Chamisa Hills Master Plan postponed again by Rio Rancho council

RIO RANCHO — For the second time in three months, the Rio Rancho Governing Body postponed a vote on a developer’s plan to transform the old golf course into a sprawling new development during Thursday’s meeting.

The unanimous decision to wait and consider the Chamisa Hills Master Plan at the Sept. 11 meeting came at the request of city staff, who said they needed more time to review information provided by RR Mesa LLC. The entity is owned by Albuquerque-based entrepreneur Steven Chavez, who envisions a new 281-acre development with houses, a business park, a town center called the “La Joya de Rio” (Jewel of Rio Rancho) and open recreational spaces, all located at 500 Country Club Drive SE, the site of the former Rio Rancho Golf Course and Clubhouse.

District 4 Councilor Paul Wymer told the Observer following the meeting that he wishes the governing body could have had all the information needed to make a decision during Thursday’s meeting.

“But we’ll get it, and then we’ll move on down the road,” he said.

The governing body’s recent vote is just the latest setback for Chavez, who hoped during a May 8 meeting that the governing body would adopt his plan and zoning amendments to make it possible for him to build.

During the previous meeting, councilors — who did not outright disagree with transforming the former golf course — said Chavez, assisted by Albuquerque-based Consensus Planning, needed to re-examine various aspects of his plan and take more time to answer questions from the public.

Chavez had a deadline of July 11 to submit materials requested materials by the governing body, but he did not turn everything in until July 28, according to materials for the Aug. 14 governing body meeting on the city’s website.

The materials of just over 10 items included providing an update in the plan’s design for a park, an outline on how to address landscaping and pedestrian access, a property maintenance plan, crafting a finance plan for homeowners associations, and conducting community outreach.

Thursday’s postponement of consideration of the plan did not exactly come as a surprise to residents who live around the property, since they were sent letters by the city July 28 advising them of the possibility, according to meeting materials.

Michael Farrell, who previously led a petition urging the governing body to reject the plan in its initial form, expressed frustration with developers in an interview following the meeting.

“If the plan’s ready, why does it take extra chances?” said Farrell, one of five residents who declined comment on the plan during Thursday’s meeting, citing no opposition to postponement.

“At some point, the message should be, ‘If you can’t meet the requirements, you don’t get to move forward,’” Farrell said.

District 3 Councilor Bob Tyler, who warned developers during the May 8 meeting he did not want to have another continuance of the plan, said Thursday he had no comment on the governing body’s decision.

Chavez did not respond to multiple requests for comment this week.