By Rodd Cayton, nm.news — Village of Tijeras residents will soon weigh in on a proposed development that could bring a new gas station, restaurant or other businesses to NM 14 and I-40.
Village councilors have tentatively set a public hearing for March 30 on the project, at the corner of Torres Trail and State Route 14. That regular council meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Council Chambers, 12 Camino Municipal.
Property owner Charlotte Rode, in a letter attached to her application for a zoning change, touted the project as a potential driver of “meaningful economic benefit to the Village of Tijeras and the surrounding community.”
She’s seeking to have the 58-acre property rezoned from C-1 (neighborhood commercial) to C-2 (large commercial/general business). If village officials approve the request for the overall land use, any individual business that becomes a tenant or builder would require specific approval at that time.
Rode told the Route 66 Independent Wednesday that long-term plans include building her family home on the property and confining business activity to the highway frontage along State Route 14.
She said there is no plan to sell the property, but that leasing the frontage would allow the family to create revenue from the land it has owned for about two years.
The C-2 zoning allows uses that include banks, law offices, laundromats and bars or restaurants with outdoor seating. Small-scale housing or lodging would also be permitted.
Rode said the development will probably serve those in the immediate area as well as some traveling along I-40. In the application, she mentioned a gas station as one potential use.
“These types of uses are consistent with the property’s location, visibility, and access, and align with the village’s long-term interest in strengthening its commercial tax base, expanding local services, and encouraging responsible growth,” Rode wrote.
Residents who attended an informational meeting Monday have expressed concern about the scale of the proposed project and its potential water use.
Rode said that as she plans to live there, she has no intention of bringing an unsuitable use to the property.
“We’ve been open to the needs of the community and what they want,” she said. “But the frontage is meant for commercial.”
If the zoning change is approved, each individual project would still be subject to council approval,