Rio Rancho planning board recommends Chamisa Hills master plan and zoning changes, with conditions and amendments

RIO RANCHO, N.M. — The City of Rio Rancho Planning and Zoning Board on April 8 voted to recommend approval of the Chamisa Hills master plan and an associated zone map amendment for the roughly 281-acre former Chamisa Hills Country Club property, subject to amendments the board added during the meeting. The board’s action sends the items to the governing body for final consideration in May.

The master plan, submitted by RR Mesa LLC and presented by Consensus Planning principal Jim Strozier, would convert the closed golf course into a mix of single-family neighborhoods, townhomes, a central mixed-use town center and two commercial parcels. The plan identifies several development areas — a 74-acre Luxeview Estates with about 110 lots; three R-3 neighborhoods (Sierra Vista, Vida Moderna and Nueva Esperanza) with 38, 70 and 84 units respectively; a roughly 62-acre Eastview Heights open-space area; a 17-acre mixed-use town center (La Jolla De Rio Rancho); and a 6-acre Chamisa Hills Business Park. The applicant proposes a five-year financial guarantee in the form of a bond, capped at $400,000, for certain open-space trail and landscape improvements.

Why it matters: The site is a large centrally located parcel abutting long-established neighborhoods. Residents at the hearing raised concerns about mailed notice, trail and park funding, long-term ownership and maintenance of open space, traffic and emergency access, stormwater and pond remediation, and potential property value impacts. Several affected homeowners asked the board to require clearer, enforceable commitments before sending the plan on for final approval.

Staff and applicant presentations

Michelle Castillo, planner with the City of Rio Rancho, told the board staff found the proposed densities compatible with surrounding development but flagged open space, park dedication, access and long-term governance as key issues staff recommends be addressed in the ordinance and red-line edits to the master plan. Castillo said an environmental site assessment will be required for each development phase. “Staff finds that the dedication and future ownership of this area remains uncertain,” she said, summarizing staff concerns.

Jim Strozier, representing the applicant, described the master plan as an aspirational framework aligned to the city comprehensive plan. “The master plan establishes a framework and is an aspirational document,” Strozier said, adding that the town center is intended as a low-speed, on-street parking area centered on a public plaza and that most neighborhood open space would be implemented as each neighborhood develops.

Strozier and the project team told the board they are exploring funding tools, including a public improvement district (PID) that, if formed, would apply to new parcels in the project rather than to existing homeowners.

Public comment and community concerns

More than three dozen residents spoke, most in opposition. Common concerns included late or incorrect mailed notice, the sufficiency of the proposed $400,000 bond for open-space improvements, the lack of a guaranteed long-term owner for the Eastview Heights open space, traffic and school capacity, emergency access width and load-bearing concerns, pond remediation and state approvals, and potential impacts on property values.

Thomas Wright, a District 4 resident and member of the Enclave Rio Rancho board, told the board, “We were not as property owners, we were not notified in a timely fashion on this meeting.” Several speakers said they had not received the mailed notices the city described in its presentation and asked that notice practices be reviewed.

Multiple neighborhood leaders and HOA representatives asked that the master plan and ordinance explicitly codify the open-space areas intended to remain undeveloped and provide enforceable, funded mechanisms for long-term maintenance. One commenter said staff had already flagged the $400,000 figure as possibly inadequate.

Board discussion, amendments and motions

Board members discussed a range of resident concerns and technical requirements staff would enforce at the plat and site-plan stages (drainage approvals, traffic analysis, utility sign-off, fire-department plan review and state review of pond remediation). Several commissioners emphasized that a master plan is an advisory land-use framework and that many technical details would be addressed later in engineering and plat review.

During deliberations the board asked the applicant and staff to clarify zoning and private covenant commitments that had been discussed in prior negotiations. The board voted to amend the draft ordinance to require that one of the residential areas planned for the former West 9 be developed to R-1 standards (single-story, specified lot widths, a 65-foot perimeter buffer and a single entrance off Broadmoor) and that the Vida Moderna area be developed to R-2 standards with single-story limits as discussed at the hearing. The board then voted to recommend approval of the master plan and, separately, to recommend approval of the zone map amendment as amended.

Actions/votes at the meeting

- The board voted to recommend approval of the Chamisa Hills master plan to the governing body. The motion was made and seconded during the April 8 meeting and the board recorded votes in favor, with two members recused from these items because of property interests. The board added detailed conditions about buffers, single-story limits, and ownership/governance requirements before forwarding the plan.

- The board separately voted to amend the draft zoning ordinance language to codify the specific development standards for the West 9 portion (R-1 single-story standards, a 65-foot buffer and single Broadmoor access) and the Vida Moderna portion (R-2 standards, single story as discussed). That amendment passed.

- The board voted to recommend approval of the zone map amendment as amended and forward it to the governing body for final action on May 8.

What’s next

The Planning and Zoning Board’s recommendation is advisory; the governing body will make the final decision when it reviews the items at a May meeting. If approved, the master plan and zoning ordinance will become binding on future plats and site plans; those subsequent submittals will still require detailed engineering review (drainage, traffic, utilities, fire access) and any state approvals needed for pond remediation.

Key clarifications captured at the meeting

- The applicant stated a proposed PID would apply only to new development areas, not to existing homeowners. - The applicant and staff said the $400,000 bond is intended as a five-year financial guarantee and could be supplemented by grants or other funding; staff noted that figure may not cover all long-term maintenance and that a permanently funded ownership solution or HOA structure would be required before final plat approvals. - State and regional agencies retain authority over pond remediation and stormwater approvals, and the New Mexico Environment Department and Sandoval County Flood Authority reviews are required for work on the ponds and drainage features.

Reporting notes: The board’s action documented in its roll calls and meeting packet will be transmitted to the governing body. The board heard extensive oral and written public comment prior to voting and identified amendments staff will include in the agenda memorandum to the governing body.