Powell submits plan for Albuquerque's Mesa del Sol

New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Ray Powell has submitted the first-level master plan for the 13,000-acre Mesa del Sol property in south Albuquerque.

The master plan outlines the character of development for the large tract of state trust land, the largest known tract of land under single management control in a United States city. Under the terms of a 1992 pre-annexation agreement, the plan must be approved by the City Council before development can proceed.

The master plan was unveiled on September 25, 1997, during an outdoor announcement at Mesa del Sol, on the site of the proposed regional recreational complex.

"This plan takes the best qualities of New Mexico's traditional villages and historic past and combines those with the most modern and sustainable water and land use designs for the future in this arid land," Powell said.

The criteria in the plan are encompassed in the city's Planned Communities Criteria, which the State Land Office agreed to follow in exchange for annexation by the City of Albuquerque in 1993.

The site is a natural location for accommodating new growth, most of which comes from current New Mexicans' children and grandchildren, Powell said. The site is less than 10 minutes from downtown and less than five minutes from the Albuquerque International Sunport.

"We've reached this milestone as a result of hard work and unprecedented communication with the government bodies and many other groups with a vital interest in the smart development of Mesa del Sol.

"We are able to submit this plan today because of years of consultation with the City of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, Kirtland Air Force Base, the Department of Energy, local supporters of the base, neighborhood associations, Isleta Pueblo, business, labor and community leaders and development organizations, environmental groups, the State Engineer's Office, AMAFCA, youth sports leagues, the New Mexico Legislature and many more individuals. Of special importance to us is our relationship with the primary beneficiary of this site, the University of New Mexico," Powell said.

The plan was developed by New Mexico State Land Office planner Tom Leatherwood.

The New Mexico State Land Office administers approximately 13 million acres of mineral rights and nine million acres of surface land in New Mexico. Revenue from the use of the land and royalties from extraction of minerals benefit the beneficiaries of the trust lands.

The beneficiaries of the trust lands are the public schools, universities, hospitals and other public institutions. In Fiscal Year 1997, the trust lands and land grant permanent funds generated $267.2 million in income for the beneficiaries of the trust.