OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Rio Rancho City Council Meeting: Maverick Gas Station Site Plan Postponed - July 20, 2026

Meeting PortalMonday, July 20, 2026
BodyRio Rancho, New Mexico
SessionMeeting Portal
DateMonday, July 20, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:00:01

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

So, and sounds very basic, but we look for a north arrow.

0:04

We make sure that there is a north arrow and a scale on the site plan itself.

0:08

So that criteria has been satisfied.

0:11

We look at the lot boundaries and easements.

0:14

So I'm pointing out that, and these are a lot easier to see on your agenda briefing memorandums when you're able to actually like zoom in and see the boundaries.

0:24

But they did provide where the lot boundaries are, they did provide where the existing easements are.

0:30

They also are showing proposed easements.

0:36

But D, they also are showing the existing and proposed right-of-ways.

0:42

So with this one, what they're showing is uh what they have talked with DOT about the need to put in a D cell turn lane off of I28, um, the pavement that would happen along Monterey along with those turn lanes, and then any additional uh infrastructure needed along Opergon for 154.433C.

1:06

Uh so this is showing the existing and proposed utilities.

1:10

So in and the it looks very tiny here, but again, uh agenda briefing memorandum is a lot easier to read.

1:17

Um the blue lines are the water lines, the green lines are your sewer lines, so they will be extending utilities to the property and then along the section of Monterey that they will be paving.

1:32

Looking at 154.433E.

1:36

Uh, so they need to list out the proposed structures with uses, dimensions, and setbacks.

1:41

Um so I've got a lot of little red circles on here, um, but what I am trying to highlight is that on the far right hand side, what they're showing is the setback a setback line.

1:54

So what that does is it's actually telling us that the setbacks required in C1, that's as far as they could actually go.

2:05

Um they're not going that far, they're actually meeting or exceeding what those setback requirements would be in C1.

2:13

Um they are showing the access points along with setbacks, dimensions uh for the buildings itself.

2:25

So uh the convenience store would be approximately 4,499 square feet.

2:30

They're also showing where the field canopy would be located.

2:34

Um just to go into a little bit of detail on that setback line that I referenced on the right hand side.

2:40

Um, so they would need to be 10 feet from the front, uh, 10 feet from the corner side, and then zero on their side and rear lot lines, um, they are again exceeding those distances.

2:51

Um and then the other circles are highlighting the proposed ingress and egress, parking, and then circulation through the site.

2:59

Um so that um bottom right hand circle is highlighting where they would have a cross lot um access or circulation with the feature development.

3:12

Then we have 154.433G, uh which is their landscaping and landscape buffer plan.

3:20

So uh what you can see is that they are um putting a lot of landscaping on the site.

3:26

Um again, they're showing um a lot of those buffers between actually where the building is and the roadway.

3:34

Um, and then there is a requirement uh for a buffer wall.

3:38

One of the things that um I'm trying to display on that right hand side, and sorry that the picture is so tiny, uh, but it did come to our attention that the NMDOT has a right-of-way map uh from 1992 actually, um, and it's not something that that we knew about until we had reached out to the county about this.

3:58

Um, but those red boxes um in that image on the right hand side are um NM DOT right-of-way.

4:06

And so the distance between that southern property line for the subject property and the property to the south is over a hundred feet, and so technically they they are not required to do a buffer wall uh for that uh section of the southern uh boundary for the property.

4:23

Uh that was something that came to our attention just recently.

4:26

Um so we did have a catch-all in our uh conditions of approval uh requesting that if they weren't going to put in that buffer wall that they would need to come in for advance, um, but it is now our understanding that there is about 120 feet of right-of-way located on that section of road, and so therefore they would not be required to put up that buffer wall on that section.

4:49

Uh then for 1543 3G, um, nope, sorry, next one, uh 3H.

4:57

Um, so elevations, um, and I actually have three pages on this one.

5:02

Um, so a couple of things that I wanted to uh point back to.

5:06

So the second picture for the site plan had a south view that showed that the road would be up here with the houses, um, and then any of the commercial would be located um further down, right?

5:19

Um, or uh stepped down.

5:22

So on this uh specific portion of the site plan, it's it's the drainage plan, and so I'll come back to this later too.

5:30

Um, but that elevation at the road ranges from 1,000, I'm sorry, 5,150 feet up to 5,170 feet.

5:40

Uh, and the finished floor for this building is actually going to be 5,150.

5:45

So depending on the location, there is about a 20-foot uh deviation or set down from where the road itself is located.

5:58

Uh when we're talking about building height, um we're looking that this seemed like kind of the easier uh image to point out.

