From the Mountain View Telegraph

Water Line Annex Halted

7-14-08 Letter from Paul Risso NMWSCo.

PRC. Order Rescheduling Pre-Hearing Conference (7-30-08) (W0848669).PDF

PRC. Motion to Reschedule Pre-Hearing Conference (Endorsed) (W0848659).PDF

Recent Changes in the Regulatory Cases Involving our Water company

Petition for Declaratory Order  pdf file.

nmwsc/PRC. Affidavit of Paul Risso (W0834716).PDF

nmwsc/PRC. Brief in Support of Petition for Declaratory Order (W0834827).PDF

nmwsc/PRC. Exhibit A to Brief (W0834725).PDF

nmwsc/PRC. Exhibit B to Brief (W0834722).PDF

nmwsc/PRC. Exhibit C to Brief (W0834719).PDF

nmwsc/PRC. Exhibit D to Brief (W0834717).PDF

nmwsc/PRC. Petition for Declaratory Order (08-00177-UT) (W0834838).PDF

APPEAL OF P & Z APPROVAL OF
PRELIMINARY PLATS FOR

CAMPBELL RANCH, SU-2007-11 AND SU-2007-12

click Here (PDF file)

What IS SKNA Doing to Protect Our Water?

The Campbell Ranch-Edgewood Story

February 2008

click Here (PDF file)

Here is a large document containing the Hearing Examiners Decision.

PDF File (Large Download) Here

More information:  The PRC's decision regarding Surplus water rights here in the Knolls.

PDF file with the ruling, click Here

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Phase One of Campbell Ranch OK'd

By Lee Ross
Mountain View Telegraph
    The first 92-home section of the Campbell Ranch development was approved by the Edgewood Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday night.
    Opposition is being expressed by neighboring residents, however, and possible legal hurdles have cropped up.
    After considerable discussion and a 10-minute closed session, a preliminary plat for the roughly 45-acre section on the southern part of Campbell Ranch was approved unanimously.
    Campbell Ranch is an 8,000-acre master-planned community east of N.M. 14 and north of Frost Road. The area was annexed by the town of Edgewood in 2001.
    About 30 people attended the meeting, including Edgewood Mayor Howard Calkins, Town Councilor Glenn Felton and state Rep. Kathy McCoy.
    Sheldon Greer of GND Engineering presented the plat.
    The proposed water supply for the development was one of the more contentious issues discussed, and it is still unresolved.
    Campbell Corp.'s current plan is to use water from a system in Sandia Knolls, which is served by New Mexico American Water Service Company, or NMAWSC.
    The system has enough excess water to serve up to 750 residential units in Campbell Ranch, according to a letter signed by Paul Risso, NMAWSC general manager.
    That claim was disputed by Janet Winchester-Silbaugh, a representative of the Sandia Knolls Neighborhood Association, who also said it is not certain the water company will pass the legal process necessary to provide that water.
    "We dispute NMAWSC's capability to serve the development until certain conditions are met," she said to the commission, reading from a letter.
    Before NMAWSC can supply water to Campbell Ranch, it must ask the PRC to overturn a 2006 ruling that declared there are no excess water rights for the system serving Sandia Knolls, she said.
    The Office of the State Engineer also must agree to designate Campbell Ranch as a place of use for the system, which may not be a simple matter, according to some Sandia Knolls residents.
    "It will be years before this is settled," McCoy, R-Cedar Crest, said in an interview during the planning commission's closed session. McCoy, who lives in Sandia Knolls, attended the meeting but did not comment publicly.
    She added that the original ruling by the PRC came at great expense to the neighborhood.
    "We expended thousands of dollars so that water rights would stay in our system," she said. "We thought this was done."
    Risso, who was on hand to answer questions after the meeting, had a different take. He said he thought it would take from six months to a year and a half to resolve the water issue. He did mention, however, that if the issue is challenged by Sandia Knolls residents it may take longer.
    His company recently took over the water system, Risso said, and has made a number of improvements over the last six months including fixing several leaks.
    In fact, the work was praised by several Sandia Knolls residents who came to Monday's meeting to protest the proposal to supply water supply to Campbell Ranch.
    Risso said he was pleased with the turnout, and even the protests. He said he would prefer for Sandia Knolls residents to have the opportunity to influence the outcome and be informed of the issues.
    "I'd much rather have everybody here from day one," he said.
    Another hurdle the development still faces is its Public Improvement District (PID).
    The PID is Campbell's proposed method of providing services such as fire protection, emergency medical and animal control services, and infrastructure such as water and electricity to the area. It also protects Edgewood from a legal obligation to provide those services.
    David Henderson, who was Edgewood's attorney from 2002 until earlier this year and has worked on the PID for a number of years, attended the meeting as an adviser to the commission.
    Henderson said he'd seen a draft of the PID agreement between Campbell Corp. and Bernalillo County, but it is not yet finalized. He explained that the lots cannot be sold until the agreement is finalized.
    "I think (approving the plat) would turn the heat up on the PID pot," he said.
    Along with the PID and water, Greer discussed several other issues the proposed development has addressed or is working on.
    Grading and drainage, traffic studies, required traffic mitigation and sewer treatment were discussed, but none of these issues created much of a stir.
    Initially the subdivision will use a lagoon system for wastewater treatment, which generally involves a combination of septic tanks and a holding pond, or lagoon, rather than a drain field.
    The system is the first part of a staged investment ending in a sewer treatment plant, Greer said.
    After the planning commission's closed session, all members affirmed under oath that they had not discussed how they would vote regarding the proposed development.
    In his motion to approve the plat, Commissioner Rey Fulwiler stipulated that approval was contingent upon the town's development agreement (which includes language about the PID) as well as all state statutes and local ordinances, and that water issues be cleared through the PRC and State Engineer.
    The decision to approve was unanimous.
    After the meeting Campbell Corp. president Robert Gately, who also attended, said he felt the review process went well.
    He also said the planned community will be something of a legacy for the Campbell family.
    "I think generally people are now starting to believe that we have a strong commitment to quality," he said.

