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August 15, 2008
Placitas Planning—Review of Existing Conditions:
Retail/Commercial Development
By Stephen M. Barro
Placitas is predominantly a residential community. It has only a small amount of retail, office, and other commercial activity within its boundaries. Community residents do most of their shopping and conduct most of their other commercial transactions outside Placitas, some in nearby areas of Bernalillo and Rio Rancho and some in other parts of the Albuquerque metropolitan area (or beyond). Consequently, to assess any proposals for additional retail/commercial development in Placitas, one must begin with a review of existing conditions not only in Placitas itself but also in (at least) its immediate vicinity.
Existing Retail/Commercial Activity in Placitas
The principal retail venue in Placitas is the Homestead Shopping Center, which occupies about four acres of a 12-acre commercially zoned property, located 2.2 miles east of I-25. The center's main building and two smaller, separate buildings house a grocery (and wine) store, the Merc, and several other establishments, currently including a bank, brokerage office, real estate office, café, beauty salon, computer store, antiques store, and dentist's office.
Some other retail and commercial establishments operate in and around the historic Placitas Village center. These include a convenience store and gas station, a real estate office, perhaps some other offices, and three "light industries"—the Clear Light Cedar company, the Xitech environmental equipment company, and the Anasazi Fields winery.
Located at the western end of Placitas, close to I-25, are the La Puerta real estate agency and a Comcast Cable installation.
Also in Placitas are many businesses operating out of residences, or out of facilities sharing residential parcels. These include an internet service provider; a plant nursery; real estate agents; various providers of financial services, computer-related services, personal-care services, and home maintenance and home improvement services; and a considerable number of arts and crafts studios (there are undoubtedly many others not mentioned here).
The gravel mining operations north of NM 165 along the I-25 frontage road also need to be considered Placitas businesses for planning purposes (regardless of whether they fall within the County-defined Plan Area boundaries) because of their major impacts on traffic, air quality, and other aspects of the Placitas environment.
Former Businesses and Undeveloped Commercial Property
In addition to land occupied by active businesses, Placitas has a significant amount of undeveloped commercially zoned property and some parcels on which businesses operated in the past but are not operating currently.
Of the 12-acre commercially zoned tract that includes the Homestead Shopping Center, approximately two-thirds, or eight acres, stands vacant. The owners have offered pad sites and other portions of this property for sale or lease for almost a decade, but there have been no takers. The Center has struggled to keep its spaces rented, but there often have been vacant stores, as there are today. In particular, two restaurateurs tried to function there but both failed, and the restaurant location is now unoccupied.
To the west of the Homestead Center is a 2 or 3 acre tract on which the Placitas library is now located but that is zoned SU (special use) and could be available for commercial development after the library moves to its new quarters. Adjoining the La Puerta office and the Comcast facility are two currently undeveloped lots, totaling about 3 acres, also available for commercial use.
Along Highway 165, one mile west of the Village is a former Bed and Breakfast establishment, the Hacienda de Placitas, now used as a private residence.
Along NM 165 in Placitas Village is a building on an (??) acre site ("the Windmill") that was once a garage and then a store selling feed and other merchandise, but that now seems to serve mainly as a storage area for construction equipment. Just east of the post office a property that formerly housed an upscale restaurant seems to be unused. Across from Clear Light are undeveloped lots totaling (??) acres, zoned for commercial use.
In the aggregate, there is enough currently unused commercial land in Placitas to more than double the number of operating retail/commercial establishments or the retail/commercial square footage. Thus, the current supply of available commercial land in Placitas substantially exceeds the demand.
Nearby Retail/Commercial Development Affecting Placitas
To appreciate the realities facing current and prospective Placitas businesses, one needs to extend the review of current conditions to cover at least the immediate neighboring areas of Bernalillo and Rio Rancho—meaning mainly retail/commercial activity along NM Highways 550, 313, and 528. These areas have been the scenes of rapid recent development, some of it large-scale. Without going into detail, the following are some of the salient points affecting both the near-term and longer-term prospects for retail/commercial activity in Placitas:
- Strip development along NM 550, beginning just across I-25 from Placitas, includes several gas stations, most with attached convenience stores; numerous fast-food outlets; a Walgreen drug store; several financial institutions; three auto parts stores but only one sex shop; and a variety of other establishments. West of the Rio Grande, the Jackalope Store sells pottery, furniture, and decorative items, and the Santa Ana casino offers not only gambling but also restaurants and recreational facilities. Additional restaurants, including two upscale establishments, operate at the Santa Ana Pueblo's golf course and Tamaya resort.
