Site Map | Archives

Home › News › Local

Rio Rancho's planned flood-control improvements could cost residents

By Caleb Fort
Saturday, December 29, 2007

related linksMore Local
related linksMOST RECENT TRIB STORIES

related linksTRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*

*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.
STORY TOOLS

SHARE THIS STORY [?]

RIO RANCHO — Rio Rancho plans to make improvements to some neighborhoods hit by monsoon-fueled floods in 2006, but the city wants residents to foot the bill: about $13,000 per household.

The improvements, which would affect about 5,000 homes, would include paved roads, gutters, storm drainage and sewers. The cost to homeowners would be determined by what improvements were made on their street.

The city would create a special assessment district to fund the improvements, which are expected to cost about $70 million.

If the plan is approved by the City Council, construction would begin in December 2008 and take about 18 months.

The council would consider the creation of the district, the assessment and the construction in separate 2008 meetings.

Most of the homes would fall in the district of City Councilor Delma Petrullo.

"We knew that as the area built up, we would probably want to have it paved," Petrullo said. "It's good for the people who live there, and it's good for the property values."

Homeowners could either pay the assessment in cash, or pay it off over 20 years with interest, Petrullo said.

Homeowners would not be assessed more than the value the improvements would add to their homes, she said.

Chamiza Estates, one of the neighborhoods in the district, is full of big, stuccoed houses with plate-glass windows and xeriscaped yards. RVs, boats, basketball hoops and SUVs fill the driveways.

Most of the roads in the neighborhood are narrow and unpaved, with little more in the way of drainage than a small ditch on one side.

Record rainfall in the summer of 2006 washed out roads, arroyos and yards in the area, leaving some residents stranded in their homes.

"I have four-wheel drive, so I'm all right when it rains," said Erwin Benevidez, who lives at the top of one of the many hills in Chamiza Estates. "But if you don't have a nice car, it could be really difficult to get around the area."

Benevidez said he would like to see the roads paved, and doesn't mind paying for it. It would be worth the money to cut down on dust and to make the neighborhood more attractive to prospective home buyers, he said.

Martha Talbott, who also lives in Chamiza Estates and had her landscaping ruined by the floods, said she would like to see the roads paved, but does not approve of the way the city wants to finance the construction.

"The city has known that Rio Rancho has been growing fast, but there's not been much preparation," she said. "This seems like a quick-fix way to solve the problem."

Councilor Howard Balmer, whose district includes part of the special assessment district, said there is no other way to pay for the improvements, although he has received some complaints from his constituents.

Because there was no developer in the area to develop infrastructure and include the cost in the price of lots, homeowners have to pay for the improvements, he said.

"We understand the concerns about the cost," Balmer said. "But this is a health and safety and welfare issue, not an aesthetic one. This has to be done."

But some people like the neighborhood the way it is, Talbott said.

"A lot of people bought out here because they like to ride their horses," she said. "They don't want to see the roads paved."

The public can voice concerns with the assessment at the Jan. 9 City Council meeting.