Quay County Comprehensive Plan
Quay County, located in east central New Mexico, is known for its location along Route 66, cultural tourism associated with the Route, farming and ranching, water-based recreation on Ute Lake, and a thriving industry around wind and solar energy generation. The comprehensive plan update includes traditional comprehensive plan elements, as well as the first phase of an asset management plan for County roads. The plan is organized around key themes of economic vitality, environmental sustainability and quality of life. A highly engaged advisory committee comprised of County elected officials, municipalities in the County, economic development organizations, and industry advocates has provided ongoing input. Two public meetings involved stakeholders and the general public in initial goal setting and refining goals and actions to implement the goals. Young residents have been important contributors to strategies to attracting and retaining young families.
Bayard Comprehensive Plan
Sites Southwest was hired by the City of Bayard to update its Comprehensive Plan in order to identify the community's vision, goals, and priorities over the next 20 years. The village is located just east of Silver City and south of active copper mines that have recently reopened. The process began in January 2020 with a meeting of City leaders, staff, mine representatives, and community groups. Sites Southwest held a town hall meeting to explain the need for the Comprehensive Plan and to provide an update on where Bayard is today in comparison to 2010. The community shared their vision for preserving the relaxing environment surrounded by beautiful views, attracting more business back to town, and expanding opportunities for walking and biking trails as well as youth activities. The community is dealing with a lot of abandoned property with absentee owners, so the plan will focus on solutions to get those properties abated and inhabitable, which will help address their housing shortage while also improving the quality of housing and the city's aesthetics.
Carrizozo Comprehensive Plan
The Town of Carrizozo is a small community with a big vision. The comprehensive plan, adopted in 2021, centered on how the Town could afford to maintain a large number of community facilities, some of which are aging and in need of repair. Understanding the Town's budget, as well as the costs of facility maintenance and upgrades The plan outlined capital improvement priorities as well as strategies for completing projects at a low cost. A community survey collected input from over 100 residents, and Sites Southwest and SMA conducted stakeholder interviews and workshops with the Town Council to fine-tune the Action Plan and prioritize capital improvements investments. The plan is intended to provide direction to the Town Council and staff in the future, not to "sit on a shelf." The Town Council approved this plan in September 2021.
Sites Southwest was hired to update the Village’s existing Comprehensive Plan, with a focus on economic development, recreation, tourism, and transportation improvements. The Village wishes to diversify its economy while continuing to serve its residents and tourists. The first phase included a series of meetings with Ruidoso’s leaders, community, and stakeholders, in which over 250 people took part. These meetings’ feedback influenced the plan. During the community meeting visioning exercise, the natural beauty, desirable climate, abundant outdoor recreation opportunities, supportive community, and friendly people in the small-town atmosphere were prioritized. The Ruidoso community established six guiding principles to represent community priorities identified during the comprehensive planning process. These principles uphold the vision for Ruidoso and are supported by all the goals, policies, and actions identified in each chapter of the plan.
Town of Hagerman Comprehensive Plan
In 2020, the Town of Hagerman sought assistance in updating its comprehensive plan. Sites Southwest led this process, which began with a robust community engagement plan to better understand the town's current issues, needs, and opportunities. Hagerman, like many small towns throughout New Mexico, has many appealing features of small, historic towns but struggles to maintain sufficient economic opportunities to keep young people and families local. We worked hard during the planning process to highlight and capitalize on the valuable social connections that can be used to create opportunity and support where organizational or economic capacity is lacking.
Town of Lake Arthur Comprehensive Plan
Sites Southwest completed a Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Lake Arthur, New Mexico that was adopted in June 2021. This was the first Comprehensive Plan update since 2001. While the town has a rich history as an agricultural community of the Pecos River Valley, it has experienced challenges common to communities with shrinking supportive economies and populations. This Plan focused on ways that Town leaders can focus capacity and resources on fulfilling critical community needs, while leaning on social and organizational assets to fill needs beyond their priorities. Stakeholder input and community engagement was key to developing a Plan vision and actions. Though the COVID-19 pandemic shifted engagement tactics, the team used a combination of digital and safe in-person opportunities to reach residents. The outcome led to recommendations for creative reuse and joint-activation of community spaces that originally served limited purposes, including the Lake Arthur Community Center and newer recreation facilities at the Lake Arthur Municipal Schools. These shifts will serve more community members and improve the quality of life for all residents.
Otero County Comprehensive Plan
Otero County commissioned Sites Southwest to update its Comprehensive Plan in order to assess where the county is today, document what county residents envision for the next 20 years, and outline the steps to get there. We convened an advisory committee comprised of representatives from economic development, natural resource management, the chamber of commerce, public lands, and the county to kick off the planning process and learn what its stakeholders believe the economy is lacking, what aspects of the county they believe need to be protected, and what opportunities for improvements and investment have been identified. We then met with communities in Alamogordo, the county seat; Chaparral, near the Texas and Mexico borders; and Weed, a small ranching community in the middle of the Sacramento Mountains. We gained a better understanding of what the communities consider the County's most valuable resources, what they envision for the future, and ideas for putting their vision into action as a result of these discussions. We also prepared a community survey to reach out to more county residents and updated their website.
Mesilla Comprehensive Plan
Mesilla is a historic rural community located near Las Cruces, New Mexico. The Town's main land use issues were a shift in annexation priorities and the preservation of culture and rural character in a growing urban region. This plan was an update to an earlier plan document that addressed the Town's border development pressures and land use changes. The community wanted to maintain its historic character while also developing affordable housing. The plan outlined multi-modal strategies for the Town's major roads, as well as walkability and bicycle infrastructure that will connect to the trail system of Las Cruces and the statewide Rio Grande Trail. Tourism, retail, and agriculture are important economic drivers in the area. The plan emphasized economic development that is appropriate to the scale and character of the town, building on the town's existing tourism and agricultural businesses. Sites Southwest held two community meetings and collaborated closely with the Planning, Zoning, and Historical Appropriateness Commission and Town Council to finalize plan objectives, capital improvement priorities, and the future land use plan. Since adoption, it has guided planning commission in their review of development proposals.