- A shopping center on NM 528, a short distance south of NM 550 and about three miles from the entrance to Placitas, houses an Albertson's market, which is the only full-size supermarket near the Placitas area. The center also contains a Walgreen drugstore, banks, and a variety of other retail and service establishments. A nearby strip mall adds another half-dozen or so establishments.
- Development along NM 313 includes several long-established businesses in the center of the town of Bernalillo—gas stations, a small supermarket, a hardware store—plus several restaurants, including the Range CafĂ©, which is frequented by many Placitas residents. A few months ago, a branch of the popular Flying Star restaurant chain commenced operation on NM 313, just south of NM 550, in a new shopping center that includes as-yet-unoccupied flexible space capable of housing a dozen or so stores or offices.
- About three years ago, a Home Depot opened along NM 550, one-half mile west of the intersection with NM 528.
- Last, and perhaps most notable. a Walmart Supercenter commenced operation earlier in 2008 on NM 528, one block south of the center housing the Albertson's market. The presence of this Walmart is likely to alter sharply the market conditions facing prospective retail operators anywhere in its vicinity.
- Adjoining both the Walmart and the Home Depot are large tracts of undeveloped land designated for future retail operations. Other similarly designated undeveloped tracts exist along both NM 528 and NM 550.
Also worth noting is that many Placitas residents do significant portions of their shopping at establishments in the Albuquerque metropolitan area that have no counterparts near Placitas. These include, to cite just a few examples, the Costco stores; the Whole Foods and Trader Joe's markets; national chain stores and other stores in the Cottonwood, Coronado, and Uptown malls; and the big box stores clustered around Cottonwood and at several other Albuquerque locations.
Clearly, a major question in assessing the outlook for any new retail establishments in Placitas is whether their advantage of proximity to Placitas residents would suffice to make them competitive with the broad range of enterprises described above.
Pending and Proposed Developments
Several developers have submitted proposals to rezone and develop blocks of land under their control that, if implemented, would add significantly to the stock of land available for retail/commercial purposes in and adjoining Placitas.
In April 2008, the owners of an undeveloped 103 acre tract known as the Cashwell property, in the center of Placitas, five miles east of I-25, submitted an application to rezone that land from rural residential/agricultural (RRA) to master-planned district (MP). They propose a mixed-use development, about 17 acres of which would be designated for retail/commercial purposes and 5 additional acres for nonprofit and community services. No specifics have been offered as to what types of establishments would be included in, or excluded from, the development. In the face of strong community opposition, the Sandoval county Planning and Zoning Commission agreed in May to defer a decision until December 2008, by which time they expect to have before them a completed Area Plan for Placitas.
Meanwhile, the Town of Bernalillo has taken action with respect to at least three different developer-initiated proposals to annex tracts of land east of I-25, at least some of which have been considered parts of Placitas, and to designate those tracts, wholly or in part, for retail/commercial development:
In July 2007, the Bernalillo Town council approved the annexation of a 157 acre property, named Sole Toscano, located along the I-25 frontage road north of NM 165. The town's Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission has given preliminary approval to a proposed 145 lot subdivision, to include both residential and commercial development, but has deferred final approval pending the submission of plans for extending water and sewer lines across I-25.
In May 2008, the Bernalillo P&Z Commission considered, but tabled, an application to annex and rezone another 217 acre tract, the Petroglyph Trails subdivision, also along the I-25 frontage road north of NM 165. That application, submitted by developer Tom Ashe, requests SU zoning for a 134 lot project that would include a mix of retail, office, other commercial, and residential (townhouse) development. One reason for tabling the proposal is, apparently, that legal clarification is needed as to what the SU classification allows.
