The Rio Rancho Governing Body is scheduled to hold two development-related public hearings during its regular meeting starting at 6 p.m. Thursday at City Hall.

According to the agenda, one public hearing is for a site plan of an acre and a half of land on Grande Boulevard, behind Latitudes. Under the plan, a strip mall would be built for professional and medical offices, shops or restaurants at 2340 Grande.

The second public hearing involves a request to change the land-use zoning of two lots on Golf Course Road from low-density single-family residential to neighborhood commercial, according to the agenda. The lots consist of a little less than an acre of land between them.

The lots are at 2211 and 2215 Golf Course, on the west side of the road.

Empty retail land is to the south, the backs of medium-density residential lots to the west and developed neighborhood commercial land to the north, according to a map included in city information. The land directly across Golf Course is vacant and zoned for low-density single-family housing.

The information doesn’t specify what businesses might occupy the land if the zone change were approved. In neighborhood commercial districts, municipal code allows:

  • Retail stores, except gas stations;
  • Repair shops for small items such as televisions, radios and keys;
  • Shops, such as photo, pet, dressmaking, dry-cleaning and similar trades;
  • Banks and offices;
  • Places of worship;
  • Restaurants with no drive-thru windows;
  • Bakeries;
  • Parks, open spaces and public facilities;
  • Daycares;
  • Funeral homes;
  • Fraternal organizations without liquor licenses and nonprofit service groups;
  • Medical, veterinary and professional offices;
  • Public utilities; and
  • Housing, as a secondary use.

Property owners could also apply for permits for theses uses:

  • Temporary storage;
  • Schools;
  • Self-storage and vehicle storage;
  • Commercial buildings; and
  • Research and development offices, as long as activities wouldn’t be a nuisance or hazard to the neighborhood.

Members of the public can attend the meeting in person or watch it via livestream at rrnm.gov/2303/Watch-and-Download-City-Meetings. The agenda is at the same URL.

People can provide input in person, via email to [email protected] or through Zoom. Information for joining the Zoom meeting is at the website above.