Sandia Knolls Neighborhood Association

Our Summary of Campbell Ranch’s Plans

Based on a Public meeting December 11, 2007

 I thought you all might to know what is planned for Campbell Ranch, so I wrote this summary of a public meeting that was held last night.  The meeting was held at East Mountain High School, December 11, 2007.  There were perhaps 50 people attending the meeting, of whom 5 or so were from the Knolls.  (Thanks to those of you who attended.)  This information is from my hand-written notes (and sometimes the lights were out, making writing interesting), and I apologize in advance if my notes are not perfect. 

                        Janet Winchester-Silbaugh

 The meeting was largely run by Jim Lindeman, the Development Director of Campbell Corporation.  Robert Gately, President and a representative of Smith Engineering were also at the meeting.

The town of Edgewood has approved the Campbell Ranch Master Plan, which represents the first phase of what will be the largest master-planned community in New Mexico, eventually encompassing an area in excess of 28,000 acres.

The Campbell Ranch Master Plan envisions a mountain community of 4,023 homes, two golf courses, a resort, and commercial areas on 8,046 acres. Roughly 50% of this land will be held as open space, including nearly 3,000 acres of Monte Largo, a mountain range that the Campbell Farming Corporation, and an additional 900 acres of South Mountain.

 Campbell plans 4 villages:

• village 1, west of East Mountain High School,

• village 2 east of Highway 14, between La Madera Road and the first Paako entrance,

• village 3, about where the trailer is east of Highway 14, and

• village 4, north along Highway 14. 

 Campbell wants to begin work on village 2 in 2008, including 92 home sites and the commercial area, out of the total of 1400 home sites “entitled” for village 2.  Many homes may cost in the $300,000-$400,000 range and will be bound by design guidelines. 

