The slow housing market does not stop long term planning... The Lower Petroglyphs development is already moving forward but much larger developments are coming. Suncal owns 55000 acres of land on Albuquerques westside and has a 50 year build out plan. Suncal promises not to follow the normal urban sprawl we have seen in past years and plans to develop the area using the "New Urbanism" model. From the Suncal NM website... "SunCal Companies recognizes there has been no greater opportunity to revive the spirit of this historic concept than at the site of the Atrisco Land Grant. Today, our goal is to couple your feedback with these core urban planning principles to create a remarkable new place that will foster a unique sense of community and belonging that is absent in many modern-day neighborhoods."

Story from the New Mexico Business Weekly. SunCal unveils plans for its Westside 'legacy development' - New Mexico Business Weekly:: "SunCal's massive master-planned community on Albuquerque's west mesa is on track, and the developer's pockets are deep enough to weather the downturn in the economy and home sales"

Visit our Albuquerque Real Estate website for area homes and to search listings.

We recently listed a home in the Vista Entrada Neighborhood of Rio Rancho. The Vista Entrada Subdivision is adjacent to a 69 Acre site that is being developed as a mixed use complex named La Plazuela de Sandoval. Since some of the details are hard to find I have put together the following summary of the Master Plan (based on all the information I have).

The site is located at the Northwest corner of NM 528 and Idalia Roads. The site will have a new North South route off Idalia that will serve as an additional entry/exit to the Enchanted Hills Neighborhood to the north. Also Oersted Road will extend to the east into the plan area.

Currently the site is home of the $9.3 million Sandoval County Judicial Complex that opened in August 2005. The 45,699 sq/ft complex is home to the Sandoval County District Court, the Sandoval County Sheriff's Department, and the District Attorney's office. Just north of the Judicial Complex is the Health Commons. This houses Family Services, Community Health, and Sandoval County’s Medical Assistance Program. A 60,000 sq/ft County Administrative Center is also planned for this area. North of this is the Transportation Center with Park-n-Ride and shuttle but to the RailRunner Station in Bernalillo.

Future development plans include the Cielo Azul Retirement Community. This is a planned to contain 257 apartments and assisted living units. The La Plazuela master plan includes a site for High Density Housing. This would be in accordance with Rio Rancho’s R-6 zoning that allows up to 32 dwelling units per acre. I have not seen any plans for what this could look like. The site also includes areas set aside for Office Space and Commercial Uses such as retail shops, restaurants, bank, church and such. No industrial or manufacturing type operations would be allowed.

This plan has had its share of controversy. Some neighbors are concerned that their property values will be hurt and the “estate home” feel of the area will be lost. The jury will be out on that until the project is complete. From my point of view it’s positive (overall) for the area, but some property owners will be negatively affected, and that’s unfortunate.

Visit our supersite for more information on Rio Rancho Homes for sale and to search for homes and land in Albuquerque and Rio Rancho.

Last week there was big news here in New Mexico. The Colorado Springs Hewlett Packard plant is going to be relocating to Rio Rancho. While many employees are expected to transfer to the new facility, there's also going to be hiring opportunities to get to full staffing. The Venturi Real Estate Team has already had a few inquiries from current HP employees planning ahead for their relocation. It's a great time to get real estate, both homes and land, in Rio Rancho. In addition, with some of the incentives currently being offered by builders, buying now and having a home built could be an excellent option. With the addition of HP, the new Rio Rancho City Center should really pop. There is already quite a bit going on there with the Arena, the New Mexico Scorpions Professional Hockey, City Hall, the impending construction of CNM & UNM, plus the beautiful new V. Sue Cleveland High School opening in 2009. We have mapped out land near these areas which is for sale, so if anyone is thinking beyond buying a home, this is a great area to consider buying investment land. We have worked with many buyers who are investing in the future of Rio Rancho. As one of the fastest growing Cities in the Country, it sure seems like a good place to invest. For homes, there are opportunities to buy in established neighborhoods, customs homes on larger lots, and also new homes. All the best, Tracy Venturi Rio Rancho NM Real Estate Albuquerque Home Prices Albuquerque Real Estate News

We have known a few people that have taken advantage of the land conservation tax credit program in New Mexico, but now the limits have been increased. If someone has some land to donate and would like to bring down their tax burden, this is a great way to go.

Here is a link to the program details from the states website... http://www.tax.state.nm.us/forms/year07/rpd41282inst.pdf

Here is the press release... ABQJOURNAL NEWS/STATE: Land Conservation Tax Credit Program Updated: "The state has increased the amount of money that can be credited to landowners to help preserve open space, habitat for wildlife, watersheds, agricultural land and historic places..."

Albuquerque Real Estate

Albuquerque Real Estate News

Rio Rancho will soon have two higher educaion schools to call it own. Central New Mexico (CNM) Community College and the University of New Mexico (UNM) West will occupy sites near the new Rio Rancho City Centre. CNM has a 40 acre site and plans to be open for students in the spring of 2010. UNM already has 200 acres of Rio Rancho Real Estate and has started the design process amd is finalizing the funding. Visit the City of Rio Rancho site for more details... http://www.ci.rio-rancho.nm.us/index.asp?nid=898

We have updated our Rio Rancho Units map and added the line between the incorporated part of the City of Rio Rancho and the un-incorporated part that is administered by Sandoval County.  The Zoning rules are different between the city and county so it's important to know where the lot is when buying Rio Rancho Land.

Tickets for the New Mexico USGBC tour are now available in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos (see link for list of locations). This will be the ninth annual GreenBuilt Tour in New Mexico and will be on May 17 and 18, 2008.

The Green Built Tour is an excellent opportunity to learn about green home and how these homes are built.

Visit http://www.greenbuilttour.net/ or http://www.usgbcnm.org/ for more information.

Tickets are $10, or $5 for Seniors, Students under 12.

Also, visit my eco-homes page at... http://www.welcomehomeabq.com/eco-homes.htm