6:06

Um and so what I have circled in red, and so it'll talk about 100 feet at that bottom uh circle, uh, and then that top circle is is uh 119.

6:16

Um when we're looking at site plans, architectural site plans, um they actually have their baseline starting at 100 feet uh because they don't like to go into the negative for things, so they actually always start at 100 and go up.

6:28

So this building is not going to be 119 feet.

6:31

Um the bulk of the building is 19 feet, um, and then that little awning on the top uh goes up to 29 feet.

6:40

Um but when as the city we measure um the building heights, uh since that is technically considered a uh gable roof, uh we do the average between the EVE, which would be the bottom little part of it, and the ridge, which is like the tip top.

6:59

Um, and so the average height of the building would actually be uh approximately uh 24 feet, um, but again, the majority of the building is going to be around 19 feet.

7:14

So this uh just is some more illustrations of what the building would look like from some different angles along with the fuel canopy.

7:22

The fuel canopy is just a little bit over 19 feet in height.

7:28

Then for 154 43 3J, uh this is the uh preliminary drainage, and then uh for 1543 3.

7:45

Actually, I'm sorry, the last one was yeah, no, this one's I uh the adjacent characteristics for the property.

7:51

Um, so what they did was they did provide um a location map to show what other properties were around them and what those other properties look like, along with a flood map to show the arroyo um to the south.

8:07

And so uh I didn't say it verbally every time we were going through, but it is written in the ABM.

8:12

I did put it on the slides that all of the criteria that we have to uh that we need to review for for a site plan, all of those criteria have been met and is within the standards that was submitted by the applicant.

8:27

One of the other things I wanted to show today, so this is the proposed site plan from 2007, and then I'm laying on top, um, and I don't have like the greatest technical skills, so I just did this in you know, PowerPoint, so I did what I did.

8:43

Um, but what you can see is how it overlays on top.

8:46

Um, and so um looking at it, uh the access point is very similar in location for this proposed site plan as it was in the 2007.

8:57

The um site the access point off of Opergon is also again very similar in location to where it was in the 2007 site plan.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Transportation Safety████████████████████████████28%
Procedural██████████████████18%
Fiscal Sustainability██████████████████18%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████████13%
Public Safety█████████9%
Community Engagement████4%
Economic Development███3%
Budget Equity Analysis███3%
Environmental Protection██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Rio Rancho City Council Meeting: Maverick Gas Station Site Plan Postponed - July 20, 2026

The Rio Rancho City Council met on July 20, 2026, to consider a site plan (D23) for a proposed Maverick convenience store and gas station on a 2-acre portion of a larger parcel near Monterey Road and NM 528. After extensive public comment and council deliberation, the council voted 5-2 to postpone the decision to September 10, 2026, to allow further discussions with NMDOT regarding access from NM 528.

Consent Calendar

  • No consent calendar items were noted.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Approximately eight residents spoke in opposition to the site plan, citing concerns about traffic safety, noise, lighting, property values, emergency access, and compatibility with the adjacent residential neighborhood and Enchanted Hills Elementary School.
  • Speakers requested denial or postponement until traffic studies during school hours, 528 access, and other impacts were fully addressed.
  • The applicant, Mr. Piggott (Maverick site development manager), presented the project, highlighting the company's commitment to safety, cleanliness, and community involvement, and noted that the site meets all zoning requirements. He stated that 70% of traffic to convenience stores is pass-by, not new trips.

Discussion Items

  • D23 Site Plan – Maverick Gas Station: The council heard a detailed staff presentation from Director Rincone, who confirmed the site plan met all 154.43 criteria including setbacks, landscaping, drainage, and building height (average 24 feet). She noted that a buffer wall was not required along the southern boundary due to a 120-foot NMDOT right-of-way.
  • Council Concerns: Councilors raised issues about the lack of a full access point on NM 528 (only a right-in on Obergon was allowed), the impact on Monterey Road (a residential street), traffic during school hours, and the need for community outreach. Councilor Culbreth moved to postpone to allow the full development team to revisit NMDOT for possible 528 access.
  • Applicant Response: Mr. Piggott stated that negotiations with NMDOT had been extensive and resulted in the current access limitations, but he was open to further discussions if postponed.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion to Postpone: Councilor Culbreth moved to postpone D23 to the first meeting in September 2026 (September 10). The motion was seconded and passed by a vote of 5–2 (Councilor List and Councilor Lennantine opposed).
  • City Manager’s Report: The city manager provided a brief update on 4th of July celebrations and fireworks enforcement, noting that police and fire issued warnings and confiscations in prior years.
  • No other agenda items: No second readings or first readings of ordinances were on the agenda.

