Bernalillo County joined a longstanding lawsuit with the Town of Edgewood as an interested party last month, filing a petition to intervene after the Campbell Ranch development appealed the Town of Edgewood’s decision in July to deny its subdivision applications.
The Edgewood Town Commission denied subdivision applications for an area known as Village 2, which consists of about 1,288 acres in the East Mountains. Campbell Farming Corp. sought to divide it into five lots while categorizing the project as a minor subdivision. The Edgewood Town Commission voted unanimously on July 31 to reverse a previous planning commission approval.
Bernalillo County Commissioner Eric Olivas told City Desk ABQ that Bernalillo County was involved in the process during Edgewood Town Commission meetings, and it is currently involved in the appeal as a neighbor.
“We certainly have a direct interest because of our property ownership rights,” Olivas said. “But also somewhat more of an indirect interest with regards to all the residents that we represent: the neighbors and community around that area that will be impacted by the proposed development of that site.”
Olivas said the project would heavily impact the community in Bernalillo County regarding emergency services, groundwater and drinking water.
Campbell Farming argued in October that Edgewood officials acted arbitrarily by considering water supply and public welfare, although the town’s minor subdivision rules do not list those as criteria for approval. Campbell Farming alleged that under a 1999 ordinance, minor subdivisions are subject to a smaller checklist that doesn’t include water availability.
Bernalillo County and the Town of Edgewood have both urged the court to uphold the denial due to the precarious state of the Sandia Water Basin, which was closed to new groundwater appropriations in 2021 due to declining water levels.