Public trust is essential, and questions about transparency deserve clear and factual answers. However, the recent editorial regarding Project Ranger and Sandoval County’s zoning actions presents an incomplete and inaccurate account of the process surrounding Section 36.
Sandoval County has held an economic development lease on Section 36 for more than a decade. For most of that time, the parcel carried a “no zone” designation, an impediment to any serious economic development effort and a source of ongoing confusion regarding the parcel’s intended use. Years before Project Ranger expressed interest in New Mexico, the county identified the need to formally zone the property as part of a broader state initiative to better position publicly owned land designated for economic development.
That need was most recently formalized through a state infrastructure assessment of publicly owned land identified for economic development. As part of this process, GLS Consultants conducted due diligence on Section 36 between September and December 2024. The final infrastructure study report, issued on Dec. 18, 2024, specifically identified the need to assign zoning to a parcel that was still designated as “no zone.”
While the county missed the opportunity to prioritize assigning an appropriate zoning designation as early as it should have, it did and continues to act as a responsible steward of the property. County staff work consistently to keep the parcel free of illegal dumping and misuse, including removing trash, abandoned furniture, used tires, used motor oil, and improperly discharged RV septic waste. These ongoing efforts were necessary to preserve the land for its intended purpose: future job-creating development. More formal planning steps, including the assignment of zoning to support the intended use, were underway…