As of 25NOV, we are formally closing this petition. Please see the latest update, here, for details on why and next steps. If you have not, please subscribe to EMPAC for updates going forward, and donate directly via their site.

The following is a reproduction of the official statement via EMPAC around this petition and our engagement strategy moving forward:

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A New Partnership: Forever W.I.L.D. and EMPAC Unite to Fight Campbell Ranch!

EMPAC is excited to announce a powerful new partnership in the fight against the Campbell Ranch development! Forever W.I.L.D., a fledgling organization focusing on a wild horse sanctuary and conservation area, has officially joined forces with EMPAC. This is one of many affected parties not formally recognized in the recent proceedings, and we encourage anyone else (individual or organization) to connect with EMPAC on opportunities for collaboration. This unites our shared dedication to preserving the East Mountains’ unique natural environment and strengthens our collective ability to fight unsustainable development practices.

Matching Donations!

Forever WILD, via Double Dog Ranch and Rising Roots Farm, will be matching existing donations made through the Change.org petition, demonstrating our shared commitment and increasing your impact!

What’s Next: The Appeal and Legal Action

As far as specific next steps, EMPAC is preparing a formal appeal focused on these key areas:

• The documented and demonstrable harms to affected parties, including adjacent landowners, as detailed in the testimony provided to the commission.
• Procedural violations and due process concerns regarding the handling of the proposal by the Edgewood Planning and Zoning Commission.
• False and misleading information and unsubstantiated claims presented by the developer, without proof or evidentiary support, used to justify project approval.
  Lack of legal standing and precedent for the development, including reliance on an outdated ordinance and a legally dubious development agreement.
• We anticipate a protracted legal battle and are committed to pursuing every available avenue to stop Campbell Ranch.

How You Can Help:

Donate to EMPAC’s Legal Fund: Your contribution will directly support expert legal counsel, research, and court fees. Donate Here
Join EMPAC: Subscribe Here
Share Your Expertise: We need dedicated volunteers with experience in specific areas, (e.g., environmental law, fundraising, community organizing, etc.) Please Contact info@theempac.org to learn how you can help.

A Shared Vision, A Stronger Voice:

We want to reiterate EMPAC's long-standing commitment to responsible development, sustainable water management, and habitat conservation - a powerful force for positive change in the East Mountains. Together, we’ll fight not only Campbell Ranch but other proposals and advocate for the protection of open space, ensuring a healthy, vibrant future for our community.

Enhanced Community Engagement:

We’re actively looking for better ways for you - as community members - to participate in these conversations. We recognize the limitations of traditional petitions and are exploring improved, real-time options to gather signatures, support specific causes, and foster transparent discussion. We’ll also be looking to develop additional opportunities for you to share your expertise and contribute your unique skills to our collective efforts. The goal is to empower residents to take direct action on this and other crucial issues impacting the East Mountains.

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*** Content beyond this point is preserved for historical purposes. If you are a member of the media and would like official comment, please reach out to info@theempac.org ***

TLDR: The Campbell Farming Corporation (CFC) is again attempting to push through the massive Campbell Ranch development project, threatening our East Mountain water supply, environment, and way of life. This time, they're using a questionable "minor subdivision" tactic (from out-of-compliance 1999 Subdivision Ordinances) to circumvent established water regulations and avoid thorough environmental review. Learn more from EMPAC: FAQ. Regardless of any spin, this is still a large-scale subdivision development (simply by another name) via a clearly intentional effort to bypass, subvert, and avoid regulatory oversight which denied them prior. 

Sign this petition to demand that the Edgewood City Council reject the Campbell Ranch development.

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NOTICE: Please consider donating to EMPAC, not this petition. Donating to this petition does not directly benefit the cause (although it does generate visibility on the change.org platform which is still a good thing). I am sincerely grateful to all who have spread the word, donated, and been active participants in this conversation across all platforms. Keep up the pressure, provide comment/feedback to the City, and attend on the 21st if possible!

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The Threat: Campbell Ranch proposes 800 homes initially (with a combined build of 4000), squeezing unsustainable, high-density housing onto a landscape ill-equipped to support it. This project puts our entire community at risk. This scope change is fundamentally driven due to the following risks (among others), which are being subverted from "major subdivision" review processes by claiming multiple independent and isolated developers would be required to be individually compliant (though the cumulative impact is, very obviously, the same).

1. Draining the Estancia Basin aquifer: The developer's plan relies on the "domestic well loophole," allowing them to avoid demonstrating a sufficient water supply for the project. This tactic jeopardizes access to water for all East Mountain residents (And Entranosa Water customers), including those whose wells are already running dry. The Estancia Basin is already over-allocated and suffering declining water levels, and the developer’s previous water right application for this project was rejected. This is evidenced through active Basin closures by the State Engineer and NM Court decisions to deny new water appropriations. Additionally, there is no water conservation plan as required by the current Ordinance; and further the Master Plan (MP) relies on water reuse from the non-existent "Village 1" (denied by Bernalillo County).
   
