Commission denies rezoning for Dalrymple Road parcel after residents cite traffic, rail and septic concerns

Doña Ana County's Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to deny a zone-change application (Z26-006) for an 8.08-acre parcel at 750 Dalrymple Road that would have allowed eight lots with fourplexes (32 units).

Staff planner Albert Casillas presented the request and recommended approval, saying the rezoning would permit 32 rental units and that water from Dof1a Ana Mutual is available while wastewater could be served by on-site NMED-approved septic systems for lots sized at roughly 0.75 acres. Casillas noted prior attempts to use the parcel for a charter school had been denied and that the zone change, if approved, would still require preliminary plat review and subdivision-level studies.

Residents who live adjacent to the site and along Dalrymple and Mayfield Lane opposed the rezoning during a lengthy public-comment period. Naomi Schmidt, a nearby resident, told the commission the proposed fourplexes would be out of context with the surrounding single-family lots and said the immediate neighborhood contains roughly "40 site-built homes" and only a few multifamily units. Several speakers focused on traffic: staff and public exchanges referenced trip-generation guidance and the possible addition of "up to 240 peak-hour trips" across the development under illustrative assumptions. Frank Cachia, who lives across the proposed access, said the added peak traffic would threaten children waiting for school buses and increase collision risk at the railroad crossing.

Public commenters also flagged wastewater and groundwater concerns. Naomi Schmidt cited a liquid-waste specialist saying 32 units would require nitrogen treatment beyond a simple septic tank; other neighbors raised water-pressure and water-rights issues tied to Dof1a Ana Mutual Water. A public-health and public-policy professor asked the commission to require railroad-noise and vibration studies, saying HUD and federal environmental guidance typically flag multifamily buildings within roughly 100'400 feet of tracks for assessment.

Applicant representative Steven Green said the conceptual layout places dwelling units more than 100 feet from the railroad centerline and that the project is not HUD-funded so HUD-specific requirements would not automatically apply. He said the rezoning would preserve 32 dwelling doors while avoiding the unaffordable sewer improvements that would be needed for a 32-lot single-family subdivision.

Commissioners cited unresolved questions on traffic management for Dalrymple (a county local road), wastewater feasibility, and the risks of siting multifamily units near a rail line. Commissioners asked whether the conceptual plan had the studies needed to demonstrate safe access and adequate infrastructure; staff replied subdivision-stage analyses (traffic modeling, drainage, rail/clearance and septic design) would be required if zoning were approved. The motion to approve the rezoning failed on a unanimous roll-call vote. The commission record shows the denial was based on the commission's judgment that current traffic, wastewater and rail-setback concerns had not been resolved.

Next steps: The denial keeps the parcel at its existing D2L designation; the applicant may revise the proposal or pursue the subdivision under existing zoning, subject to applicable sewer/wastewater and subdivision standards.