Meeting Transcript

So, and sounds very basic, but we look for a north arrow. We make sure that there is a north arrow and a scale on the site plan itself. So that criteria has been satisfied. We look at the lot boundaries and easements. So I'm pointing out that, and these are a lot easier to see on your agenda briefing memorandums when you're able to actually like zoom in and see the boundaries. But they did provide where the lot boundaries are, they did provide where the existing easements are. They also are showing proposed easements. But D, they also are showing the existing and proposed right-of-ways. So with this one, what they're showing is uh what they have talked with DOT about the need to put in a D cell turn lane off of I28, um, the pavement that would happen along Monterey along with those turn lanes, and then any additional uh infrastructure needed along Opergon for 154.433C. Uh so this is showing the existing and proposed utilities. So in and the it looks very tiny here, but again, uh agenda briefing memorandum is a lot easier to read. Um the blue lines are the water lines, the green lines are your sewer lines, so they will be extending utilities to the property and then along the section of Monterey that they will be paving. Looking at 154.433E. Uh, so they need to list out the proposed structures with uses, dimensions, and setbacks. Um so I've got a lot of little red circles on here, um, but what I am trying to highlight is that on the far right hand side, what they're showing is the setback a setback line. So what that does is it's actually telling us that the setbacks required in C1, that's as far as they could actually go. Um they're not going that far, they're actually meeting or exceeding what those setback requirements would be in C1. Um they are showing the access points along with setbacks, dimensions uh for the buildings itself. So uh the convenience store would be approximately 4,499 square feet. They're also showing where the field canopy would be located. Um just to go into a little bit of detail on that setback line that I referenced on the right hand side. Um, so they would need to be 10 feet from the front, uh, 10 feet from the corner side, and then zero on their side and rear lot lines, um, they are again exceeding those distances. Um and then the other circles are highlighting the proposed ingress and egress, parking, and then circulation through the site. Um so that um bottom right hand circle is highlighting where they would have a cross lot um access or circulation with the feature development. Then we have 154.433G, uh which is their landscaping and landscape buffer plan. So uh what you can see is that they are um putting a lot of landscaping on the site. Um again, they're showing um a lot of those buffers between actually where the building is and the roadway. Um, and then there is a requirement uh for a buffer wall. One of the things that um I'm trying to display on that right hand side, and sorry that the picture is so tiny, uh, but it did come to our attention that the NMDOT has a right-of-way map uh from 1992 actually, um, and it's not something that that we knew about until we had reached out to the county about this. Um, but those red boxes um in that image on the right hand side are um NM DOT right-of-way. And so the distance between that southern property line for the subject property and the property to the south is over a hundred feet, and so technically they they are not required to do a buffer wall uh for that uh section of the southern uh boundary for the property. Uh that was something that came to our attention just recently. Um so we did have a catch-all in our uh conditions of approval uh requesting that if they weren't going to put in that buffer wall that they would need to come in for advance, um, but it is now our understanding that there is about 120 feet of right-of-way located on that section of road, and so therefore they would not be required to put up that buffer wall on that section. Uh then for 1543 3G, um, nope, sorry, next one, uh 3H. Um, so elevations, um, and I actually have three pages on this one. Um, so a couple of things that I wanted to uh point back to. So the second picture for the site plan had a south view that showed that the road would be up here with the houses, um, and then any of the commercial would be located um further down, right? Um, or uh stepped down. So on this uh specific portion of the site plan, it's it's the drainage plan, and so I'll come back to this later too. Um, but that elevation at the road ranges from 1,000, I'm sorry, 5,150 feet up to 5,170 feet. Uh, and the finished floor for this building is actually going to be 5,150. So depending on the location, there is about a 20-foot uh deviation or set down from where the road itself is located. Uh when we're talking about building height, um we're looking that this seemed like kind of the easier uh image to point out. Um and so what I have circled in red, and so it'll talk about 100 feet at that bottom uh circle, uh, and then that top circle is is uh 119. Um when we're looking at site plans, architectural site plans, um they actually have their baseline starting at 100 feet uh because they don't like to go into the negative for things, so they actually always start at 100 and go up. So this building is not going to be 119 feet. Um the bulk of the building is 19 feet, um, and then that little awning on the top uh goes up to 29 feet. Um but when as the city we measure um the building heights, uh since that is technically considered a uh gable roof, uh we do the average between the EVE, which would be the bottom little part of it, and the ridge, which is like the tip top. Um, and so the average height of the building would actually be uh approximately uh 24 feet, um, but again, the majority of the building is going to be around 19 feet. So this uh just is some more illustrations of what the building would look like from some different angles along with the fuel canopy.

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