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Sunland Park annexes land near key highway
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Sunland Park is expanding again, after the city bordering El Paso, Texas, and one of the busiest ports of entry between the U.S. and Mexico formally annexed 534 additional acres last week.
The additional territory comprises the area known as the Rancho Santa Teresa subdivision northeast of Airport Road and the Pete V. Domenici Highway, five miles north of the Santa Teresa Port of Entry. The open land is the focus of plans for infrastructure supporting residential and commercial development.
鈥淭his annexation represents a forward-thinking investment in Sunland Park鈥檚 future,鈥� City Manager Mario Juarez-Infante stated in a news release after the City Council voted to approve the move. 鈥淚t strengthens our tax base, creates new housing opportunities, and connects key corridors that will support both residents and businesses for years to come.鈥�
The petitioners included a coalition of developers and landowners.
The city projected Rancho Santa Teresa would add $50 million to the local economy and develop commercial and recreational facilities improving life for residents and fulfilling the city鈥檚 master plan.
Mayor Javier Perea said it represented Sunland Park鈥檚 commitment 鈥渢o smart, sustainable development that enhances quality of life and expands opportunities for our residents.鈥�
The petition was submitted to Do帽a Ana County commissioners for comments at their Oct. 14 meeting, when commissioners expressed frustration about the city鈥檚 course of action.
The county鈥檚 Community Development Director, Christina Ainsworth, said the board had 30 days to provide comment to the city on the matter, yet she was aware the City Council planned to take action sooner than that. Ultimately, the commissioners authorized Ainsworth to send a letter commenting on the city鈥檚 move while acknowledging the county did not have the authority to halt the annexation.
Sunland Park council members took the petition up at a special meeting on Oct. 28. The council voted unanimously, with Councilor Alberto Jaramillo abstaining.
The county鈥檚 Development Review Committee supported the annexation but expressed concern that the resulting city line left an island or 鈥渄oughnut鈥� of unincorporated land comprising the Casas Lindas and Desert Shadow subdivisions plus the Santa Teresa Terrace Apartments. The inconsistent boundary line could create confusion about jurisdiction for law enforcement and emergency response, the commissioners were advised, although the gap did not appear to violate the law.
鈥淚鈥檓 still of the mind that we are against this annexation because it creates this issue,鈥� Commissioner Manuel Sanchez said, referring to the unincorporated land. 鈥淭his has been a long-standing issue with the city of Sunland Park and they continue to move forward regardless of what we ask or request for ... the public safety perspective.鈥�
Commissioner Gloria Gameros of Anthony suggested that residents within the gap did not wish to join the city anyway. She remarked that when she was campaigning for office in an adjacent community that had been annexed previously, she found that some residents learned they were Sunland Park residents only when they began receiving property code notices. She said differing tax rates also made annexation less desirable for some county residents.
鈥淭hey are dead-set against it,鈥� Gameros said, raising questions about whether the residents in the unincorporated zone would be notified and have a process to contest the annexation. Ainsworth said doing so now would require either amending the present annexation petition or beginning a new process with required public notice and obtaining the consent of a majority of property owners.
鈥淔rom a staff perspective, it would be much better if they just completely eliminated that gap,鈥� Ainsworth said. Otherwise, she reported that the annexation appeared to be lawful, as the territory was adjacent to the city鈥檚 boundaries and within an established extraterritorial jurisdiction planning zone.
鈥淭he city is open to annexing the 鈥榙oughnut鈥� provided the area residents situated in the 鈥榙oughnut鈥� petition for it,鈥� Juarez-Infante told the Journal.
Christopher Lyons, who owns land within the newly annexed territory, expressed opposition to the city鈥檚 action, telling commissioners he was concerned about impacts on the state highway serving commercial trucks passing through the Port of Entry, and the potential for further annexations to hop across the highway.
鈥淭here has to be a lot more thinking about what they intend to do here, how it鈥檚 going to impact Pete Domenici Highway and industrial area, how it鈥檚 going to impact the port,鈥� Lyons said.
Commissioner Shannon Reynolds speculated that annexations incorporating the highway could set up conflicts between the city and county about plans for industrial development.
Gameros, who sits on the board of the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority, said residents continued to question the pace of development while concerns about municipal water supply continue.
鈥淲e do keep hearing about the water issue and then we still have more development coming in,鈥� she said, while expressing her own concerns about expanding residential developments into industrial zones.