Each village will have a high concentration of housing in the center, radiating out to areas of lower density at the edges.  Each village will also incorporate open space at the edges.   Campbell has tried hard to maintain the look of open space along Highway 14 with set-backs and open space along roads.    

 Each village will have a “village green”, a commercial area.  The largest commercial area, about 30 acres, will be part of village 2.  The commercial areas will include things like a grocery store, and other commercial services needed by a community of this size.

 The maps showed 2 golf courses, a 9-hole course near village 2 and a second course near village 3.  It shows Monte Largo and South Mountain as open space, as well as the riparian area along San Pedro Creek. 

 The audience asked numerous questions, and the answers below are what I heard from the answers. 

 Where will water come from?  Campbell is working on a combination of off-site and on-site water.  They believe they already have adequate water on-site for the first phase of development (not clear if this was the first 92 home or village 2).  They have a letter from New Mexico Water Resources concerning using some of the current Sandia Knolls water to support part of the frist phase of development.  It was not clear how many acre feet they were talking about.  They said that New Mexico Water Resources would be having a meeting soon to explain what the agreement entails.  No representative of New Mexico Water Resources was present at the meeting. 

Campbell said they have two wells: an old agricultural well, which was used starting in 1941 for winter wheat, carrots and cattle.  They did not answer the question of how much water was used or the size of the acreage farmed or number of cattle.  The second well is a test well drilled in the summer of 2007 near the south end of the property.  They said this well had a 1000-foot column of water and pumped 1000 acres a minute (if I understood correctly).  They are just now evaluating the effect of pumping on nearby wells. 

 Campbell did not say how much water they would be using in the long run, but that the rule of thumb for residential use is ¼ acre-feet per housing unit. 

 Will lots be sold to builders or individuals?  Campbell is working with a number of (unnamed) builders who will build sections of homes.  Quality standards are included in the master plan.  There are design guidelines (although it is not clear what is in these guidelines).

 Will all roads come onto Highway 14, or will some tie in to the east?  All roads will go into Highway 14, although there may also be development on the east side of Monte Largo (undefined at this point).

 Where will services come from?   Campbell is negotiating with Bernalillo County for services such as fire, EMT, police and animal control. 

 Utilities and Turquoise Trail.  Many of the power lines may be underground.  The utility lines that already serve San Pedro Creek overlook are already big enough to serve Campbell Ranch, because they were anticipated when those lines were laid.  Campbell will soon begin talking to PNM about electrical power. 

 What farming was done using the agricultural well?  Acres, location, years of operation, etc.  Campbell said they farmed winter wheat, carrots, cattle, starting in 1941 but said they would look into the location, number of acres, and years farmed. 

 How big is the village 2 commercial area?  31 acres, along Highway 14.  Village 2 has by far the largest commercial area.  Campbell said they would control the commercial area and there would not be 40-feet tall MacDonalds signs, a Costco or K-Mart.  The Master Plan indicates drive-thru’s, but Campbell said they do not anticipate this type of commercial business.  Village 1 has 10 acres of commercial space.  Village 4 has almost none. 

 Why did Campbell seek annexation to Edgewood?  Campbell said it annexed to Edgewood because Bernalillo County did not have a process to approve a master plan, but only had subdivision process.   This seemed to mean that Bernalillo county expected Campbell to define many things in greater detail at the beginning of the process, rather than letting the process evolve.  Edgewood had a master plan process, though it was fairly new.    

 Will there be height restrictions?  Yes, the master plan has height restrictions.

 Will there be buffers between Campbell and other properties?  Yes, there will be a visual buffer open space along Highway 14, which may be 150 to 300 feet wide.  Robert Gately stated that he would use 500 feet buffers if needed.  There will be a buffer between Campbell and Sandia Knolls.  Housing density along the southern border will be 1.4 housing units per acre. 

 San Pedro Creek and the wild horse herd.  Campbell will maintain historic flow patterns in San Pedro Creek.  They are working on the issue of how to handle the wild herd of horses.