Most recently, at the end of July 2008, the Bernalillo P&Z Department placed before the town council a proposed ordinance that would simultaneously annex and rezone to SU an undeveloped 27 acre tract at the entrance to Placitas, bordered by NM 165 and the northbound off-ramp from I-25. This proposed development would be wholly commercial, consisting of a mix of retail and office space, with the offices housed in three-story buildings. The proposed development would include a supermarket, several restaurants, other retail stores, and about 1,000 parking spaces. After raising numerous questions about the development itself and the proposed fast-track enactment of the ordinance, the council voted to defer action to an unspecified future date.
The proposed Cashwell development alone would add to the stock of commercially zoned property in Placitas an amount of land greater than the total acreage now used for retail and other commercial activity. If we add together this proposed new commercial land and the land already zoned commercial but unused, that sum would be large enough to accommodate somewhere between a tripling and a quadrupling of retail/commercial activity in our community.
But the magnitude of the Cashwell development would be miniscule compared with what will occur along the western border of Placitas if and when the various Town of Bernalillo annexations and development initiatives are implemented. Retail and other commercial enterprises of a scale not now found within several miles of Placitas will be operating in close proximity to Placitas residential subdivisions. And, as a not-so-minor side-effect, some large pieces of land that had hitherto been thought of as parts of Placitas will have been permanently incorporated into Bernalillo town.
An interesting question is whether, as new shopping centers open for business along I-25, the proposed retail portion of the Cashwell development would have to be abandoned as economically hopeless (even if the rezoning application were approved), and, for that matter, whether some currently operating Placitas retail establishments would become noncompetitive and wither away. That question, however, is obviously well beyond the scope of an "existing conditions" review, so it will have to be taken up at a later stage of the planning process.
Existing Conditions Bureau of Land Management Land
By Sandy Johnson
Like incorporated municipalities and villages, Placitas too needs to be concerned with the planning, zoning, and usage of the land surrounding it. New Mexico State Law allows a town or village to weigh in and influence the planning and zoning that occurs within 3 miles of its borders. These existing conditions cover the BLM Unit 5 land abutting Placitas and as such are existing conditions that must be considered while planning the future growth and expansion of Placitas.
Placitas is a rural community and its current zoning reflects that. It is surrounded on the north by 5,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management administered land. To the east there are Forest Service Lands. The BLM lands of Placitas are Unit 5 of the Rio Puerco District defined as allotment 00971 and 00972 and make up one percent of the total Rio Puerco District. The entire Rio Puerco BLM district is currently undergoing a 4 year Resource Management Plan that will govern how the land is used for the next 20 plus years.
Dramatic population increases in Placitas, the Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and East Mountain community has resulted in more demand for public recreation. Because Unit 5 is close to urban centers, surrounded by residential areas it is currently an urban oasis for recreation preserved in its natural state. It provides a scarce recreation resource and buffer from commercial and residential development. Placitans utilize it daily and it is what makes Placitas significantly different from Rio Rancho.
Several hundred Placitas homes abut BLM lands and more than half of the 2,300 homes in Placitas have a viewshed of the BLM lands. Unit 5 is of scenic value to residents; the views were reflected in the prices paid for Placitas homes. They have monetary value as well as intrinsic value.
The Las Huertas Creek Watershed in Unit 5 is a natural system for wildlife migration connecting the Sandias to the Jemez Mountains. The NM Wilderness Alliance declares it an important link to the wildlife habitat preservation work being done in the Ortiz Mountains and Glorieta Mesa and Galesito Basin.
BLM Unit 5 is home to surprising variety of migrating wildlife and birds including bobcat, great horned owls, mountain lions, deer, fox, and wild horses as declared and protected by New Mexico State law. BLM consultant environmental studies confirmed deer on the BLM in October 2007. The local Placitas Wildlife Corridors organization is tracking migration paths with statewide and national conservation groups to document the key role it plays in keeping the surrounding mountain wildlife genetically viable.
