility facilities under the proper zoning label instead of using a residential zoning classification.
Commissioner Ken Brennan said he supports the reclassification of the parcels, but reminds the public that this request does not approve any new constructions.
“With the water tanks there, it should be designated for special use. But this does not give anybody the authority to build anything yet, that’s an entirely different process,” Brennan said.
Since R-1 zones are only for single-family residential use, they prohibit any kind of industrial or heavy commercial use. The vote to approve these rezoning requests has changed the previous R-1 (residential) zoning to a Special Use (SU) zone.
Edgewood Town Manager Nina McCracken says she agrees with approving a rezoning ordinance for both properties.
”If they’re looking to move their water tanks, or to be able to really operate as a utility, the special use would be the better zoning for them,” said McCracken.
The commission went over pre-existing zoning Ordinance 2024-017, Section 24, which established the criteria for approving any kind of “Special Use Zone”, and came to the conclusion that it would be in the best interest of the town to approve the SU rezoning request.
“It’s our position that what we’re doing is securing two vital utilities for the community, separate from each other,” Torres said.
The former R-1 zoning lands are now an SU Zone, and both parcels are located within Edgewood’s boundaries in Santa Fe County:
- 22 Hope Ct., Tract A, totaling 0.377 acres (Parcel #99312766)
- Tract B, an unassigned address, totaling 0.617 acres (Parcel #91001593
