RIO COMMUNITIES — The Rio Communities City Council Monday decided to continue a public hearing until its next meeting when it will consider changing the city’s zoning code ordinance.
While Rio Communities always had heavy industrial zoning, the council will be considering changing its ordinance to delete its I-1 and I-2 zoning, and will only allow I-3 zoning on properties annexed into the city after the effective date of the ordinance.
The proposed ordinance also includes a new zoning designation — business manufacturing development — which is designed to be a buffer between the intense commercial uses found in Commercial 3 zoning areas and more industrial and potentially more objectionable uses of the I-3 zoning district.
According to the ordinance which will be considered, the B-M zone is intended to accommodate a wide variety of light manufacturing, assembly, commercial processing, storage, packaging, compounding and wholesaling as well as distribution operations.
“Such uses shall be conducted to ensure that there is no toxic/hazardous releases, excessive noise, vibration, smoke, dust or any particulate matter, traffic, humidity, heat or glare, at or beyond any lot line of the parcel on which it is located,” the proposed ordinance reads.
Permitted uses in the B-M zone would include all permitted uses in C-1, C-2 and C-3 zones, as well as others, such as commercial or trade school, concrete sales and ready mix, electrical or mechanical part and equipment assembly, freight warehouse and dock, mining and mineral excavation (office only), rail spur usage for transport and manufacturing.
The new B-M zone envelopes a lot of what is currently permitted in the light and medium industrial use zones.
“We appreciate the work of the task force,” Moore said on Monday. “This allows the types of things that don’t put out the emissions that were talked about in previous (planning and zoning) meetings.”
Moore said the task force will go back and work on definitions, specifically for fabrication, manufacturing and temporary uses.
“One size doesn’t always fit all,” Moore said of the zoning ordinance.
The city manager told the council they want to work on other issues regarding rail spurs and how much time rail cars could sit empty at the location. He also talked about temporary jobs, such as road reconstruction and what chemicals and materials would be on site.
“I think if we tackle those issues, we’ll be OK,” Moore said. “We talked to the businesses and the members of the community about what we need to do to maximize our zoning ordinance. We were very clear to our residents about what’s going on.”
Rio Communities city leaders decided this spring to amend its zoning code after citizens voiced their concerns about an application to rezone property of 262 acres to Industrial 3 and 37.78 acres to Commercial 3.
“Many people were concerned about the potential of a petroleum-type uses inside the city limits,” City Manager Marty Moore said in May.
Rio Communities citizens became concerned about the city’s heavy industrial zoning when Cibola Land Corporation — a company associated with oil and gas production in New Mexico — filed an application in December 2021 to rezone hundreds of acres on the south side of town for heavy industrial development.
Harvey Yates III, the vice president of Cibola Land Corporation, told the city’s planning and zoning commissioners the company doesn’t own any mineral rights on the property, which are necessary to extract natural resources such as oil and natural gas, and had no intention to drill.
In April, Harvey Yates Jr., the company’s president, withdrew the application, saying the city needed to figure out if it needs wanted to remain retirement community, “… or does it want to be a vibrant community that is creating jobs for young families.
“We’re not only withdrawing not only from the rezoning at this point, but also from the notion that we will be a participant in any kind of commercial development.”
Moore told the council on Monday he recommended they continue the hearing until the next meeting on Monday, Aug. 14.
Business Manufacturing Development zone
Clara Garcia is the editor and publisher of the Valencia County News-Bulletin.
She is a native of the city of Belen, beginning her journalism career at the News-Bulletin in 1998 as the crime and courts reporter. During her time at the paper, Clara has won numerous awards for her writing, photography and typography and design both from the National Newspaper Association and the New Mexico Press Association.
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May 2, 2024
