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County balances lighting and shade needs in Chaparral trail design
Summary
Doña Ana County staff said overhead power lines and maintenance concerns prevent planting shade trees along parts of McCombs Road and proposed native low-water plants and shading structures; lighting will be limited to intersections initially to preserve rural character while addressing safety.
County staff described design trade-offs forced by existing utilities and maintenance considerations. Sabrina Schrader said community input favored shade trees, but on McCombs Road "due to the design constraints with overhead power lines and potential maintenance risks, we could not include those on McCombs Road." The team proposed native low-water plants and alternative shade structures for that corridor.
On lighting, Schrader said safety concerns led some participants to request vehicle-scale lighting along roads, while others favored preserving Chaparral's rural dark-sky character. As a compromise, staff proposed vehicle-scale lighting at intersections only so the community can gauge the improvements before deciding whether to add more lighting elsewhere.
