Commission conditionally approves Solada Springs community type and preliminary plat for 371‑lot subdivision after traffic study revisions required

Doña Ana County’s Planning & Zoning Commission gave conditional approval May 28 to the Solada Springs (also referenced as Solata Springs) neighborhood community type and the associated preliminary plat for a 371‑lot, mixed‑intensity subdivision on roughly 60 acres, subject to revisions and coordination on traffic and pedestrian connectivity.

Staff presented the community‑type plan and preliminary plat, concluding the proposed neighborhood meets the Unified Development Code criteria with conditions. Staff noted sewer will be provided by the City of Las Cruces and water by Moon Gate Water, and recommended that final construction drawings include a shared‑use multiuse path along Peachtree Hills and a pedestrian crossing from the new subdivision to Mesa Middle School.

Applicant Kent Thurston described a design that mixes higher‑density housing with civic spaces, parks and pedestrian paseos aimed at improving affordability. Commissioners and the applicant’s representatives discussed the traffic analysis: staff and applicant cited a traffic‑impact statement that reported 203 AM peak and 255 PM peak vehicle trips for the full development, numbers several commissioners described as improbably low.

Commissioner(s) asked for clarification or revision of the trip‑generation methodology, including updated peak‑hour trip generation, trip distribution and volume‑to‑capacity ratios; the applicant agreed to update the study and work with county and city staff. Commissioners also negotiated the language of the multiuse‑path condition so the path would be coordinated with county improvements rather than strictly placed only on the applicant’s north side, to ensure future connectivity.

On separate roll calls, the commission conditionally approved the community‑type request (CT25‑001) and the preliminary plat (SD26‑003), with Commissioner Olsen recusing on votes where disclosed. Conditions require coordination with the City of Las Cruces and Las Cruces Public Schools, submission of refined traffic analyses prior to final construction‑drawing approval, and placement/location of the shared‑use path to be determined through staff coordination.