As Edgewood, New Mexico, gears up for a growth spurt in the coming months, the town is working to avoid becoming so big, so fast that it loses its identity.
“We had a new administration come in January 2022 operating under a new governmental structure [commission manager],” Edgewood Planning Manager Brad Hill told the New Mexico Sun. "That contrasts with a five-year slowdown that had prevailed in the community. The town hired new staff to fill some longtime vacancies and let it be known that the town was operational after being semi-closed during the COVID-19 restriction.”
In addition, he added, a few prime commercial locations became attractive for businesses to tap into the East Mountain Market.
Blake’s Lotaburger, a Starbucks' drive-through, Wheeler Peak Ice, Champion Carwash, a Juno tap room, a new auto service center at Rich Ford and a model home display center for Clayton Manufactured Homes are among the projects on tap. A new vehicle registration services office and an expansion of RV park facilities are also in the works, Hill said.
Hill, a housing professional who used to be a planner for the New Mexico State Housing Division and has served as mayor and on the town council, said Edgewood has made encouraging progress.
“We have streamlined our development review process and re-engaged under contract with an engineering firm that has had a long history with Edgewood,” Hill said. “They understand our community and our unique challenges as to water and waste water.”
Such steps have allowed the town to respond more quickly to proposed development, he added.
In addition, the Edgewood Town Commission established an Economic Development Advisory Board. It will complete an inventory for potential sites and work with other economic development organizations to get the word out about Edgewood, and set the table for a resurgence, Hill said.
Edgewood, geographically, is a prime candidate for business expansion.
“Edgewood is the retail center of the entire East Mountain community,” Hill explained. “The population that our retail hub serves is over 50,000. As the fourth largest (in size) municipality in the state we have room to grow and still maintain the sub-rural nature the East Mountain residents desire.”
Hill ideally would like to see the growth incorporate a green approach. He is part of the U.S. Green Building Council and the National Association of Home Builders. He was also a founding member of Green Insight.
The challenge is to encourage development while still maintaining the character of the town.
“We are shifting our focus from the past to an exciting future,” Hill said. “We have a lot of great history in our community and we are all adamant about maintaining a rural character with a modern mindset.”
Of course, it’s not just business that allows a community to thrive. A town also needs to plan for housing growth.
As part of the effort to maintain the rural character, Edgewood is creating new development and zone district strategies to allow for creative options for housing and services, he added.
The town in 2021 approved a new development that will bring an estimated 4,000 new homes and a golf course, KRQE has reported.
As the town weighs expansion, “We are embracing the Agrihood zoning concept that has become so popular in other communities seeking to maintain rural roots,” Hill said. “We are looking to upgrade our water conservation and protections with investments in treatment at both the source and at the end treatment.”
It is also investing in police and highway infrastructure in ways to preserve its identity.
“We are 30 minutes from Albuquerque and an hour from Santa Fe, and yet we have a community that is becoming something very different,” Hill said.