Sat
Jul 1 2017
10:35 am
Pilot Flying J heckled in NM
By: michael kaplan

Representatives of a Tennessee company seeking to develop a truck stop south of Santa Fe will schedule another public meeting on the $10 million project after dozens of Rancho Viejo residents walked out of a boisterous Tuesday evening session that made clear many still adamantly oppose the idea.

Details here.

Topics:
bizgrrl's picture

Good for the residents of

Submitted by bizgrrl on Sat, 2017/07/01 - 11:16am.

Good for the residents of Santa Fe, a very unique community, miles from everything.

It's a little disturbing to watch as growth takes away from some of our most treasured sights, just like the Alamo and Gettysburg, to name a few.

tlc's picture

NOT defending the Haslams., but...

Submitted by tlc on Sat, 2017/07/01 - 2:28pm.

I vacationed in Santa Fe in 2008 and liked the area a lot, so I just looked this up. The facility's proposed exact spot is literally surrounded by the curving exit ramp on the south side I-25, so it'd be tucked in, so to speak. That's how close it'd be to the interstate.

There is already plenty of business development in the general area around that exit, although the larger complexes (a fashion outlets and a mall) are further away from the exit and north of the interstate. Lots of other business enterprises are closer to this proposal's spot.

We're not exactly talking virginal land we're talking, here. I have an acquaintance who was some sort of mid-manager for the operation and have emailed him, asking how often the company's proposals for new locations fail due to local opposition. If I hear anything, I'll post here.

Tamara Shepherd's picture

*

Submitted by Tamara Shepherd on Sat, 2017/07/01 - 8:08pm.
(in reply to tlc)

My first thought on reading Michael's post was "isn't Rancho Viejo to Santa Fe what Scottsdale is to Phoenix?"

Granted, it's been decades since I stayed in Scottsdale and longer than that since I just drove through Rancho Viejo, but pictures I found online confirm what I recalled, namely that a Pilot Flying J truck stop would be just hugely out of place anywhere near Rancho Viejo. And here's some text at that same site, more fully explaining how the planned community of Rancho Viejo is laid out:

Stretching across 11,000 rolling acres dotted with pinon and juniper trees, Rancho Viejo is thoughtfully planned to preserve the natural open spaces while providing a sense of community. Its unique village concept incorporates the area's heritage and emphasis on community. At Rancho Viejo, 50 percent of the community is preserved as natural open space and parks, separating and defining a unique collection of villages.

Paved trails for walking, biking and jogging wind through the rolling grasslands and hillsides of these open spaces, connecting individual villages. In the traditional northern New Mexican style, each village features a central plaza where neighbors can gather.

Like Scottsdale, strict guidelines exist for the facades of businesses (your home there and the neighborhood 7-11 both look like they house Jesuit priests) and signage over about four feet high is prohibited.

The operative word in this news story Michael linked is "variance." Pilot is seeking one because they don't fit in.

Knoxgal's picture

This is a sign variance

Submitted by Knoxgal on Thu, 2017/07/06 - 4:36pm.

The article says Pilot is asking for a sign variance. The business itself might have already received a permit. As a victim (as we all are) of the visual blight this company has spread through our communities, I hope Rancho Viejo stands its ground.

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