LAS CRUCES – The question of what to do with a contentious 16-acre parcel of land adjacent to “A” Mountain continues, with everyone from residents to school advocates weighing in.
The county’s land-use board in February denied the owners’ request to designate the land for commercial use. But now board members must decide how to classify the property, located across from Centennial High School.
The land switched from government to private hands but is temporarily in a “holding” zone classification, said Paul Pomeo, who represents the property owners in the zoning process.
After denying the commercial request, the county must now come back with appropriate designations, Pomeo said.
“Everybody, from the landowners to the public, we’re all waiting to see what the planning staff with come back with,” he said.
The property currently can’t be used for anything other than mining, which has been its purpose for 70 years, even if it were to be sold, he said.
“Right now, we’re just anticipating and looking forward to seeing what the staff recommendation is,” Pomeo said.
County Community Development Director Dan Hortert said, after consulting with the county’s legal team, that the land can essentially be classified as residential, industrial of commercial property. An individual could also purchase the property and put it “in perpetuity as a preservation district,” he said.
Ongoing debate
The land is one of the more contentious properties to come before the county in recent years, Hortert said.
Dozens of Talavera residents have written letters and attended meetings to oppose a commercial designation.
A group of school nutrition advocates also oppose a commercial classification, which would allow for fast food options to be built near Centennial.
The group has proposed a “Healthy Food Zone” around Las Cruces public schools that would limit “brick and mortar” food places nearby, said Kari Bachman, a special projects coordinator with New Mexico State University’s Cooperative Extension Service.
Instead, the group proposes local vendors bring healthier food options to campus, by way of food trucks, for example, Bachman said. The plan would promote local businesses and healthy eating, she said.
“LCPS thinks it’s a good idea,” she said.
What’s next
Now that the county has determined which zoning designations the land can hold, the hearing process essentially begins again, from gathering public input to bringing the application before the Extra-territorial Zoning Commission then the Extra-territorial Zoning Authority, which approves or denies the commission’s recommendation.
The process is essentially “starting over,” said Pam Carmody, an interested party in Doña Ana Sand & Gravel, which owns the land.
Hortert said he isn’t sure how long the process will take or when the next meeting will be.
The county has to balance both the rights of the property owners to sell or develop their land and the rights of the residents, who want the property to remain open space, Hortert said.
If the owners don’t like which classification the zoning authority recommends and eventually designates, they can reapply.
“We’re hoping what the staff comes up with is palatable to us,” Pomeo said, noting the owners are interested in a commercial designation.
A residential classification wouldn’t fit with the nearby property for academics and research owned by New Mexico State University, and an industrial designation would be “too intense,” he said.
“Ideally, what should go there is anybody’s guess,” Hortert said.