The Unit 5 BLM land has national significance. It lies in the path of the Continental Mega Linkages called the Spine of the Continent that has been developed over the past 20 plus years to link areas of wildlife migration together. National parks and private lands along the entire stretch of the Rockies are linked from Alaska to Mexico. The only major break in that spine is here at the Sandia Mountains.
Only the 540 acres of Albuquerque Open Space behind La Mesa and parts of Los Ranchos is restricted to quiet recreation. BLM Unit 5 is currently open to ATV traffic and motorized recreation can be legally practiced there including areas immediately behind Placitas homes.
Per an Open Records Request it has become known that Sandoval County made a written request to the BLM in April of 2007 for land to construct an east-west county road from the I25 frontage road to northeast Placitas and to State Route 14. That proposed east-west road also appears in the 2007 Sandoval County Annual Development Report.
According to the county’s initial request, an additional road in and out of Placitas was needed to supply Placitas emergency needs. Bud Brinkerhof, our Placitas Fire Chief, does not substantiate that need and the Sandoval County Attorney concurred with the Fire Chief, but does states that both the Town of Bernalillo and the BLM are pushing for this road.
The proposed east-west road would not only cross BLM lands, but would cross through north eastern Placitas and as such is an existing condition for Placitas to consider.
700 Placitans as well as the Placitas Chamber of Commerce have provided written statements to the BLM in the RMP Process opposing any east-west road through the BLM into Placitas.
The National Scenic By-Ways Turquoise Trail trust based in communities on the east side of the Sandias also opposes any east-west road connecting Highway 14 to I25. Their major concern besides the roads commercial potential that disrupts their rural life style is the lack of ability to enforce truck size weight limits. They fear WIPP trucks would use the road to bypass Albuquerque, and they like Placitas have volunteer fire departments.
The Placitas BLM Unit 5 has active gravel mining, 50 acre, 5 story deep, closed, dirt filled gravel mine, miles of rock conveying equipment, a rock crushing operation, miles of LP, compressed gas, and carbon dioxide pipelines, and a 20 acre electric substation.
The Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and Homeland Security have proposed a 3,500 foot wide West Wide Energy Corridor for the BLM Lands in Placitas/Unit 5 this would also leave the BLM lands and run through private property in Eastern Placitas. The Sandoval county Manager has made two trips to Washington to oppose the corridor from running through the BLM lands in Placitas.
BLM Unit 5 and Placitas is crisscrossed with pipelines. Disused, deteriorating pipelines have not been removed. Types and amounts of residual material in disused pipelines have not been adequately disclosed to residents. Additional road, commercial or residential development is dangerous to residents and the region. Placitas is protected by a volunteer fire department.
Requests have been filed with the BLM to mine the entire north side of the Las Huertas Creek Watershed. The New Mexico Environment Department Air Quality Bureau in 2003 Concluded and recommended:
- Permits for sand and gravel mines that propose locating in areas unsuited for mining be denied. Gravel mining should not be allowed to operate near Native American “sacred sites,” residential neighborhoods, historic rural communities, or in areas where the resulting “scar” will ruin a scenic viewshed.
- Mines should not be responsible for their own air quality testing.
- Dust from the local mines blows over the residential areas of Placitas. Crystalline silica found in gravel and sand gets suspended in the air when mined and can become embedded in the lungs.
Unit 5 BLM includes sacred sites, surrounds Placitas residential neighborhoods and a historic rural community village.
Unit 5 mining uses scarce Placitas ground water. Mines are required to wash some materials on site and control dust, using millions of gallons of scarce groundwater to perform these tasks. While dust control is necessary, the use of scarce potable water for dust suppression must be weighed against the increasing demands of domestic water use. The New Mexico State Engineer's Office is supposed to regulate all groundwater development; most aggregate and stone mines develop and use water wells with little or no oversight from the state. The actual amount of water used by such mines is unknown because it’s unmetered.
Sandoval County has varying regulatory mechanisms that provide application and review procedures for mining operations. The standards for review compliance according to the state, however, are weak or vague, or the review process is confusing, which is not in the public interest.