2. Overwhelming available infrastructure: NM Highway 14 is already congested.  Adding thousands of new residents and ~25,000 more daily vehicle passes, with no comprehensive traffic mitigation plan, will create gridlock and endanger our community. Our schools, emergency services, and other essential infrastructure are also ill-equipped to handle such a dramatic increase in demand (double or more).
3. Destroying existing community character: The massive scale of this development, with its potential for 4,000+ homes, will permanently scar the East Mountain landscape. Increased traffic, noise, and light pollution will become the norm, decimating wildlife habitats and fundamentally changing our way of life. Existing SPCE & PaaKo residents can attest to these concerns, and is a big reason as to why those subdivisions were planned at 1 structure per 10ac, whereas CR is planned at 1 per 0.25-1 ac, a factor of 40 times more dense. This is obscured in the fact that they argue these "high-density" areas are offset by the vast open space around them, so the average is still 1 per 1ac at "worst". Given the "minor subdivision" and multiple sub-developers approach in the latest proposal, even this is no longer guaranteed and not legally binding. Make no mistake, CFC intends for this to feel like urban living, in a very much non-urban environment.

Irresponsible Tactics: The developer is attempting to force this project through by:

• Exploiting loopholes:  Using the “minor subdivision” process and individual domestic wells to circumvent the 2019 Subdivision Ordinance and avoid a new water rights application and the OSE review required for large developments.
• Ignoring current realities: Relying on an outdated 2002 Master Plan that fails to account for the current water crisis and significantly diminished resource availability.
• Silencing our voices: Minimizing public notice, providing incomplete information, and demonstrating a documented pattern of restricting public comment.

The takeaway is that CFC is looking to making "processing adjustments" to enable "Accelerated Minor Plats" which can be "Used to Allocate Large Parcels to Builders for Home Building", and thus avoid having to provide "Buffer Definition", "Drainage Analysis", and "Open Space Determination" as those are required for detailed plats. They also skirt the evidence of water availability issue by deferring it to individuals "Builders" of these "Minor Plats", meaning large development reviews by OSE, County, etc.. are no longer required. While some initial concerns were (partially) addressed, they have also contradicted the objectives by including an "Organic Working Farm", "Agave/Vineyards/Orchards", and multiple "Community Gardens/Orchards" - only justified via a vague "Water Conservation Practices" bullet point. All of this collectively points to lip-service around (some of) the previous concerns, and a distinct and obvious effort to bypass, subvert, and avoid any regulatory oversight.

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What's happened so far, and what's next? (credit EMPAC)

• A Pre-application by the CFC to modify the 2002 CRMP through the Minor Subdivision process came before the Edgewood Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) at the September 19, 2024 regular meeting
• The Pre-Application precedes final approval by the PZC and the Town Commission to change the Master Plan to allow a Minor Subdivision inconsistent with the current 2019 Subdivision Ordinance
• Approval of the application to subdivide relies on the out-of-compliance 1999 Subdivision Ordinance for the sole purpose of allowing the CFC to subdivide the Campbell Ranch property
• The application was incomplete and figures were illegible. There was no thorough review of the application or presentation by the applicant
  
  • At least one Commissioner suggested that he was not familiar with the situation.
• The PZC was guided through the process to acknowledge a Pre-Application Review of a Minor Subdivision by the Town Planning and Zoning Manager
• This approval process is expected to be conducted at the end of the Campbell Ranch Hearing on November 21 at 6pm at the Town Hall of Edgewood, Commission Chambers

Key Metrics To Know: (credit EMPAC)

• 4,000 New housing units - A massive influx… Are we really ready to double the population of the East Mountains? Have you seen the line at McDonalds during lunch hour? 
• 500 mil Gallons of water per year - Highly resource-intensive on it's own, just for housing... Where are 500 million gallons of water coming from? And they want to also add two golf courses? "Maker" spaces? Multi-Use space for "resorts, hotels, vacation rentals, casitas,..."? Trail networks (which inevitably encroach on private/ag land)? A for-profit equestrian center? 
• An estimated 25,000 additional trips on NM14 - Are we hoping for the best? ... Where’s the plan to cope with huge increase in daily traffic on our roads? The round-about at Frost/NM14 will be useless on Day 1 with this amount of increase. NM14/Cedar Crest nor Frost/Mountain Valley are anywhere close to well-kept enough to handle this burden. Will residents simply teleport? Are they providing helicopters?

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We Must Act Now!

1. Sign this petition to demand that the Edgewood City Council reject the Campbell Ranch development.  Protect our water, our environment, our community.  
2. Submit a formal comment to the Edgewood Community Development Director (Brad Hill) before Nov 18. Focus on facts directly pertinent to the statutory requirements where possible.
3. Attend the the Public Hearing (P&Z Committee) on November 21st, at 6:00pm at Edgewood Town Hall.

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Go Further!

1. Share this petition, engage with EMPAC, and drive feedback/conversation across your social networks. Consider donating to EMPAC.
   
   1. Learn more and review supporting documentation via EMPAC and community boards (NextDoor, Facebook/EM411, etc.)
2. Contact your state representative, (probably Stefani Lord) and the Edgewood Community Development Director, Brad Hill (bhill@edgewood-nm.gov).
   1. Submit written opposition to Mr. Hill by November 18th to be included in the public record. (Make sure to request it be sent directly to the entire Planning and Zoning Commission with receipt and focus on facts directly pertinent to the statutory requirements where possible.)
      
3. Attend the Edgewood Town Commission Meeting on November 12th and most importantly the Public Hearing on November 21st, both at 6:00pm at Edgewood Town Hall.
4. Contact the OSE, Entranosa Water, and other infrastructure authorities and urge them to join the conversation as legally recognized parties.

 

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For a detailed collation of information please refer to the EMPAC site. A link to the most recent proposal can be found in the resources section ( "Master Plan slide deck from September 28 hearing").