Sunland Park annexes land near key highway

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.

“This annexation represents a forward-thinking investment in Sunland Park’s future,” City Manager Mario Juarez-Infante stated in a news release after the City Council voted to approve the move. “It strengthens our tax base, creates new housing opportunities, and connects key corridors that will support both residents and businesses for years to come.”

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’s master plan.

Mayor Javier Perea said it represented Sunland Park’s commitment “to smart, sustainable development that enhances quality of life and expands opportunities for our residents.”

The petition was submitted to Doña Ana County commissioners for comments at their Oct. 14 meeting, when commissioners expressed frustration about the city’s course of action.

The county’s 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’s 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’s Development Review Committee supported the annexation but expressed concern that the resulting city line left an island or “doughnut” 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.

“I’m still of the mind that we are against this annexation because it creates this issue,” Commissioner Manuel Sanchez said, referring to the unincorporated land. “This 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.”

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.

“They are dead-set against it,” 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.

“From a staff perspective, it would be much better if they just completely eliminated that gap,” Ainsworth said. Otherwise, she reported that the annexation appeared to be lawful, as the territory was adjacent to the city’s boundaries and within an established extraterritorial jurisdiction planning zone.

“The city is open to annexing the ‘doughnut’ provided the area residents situated in the ‘doughnut’ petition for it,” Juarez-Infante told the Journal.

Christopher Lyons, who owns land within the newly annexed territory, expressed opposition to the city’s 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.

“There has to be a lot more thinking about what they intend to do here, how it’s going to impact Pete Domenici Highway and industrial area, how it’s going to impact the port,” 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.

“We do keep hearing about the water issue and then we still have more development coming in,” she said, while expressing her own concerns about expanding residential developments into industrial zones.