PLACITAS EXISTING CONDITION CATEGORIES
By Stephen M. Barro
The initial stage of the County’s planning process is to gather data on existing conditions, which the County will present at its initial public meetings. From this will come identification of goals and means to achieve the goals in the final Area Plan. We can contribute to this stage of the process by collecting data on what we consider the Placitas Existing Conditions to be. This will in some cases duplicate the data collected by the County, but in others supplement and correct those data. Below is a comprehensive list of Existing Condition categories/topics. We need volunteers to work on each of them. Please contact info@oneplacitas.com.
Overview of Placitas Land Use
Amounts of private and public, developed and undeveloped, and platted and unplatted land; size and location of large undeveloped tracts; composition of land by use and zoning; extent of land grant and acequia areas
Placitas Housing
Housing by type of structure (single- or multi-family, attached or detached, or mobile home), size, age, conforming or not; proposals for higher-density or multi-unit housing
Commercial Activity and Commercial Real Estate
Types (including cottage industries), amounts, and locations of commercial activity; unused and formerly used commercially zoned land; proposals for designating additional land for commercial use
Water Supply
Availability and quality; present and prospective problem areas; findings of recent water studies [should cover developments in neighboring areas that affect Placitas water supply]
Drainage and Flood Control
Roads and Transportation
Road capacity, road maintenance, traffic enforcement, public transportation (present nonavailability, and existing County proposals that could extend to Placitas) [Should cover problems at the I-25/NM 165 interchange, entrance to the Placitas Area; also problems along the I-25 frontage road, including gravel truck traffic]
Police, Fire, and EMS Services
Quality and response time; adequacy of facilities, equipment, training; relations between Placitas Volunteer Fire Department and neighboring providers
Social Services
Services for seniors, family services
Environmental Quality and Environmental Problems
[Important to cover problems originating outside Placitas—e.g., air pollution from gravel mining]
Waste Disposal
[Relevance not clear because most service is privately provided, just like other utilities; but Placitas recycling should be covered]
Agricultural Activity
Placitas Village, Land Grant Areas, Acequias
Preservation and protection; special land use issues; relationships with land grant and acequia governance bodies
Public and Community Facilities
[Include nongovernment facilities, such as the Presbyterian church]
Open Space/Recreation – Presently existing and proposals for expansion
[Include areas adjoining Placitas—e.g., BLM and Forest Service land]
Music, Art, Culture, Library
Architectural Styles/Residential and Nonresidential
Historic/Cultural Places and Sites
Interaction with the Town of Bernalillo
Annexation, traffic, public services, zoning and platting, building inspections
Interaction with Surrounding Federal Lands
BLM (land use, mining, open space, recreation); National Forest land
Related Documents:
Comp Plan Template Click here to view a PDF document. This Comp Plan Template was written as an advisory for local governments.
Profile of General Demographic Characteristics (for Placitas): 2000
PDF document (40K)
Links to Sandoval County Existing Conditions documents:
www.sandovalcounty.com/uploadfiles/placitashistoricalbackground.pdf
www.sandovalcounty.com/uploadfiles/populationconditions2.pdf
www.sandovalcounty.com/uploadfiles/transportationconditions.pdf
www.sandovalcounty.com/uploadfiles/transportationmap.pdf
US Census Bureau list of Existing Condition Categories
Thanks to John Valdez for the following information.
The US Census bureau has published a list of Existing Condition categories that are typically used in planning projects:
Population – what are some of the current population trends in the community
- Existing population count
- Historic population trends
- Prediction of future population trends
Existing Economic Base – what is the economic structure of the community? Are there any businesses or industries in the community?
- Employers
- Retail Market
- Any industry/tax base in the community
- Businesses (this is where the business data contained in your attachment can go)
- Employment by industry
Demographics/Socioeconomics – summarize the population characteristics of the community
- Age structure
- Income
- Commuting times to work
Community Facilities/Services in the community
- School District/Schools
- Community Centers or proximity to this service
- Parks/Recreational Facilities
Transportation
- Description of the current transportation network serving the community
Infrastructure and Services – who currently provides services to the community residents
- Water source
- Water providers
- Waste disposal services
- Telecommunications
- Internet services
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