Council considering 20-year goals

BY Mark St. J. Couhig
News editor

ANGEL FIRE — This week the Angel Fire Village Council will consider taking a major step toward determining the shape of Angel Fire’s future. If adopted during the council’s Tuesday, Dec. 2 meeting, the 2008 Village of Angel Fire Comprehensive Plan will establish the priorities for village development for the next two decades. Village Development Director Mark Rivera explained that a comprehensive plan “is a set of goals developed through a public input process. It’s where the community wants to go.”
Rivera also noted that a good comprehensive plan helps the community establish its budget priorities, “even though we know it will change.”
The new plan, like its predecessors, works with “a 20-year horizon.”

A little background
The 2008 plan will replace the 2003 document, making it the fourth iteration of the village’s comprehensive plan. The first was adopted in 1987.
The 2008 plan is a direct outgrowth of public meetings held in the winter of 2007-08.
While the new plan continues to support many of the goals included in the 2003 plan, it also places a new emphasis on economic and environmental sustainability, development of the “Northwest Quadrant,” and explicitly recognizes the importance of the village’s recently adopted economic development plan.
Rivera says many communities take the time and effort to create a comprehensive plan, but fail to update it. In a “technological age,” that’s a mistake, Rivera says. He also noted “we’re a young municipality, learning as we grow.”

Sustainability a new concern
Rivera notes new concerns regarding “global change and sustainability” have prompted the village to directly address environmental issues, with a new chapter devoted to the topic. Specifically, the new plan says “sustainability promotes development and policies that ensure a healthy safe environment and economic well being for the Village of Angel Fire and its residents.” The plan also says, “the adoption of green building standards, which ultimately leads to energy conservation, translates to utility cost savings.”
Participants in the planning process endorsed the concept of sustainability and identified strategies for achieving that end, including supporting industries with little or no carbon output, “marketing Angel Fire as a Green Community,” and promoting “Green Lungs,” the oddly-named strategy of preserving large green spaces. Other strategies include compact community design, water reuse for snow making and irrigation, the use of alternative energy sources such as solar and wind energy, the implementation of LEED building principles and use of multi-modal means of transportation.
Among the specific goals found in the plan:
• “To promote the efficient use of water resources and wastewater systems.”
This will include increasing the number of residential sewer customers while reducing the number of septic systems. The village and the resort also plan to increase the amount of water reclaimed from the wastewater treatment plant. The village is working to reduce the amount of water lost to system leaks.
• “Promote Angel Fire as a ‘green’ community.”
Toward this end, the village “will pursue adopting LEED certified building standards for all public buildings.” The village will also seek to implement a streamlined process for residential construction that meets the National Homebuilders Association Green Building standards. The village plans to inventory greenhouse gas emissions to “set a baseline and determine reduction targets via an action plan.”
• “Reduce CO2 emissions by promoting transit and alternative transportation.”
This will include creating “convenient pedestrian friendly parking areas” and promoting “Park Once and Walk.”
• “Reduce the amount of solid waste sent to the landfill.”
This includes expanding the recycling capabilities of the Village.
Fixing up the corridor
The second major new initiative concerns the Mountain View Blvd. “corridor,” which the village designates as the length of Mountain View Blvd. (Hwy 434) from the blinking light to Sage Road. The plans describe this as “a vital community corridor that should be improved and beautified.”
“Mountain View Boulevard is envisioned as a gateway that provides an opportunity for business development, hospitality services and workforce housing, all of which are needed to promote a healthy Village economy.”
The three broad goals include:
• “Make Mountain View Boulevard an inviting, vibrant, and beautiful corridor.”
The village council is currently working to amend via village code new rules for the “Mountain View Boulevard Overlay District,” which is defined as the area one lot deep along each side of the boulevard. The rules will put into place new landscaping and design guidelines. The village also plans to work with the New Mexico Dept. of Transportation to obtain an easement on a small parcel of land at the blinking light where an “entry feature to Angel Fire” can be constructed.
• “The built environment along Mountain View Boulevard should reinforce the mountain resort community character of the Village.”
As one of the implementation policies for this goal, the village will create architectural style guidelines for development along Mountain View Boulevard. New development standards will address “view preservation, building height, and setbacks for buildings located along Mountain View Boulevard.”
• “Ensure that Mountain View Boulevard is accessible for multi-modal transportation.”
The village is working with the Dept. of Transportation to build a non-motorized trail along the boulevard. The village will also update the village code to require developers to construct trails within the subdivisions.

Planning the “Northwest Quadrant”
The third major initiative concerns the “Northwest Quadrant,” the area of the village that with the completion of the Hwy 434 water and sewer project is now expected to rapidly develop. The plan says the “Quadrant represents an opportunity for the Village to be proactive in planning for development in the future.”
The plan maps out the area with a “preferred land use scenario,” with various sections intended for commercial, industrial, mixed use, and various densities of residential use. Of primary importance in the plan is the use of the property for the creation of affordable housing for workers.

The impact of the 2003 plan
Rivera noted the 2003 plan has had a large impact on village development since its publication. Among the projects called for in 2003:
• The Plaza del Sol “downtown” project was a primary priority. Its infrastructure is now in place, at a cost so far nearly $1 million.
• The 2003 plan called for the creation of a “non-motorized trails plan.” The plan is now in place, and the trails system has been substantially enhanced.
• The 2003 plan called for the creation of a “fire mitigation plan.” So far that has resulted in a number of efforts, including the introduction of a free slash pick up program. With assistance from FEMA grants, the village has also thinned “a couple critical areas,” Rivera said. The new plan calls for the creation of a map that will further identify areas that should be thinned. Village codes have already been revised to require lot thinning on some lots as they are sold, and additional changes in the code are anticipated to perhaps require thinning on privately-owned lots that are of particular concern.
Rivera says the financial burden would be on the owner, “but we’ll see what kind of assistance we can provide.” He also notes that “by becoming a Firewise community we’re protecting property values. People come here because it’s beautiful, not because it’s burnt.”

The importance of the plan
Village Councilor Stuart Hamilton has said the plan “should be required reading” for anyone interested in the future of the village. Village Development Director Mark Rivera says the “comprehensive plan gives citizens and staffers…and newly-elected officials an idea of where the citizens want to go.”
Rivera, who has played a major role in the plan’s development, says developers who are interested in working in Angel Fire regularly request a copy of the plan to ensure the village has the same, or complementary goals, in mind.
To read the plan, see http://www.afgov.org/index.asp?NID=2 It can take up to five minutes to load.

—Comments to mcouhig@sangrechronicle.com