An Albuquerque company is hoping to build townhouses by the intersection of Tulip Road and Arizona Street. (Gregory Hasman/Observer)

New townhouses may be built in Rio Rancho.  

Albuquerque-based real estate company X2D is looking to build 32, two-story, two-bedroom units located south of Tulip Road and west of Arizona Street. 

Each unit would have a private yard with fencing.  

The Rio Rancho Planning and Zoning Board recommended a conditional use permit that, if approved by the Governing Body, would pave the way for the project. 

Townhouse concerns 

Several local residents expressed concerns about the proposed townhouses via email and in person at Tuesday night’s board meeting.  

Vancouver Road resident Michael Crites said he was worried about increased traffic in the area. 

JAG Planning and Zoning Principal Juanita Garcia said the city’s engineering division informed her that a trip generation report would need to be created to determine if a traffic study would be required.  The trip generation report gives an estimate of the number of trips expected to be generated by a specific type of land use. 

The applicant would comply with any recommendations given by the report, she said. 

Other concerns included: 

Low-income housing: Some people are worried that the new homes would be geared toward low-income residents. 

“The owner has no intent of making these low-income units,” Garcia said. “The applicant (X2D Owner Michael Herrera) intends to rent for fair market value.” 

Privacy: Catherine Snider sent an email requesting that cement walls be raised in order to increase the privacy and security for her mother ,who lives near Tulia Road and Arizona Street.  

The owner would be willing to raise the wall’s height, Garcia said, adding that there will also be landscape buffers between neighboring properties.  

Lights: Crites said he was concerned about the placement of lights on the new property. 

“I want to make sure it’s not shining in my backyard,” he said. 

Any areas adjacent to the site would be shaded. Additionally, the company would comply with any light standards there may be, Garcia said. 

Location of dumpsters: Residents are concerned that there would be dumpsters placed near their homes.  

“I don’t want to be smelling the trash,” Crites said. 

Herrera is considering locating the dumpsters by the back of the townhouses and providing a strong buffer between the dumpsters and the neighboring properties, Garcia said. 

“We will definitely take all the comments into consideration,” she said. 

The Rio Rancho Governing Body will consider the request at a future meeting.