Doing the right thing for the wrong reasons?

I have had some interesting feedback on the MAP decode post. 

• First, a disclaimer: I will benefit if/when this project comes to fruition. So factor that into your analysis of this and yesterday’s posts. However, I am not holding my breath on a hard surface for Horton from Venus to Frost getting done anytime soon. (See also Church Road.)
• Horton Road has long been identified as a priority north-south road which, if paved, could serve two purposes: relieve congestion on NM 344, and act as an alternate evacuation route if 344 were to be blocked in an emergency situation.  
• One person asked how many trips per day (TPD) have been measured on different points along Horton, or even if it has been measured at all. I don’t recall hearing this mentioned. 
• Another reader confirmed that Horton traffic has been measured, but that it did not meet the threshold established as > 250 TPD. 
• There are other roads in other parts of town which probably exceed traffic on Horton, and could serve the same beneficial purposes for those areas. Were they given consideration? 
• Mayor Brennan painted a very optimistic picture of the prospects for funding. I wonder how much he understands the way MAP funding works in the real world? 
• Brennan lives near Horton, and improving it was a campaign promise. Instead of campaigning for a state office last year, perhaps he should have put in more time on this project.   
• Has the town identified any funding sources other than MAP and the “in-kind” services described by Brennan?  
• If safety considerations are so urgent, then what remedial measures is the town prepared to take while the work is in progress?
• The Clerk polling Commissioners individually via-email avoids the pitfalls of a rolling quorum, but that exigency does not substitute for full and open discussion of all the available options. 
• Once again, Commissioner Anaya was absent and so we didn't hear from him.

I don’t have a problem with the unanimous vote to apply for MAP funding to improve Horton; it’s not a bad choice. I do have a problem with the Commission’s failure to get the item on the agenda well in advance of the deadline, and the failure to discuss all the options out in the open. This is yet another instance of the transparency talk/walk not lining up. 

Stone Mountain Estates: Clearing out an old "zombie" approval

The Planning & Zoning agenda for September 8, 2022 features an application for a zone change for a proposed development called Stone Mountain Estates. The land was annexed on June 20, 2007,  but in the matter of zoning for the parcel, the council was unable to reach agreement. There had been an earlier attempt to annex and zone the property, but the hearing ended without a decision after two members of the governing body disclosed ex parte contacts with the applicant. The second public hearing before the Town Council was tense with angry words behind the table as well as in the audience. More than one loud dispute spilled out into the parking lot of the Community Center. The hearing was concluded with a vote to annex the land with no zone designation, and the applicant was advised to consider the options available and return at a later date. Since that time, the Residential Estates (R-E) zone category has been added to the town's ordinance, and that is the request in the current application.

The applicant indicated in the original application that he intended to construct the roads in the subdivision, and would then request that the town take over maintenance. The design submitted at that time showed an entrance some distance up a graveled road on West Venus; however, those are issues which are typically determined at such time as the applicant commits to subdivision. The P&Z hearing on September 8 will be for the purpose of recommending a zone category to the governing body. 

New information on the page for the Hillcrest Master Plan

The Hillcrest Master Plan page has been updated with the following information:

February 2, 2016: Edgewood's P&Z recommends an amendment to the master plan to allow for the construction of approximately 140 dwelling units consisting of a mix of apartments and townhouses in Unit 2 using the standards found in the M-U zone category. The commissioners did not include in their recommendation any mention of safety issues or traffic impacts on the intersection of Venus Road and NM 344.