Campbell Ranch Master Plan key points:
The amended MP includes over 4000 houses ranging from zero-lot-line multifamily units, medium density housing, and single family homes on 20-40 acre lots. It also includes a golf course and other amenities.
The MP includes 4 “Villages”.
Village 1 is located just North of the East Mountain High School along La Madera Rd..
Villages 2, 3 & 4 are located East of HW14, across from Paako.
CR has deleted Village 1 from the MP and moved many of the housing units from Village 1 to Village 2, due to Bernalillo County’s refusal to approve the MP.
CR plans to subdivide it’s ~8000 acres into parcels as small as 50 acres to “invited developers”, creating as many as 160 parcels to be developed individually and over time, shifting all development responsibilities to those individual developers.
Campbell Ranch claims that it will oversee and coordinate the development of these small parcels to implement the Master Plan. No agreement nor ordinance that we are aware of compels CR to do so.
Timeline of Events:
1999 Campbell Farming Corporation, also known as Campbell Ranch (CR), convinced the Town of Edgewood to approve a checkerboard annexation that included 8,000 acres owned by CR in the East Mountains, east of HW 14 and north of Frost Road.
2001 A “Development Agreement“ between CR and Edgewood was signed which outlined many requirements to CR such as an assured water supply, and to Edgewood such as emergency services and HW14 upgrades. We have found no evidence any these requirements were met.
2002 Edgewood approved a Master Plan (MP) to develop the 8000 acres. The MP included, 4 villages, over 4000 housing units, 2 golf courses, and many other amenities.
- All of the MP lies entirely within Bernalillo County.
- The area Edgewood annexed is approximately 80% of the MP area (3 of 4 total villages)
- Village 1, approximately 20% of the MP, is outside of the Edgewood annex.
- This plan has never been approved by Bernalillo County.
- The Edgewood annexation greatly reduces Bernalillo County’s authorities and influences over the development.
- No development activity took place between 2002 and 2021.
2009 CR joins with Vidler (a Nevada a water speculator) to form Aquifer Science (AS) (5% CR and 95% Vidler NV) to provide water to the development.
2011 AS obtains a permit (S-2618) from the NM Office of the State Engineer (OSE) to drill two deep exploratory wells to the east of N14 near Paa-Ko. Deep Well Protest (DWP) is formed as a subset of the North 14 Forum (a 501c-3) to object to the expected aquifer drawdown of 1500 afy (488,776,500 gallons per year), and its impact on East Mountain water supply. Many E. Mtn residents also file their own protests.
2013 The Office of the State Engineer (OSE) schedules public hearings on the permit. San Pedro Creek Estates Home Owners Association (SPCE-HOA), Bernalillo County and DWP, and individual protestants testify. The AS water demand is now reduced to 717 afy (233,635,167 gallons per year). Hearing Examiner, Andrew Core, rules that the entire permit should be denied by the OSE due to lack of available water.
2014 State Engineer, Scott Verhines, rules that the entire application should be denied. Within a week, Verhines is replaced by Tom Blaine. Blaine is supportive of AS and the OSE switches sides. AS and the OSE both file appeals to the 2nd District Court.
2018 Judge C. Shannon Bacon presides over a 10-day bench trial of the de-novo appeals.
- SPCE-HOA and DWP attorneys and expert witnesses convey opposition.
- Bernalillo County attorneys and expert witnesses convey opposition.
- AS reduces it’s water demand 350 afy (114,047,850 gallons per year) from the AS wells and 367 afy (119,587,317 gallons per year) from Entranosa, an E. Mtn. water utility.
- Many E. Mtn. residents were present at the trial to support the feeling of the E. Mtn. communities.
2019 Judge Bacon issues her Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law which state that the entire permit should again be denied due to impairment to existing wells and lack of adequate conservation measures. Judge Clay Campbell, replacing Judge Bacon who moved to the NM Supreme Court, issued a final District Court judgment affirming Judge Bacon’s Findings and Conclusions. Both AS and the OSE appeal both the Merits (water) and Costs decisions to the NM Court of Appeals (CoA).
2020 Vider approaches SPCE with several inadequate and unacceptable settlement offers.
2021 The OSE settles its case with SPCE-HOA, cancels both of its appeals to the CoA.
2021 The OSE closes the Sandia water Basin and part of the Rio Grande Basin to anything other than individual domestic wells.
2021 The required briefs have been filed by all the involved parties (AS/Vidler, SPCE, Bernalillo County and the OSE) and are awaiting the scheduling of possible hearings with the CoA.
2021 (August) CR submitted an amended MP to the Edgewood. The amendments include the removal of Village 1 which was not in the Edgewood annexation, movement of Village 1 housing units to Village 2, removal of one golf course, relocation of entrance roads, reduction of setbacks, and wording to remove the OSE from the approval process.
2021 (September 28) The Edgewood Planning & Zoning commission held a virtual (Zoom) Commission Meeting.
- It was announced by the P&Z chair that all 4 commissioners had submitted letters of resignation.
- A representative of CR gave a briefing of their amended MP.
- During the commission meeting, Bernalillo County stated that Bernalillo County has never approved any part of the of the MP.
- Over 200 participants called in, 50 were able to speak, none conveyed favorable comments.
- A recess was called at around 12:30 AM.
- The following day (September 29), the P&Z Commission continued the Meeting in closed session.
- On September 29, 2021, The P&Z unanimously voted to approve the Campbell Ranch Amended Master Plan.
2021 Two appeals (EMPAC, SPCE-HOA) were filed to The Edgewood Town Council . EMPAC’s appeal includes 3 findings of error and 2 findings of abuse of discretion. The appeal requests the Edgewood P&Z’s approval of the Amended Master Plan be overturned and a new MP be developed based on current Ordinances, Statutes, and Laws given current environmental conditions.