Planning board approves controversial 'Terra Alto' plan

RIO RANCHO — The Rio Rancho Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval of a developer's revised plan that would preserve hiking and walking trails for a new Mariposa housing development.

The six-member board's recommendation of a preliminary plat for Terra Alto at Mariposa ("Mariposa East") came after Placitas-based developer ECOterra Development LLC — through its agent, Albuquerque-based Consensus Planning — withdrew its application in December to meet with residents and get their feedback on how to incorporate the existing Rim Trail and several other walking paths into the plan.

ECOterra Development officials originally went before the P&Z board on Nov. 18 to request a postponement of both agenda items until Dec. 16 to work with the community on their plan. On Dec. 16, board members withdrew the variance and plat, but no reason was provided.

On Tuesday, only the plat was up for approval. Before a decision was made, Jim Strozier, principal for Consensus Planning, made a presentation on the revisions to the project since it was proposed. 

Strozier said the trail was "inadvertently" left off the original plan, leading him and others to walk the trail and "stake the property line to determine where the trail encroached onto private property." The trail, Strozier noted, is "not for the faint of heart," and he showed board members a picture of one of his associates riding a bike along the path.

Consensus Planning then developed alternatives to the plat that included new trail easements. Strozier's organization even added land to the plat to help preserve the trail.

The group then presented the amendments to residents, who largely agreed with them, said Strozier. According to board meeting agenda materials posted on the city of Rio Rancho's website, residents who penned letters to the city before the board meeting stated that developers had made good-faith efforts to meet with them on revisions to the plat that would protect trails.

"This adjustment came at additional cost and created delays for their project, yet they proceeded with it because it was the right decision for Mariposa," Rio Rancho resident Pat Jilek wrote in a letter to the city. "Their willingness to modify plans for the benefit of the community speaks volumes about the type of developers they are."

Zach and Susan Bryan, who said they were Mariposa’s first residents, also wrote a letter to the city expressing the importance of preserving Rim Trail.

Strozier spoke to the precision of the plat amendments during his presentation.

"You can see, along that trail edge, places where the trail encroaches onto the private property; easements were created with this spot to accommodate that trail, and the actual buildable areas of the lots were pulled back from the trail, ensuring it could take place," Strozier told board members. "There are a couple of places ... where we proposed to do some minor realignment of the trail, and the community agreed with us."

One resident, Christine Keelan, who spoke at Tuesday's meeting, expressed concern over the project, namely the developer's ability to put a road and homes in that specific area of Mariposa.

"Have all of you been out to that land to see what it's like? Because it's very, very beautiful, and in Rio Rancho, there's a very big concern about keeping the terrain, and the typography as perfect as possible," Keelan told board members. "Any development there is going to hinder that."

She added she was "disappointed" about the developer's plans, "and my neighbors are, too."

Strozier responded, in part, that ECOterra Development "takes great care in siting the houses, very carefully, on those lots and working with the terrain — that's very important to the feel and what gets created with this neighborhood."

"I think we have done a really good job of addressing the relationship between the new houses, the preserve, and the trail system, as well as the surrounding homes," Strozier added.

Following his comments, board members did not discuss the plat and instead proceeded to a vote.

The plat will go to the Rio Rancho Governing Body for approval. Three Planning and Zoning members declined comment on their decision and referred inquiries to the governing body.