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Planning board rejects Tampico master plan, zone map and specific‑area‑plan amendments after resident opposition
Summary
The Planning and Zoning Board voted down a specific area plan amendment, a proposed Tampico master plan and a zone map amendment for roughly 26 acres near State Highway 528 after extended public comment raising traffic, drainage, road condition and neighborhood character concerns.
The Rio Rancho Planning and Zoning Board voted July 8 to deny a package of land‑use changes proposed by Tampico Development LLC, including removal of properties from two specific area plans, adoption of a Tampico master plan and a zone map amendment to change roughly 26 acres from SU (special use/C1 commercial) to R4 residential.
Ben Isaacs, municipal planner with the city, presented staff’s recommendation to the board, noting staff had earlier recommended approval but the board and public raised substantial concerns. The applicant, represented by Nikosha Shuttlebauer, said the 26‑acre site near State Highway 528 had been stagnant under earlier area plans and that a master plan and R4 zoning would provide a residential buffer between future commercial frontage and existing homes to the south.
More than a dozen residents spoke in opposition at the hearing and online. Concerns focused on increased traffic using unimproved dirt roads (Aurora, Nogales, Vatapa and others), drainage and flood risk in arroyos, the scale and density of 118 proposed homes, impacts on school capacity and property values, and loss of the rural character many residents moved to the area to preserve. Several speakers asked the board to require that a traffic study and SCAFCA (regional flood control authority) drainage approvals be completed before any master‑plan or rezoning action.
Board members expressed sympathy for neighbors’ concerns about roads and drainage. Commissioner comments also noted the site already carries commercial designation along 528 and that commercial development could generate far more traffic than the residential plan. After discussion, the board voted down the specific area plan amendment (item 7), the Tampico master plan (item 8) and the related zone map amendment (item 9). The roll‑call votes recorded multiple "no" votes and resulted in failure of all three items.
The applicant and staff said technical studies — including a traffic generation report and a formal traffic‑impact analysis — will be required prior to any final plat approval if the project is revived. The board’s votes mean the applicant would need to revisit the package before returning to the governing body for future consideration.
