Grasping growth: the county has a plan for the future

New Mexico Business Journal, Jan-Feb, 1999 by Kent Paterson

Valencia County is growing, and it wants to grow the right way. A number of the county's leaders have a vision of what it could become, and they are working to make this vision a reality. In the view of close observers, much remains to be done in making sure that infrastructure keeps up with population growth.

Mary Lou Chavez, executive director of the Belen Chamber of Commerce, wants downtown Belen to be lively and attractive. "We want to make the downtown area the historic area of Belen, using the Harvey House (museum) as a focal point," said Chavez. Others, she said, would like to see a performing arts center. "It all takes money and a commitment of people who want to get things done. A lot of people have a lot of ideas." Downtown Belen's infrastructure has recently been upgraded, with the installation of new water and sewage pipes, and telephone and electrical line. Business growth in Valencia County is being matched by residential construction, which continues at a steady pace. Consequently, controlled growth and water conservation are emerging as two of the pressing issues. Housing runs the gamut from low-end mobile homes (several dealers are in the county) to high-end, Southwestern-style residences. In Los Lunas, the home construction spurt began 10 years ago when Sivage-Thomas Homes, Inc. christened the Las Maravillas subdivision on the east side of the Rio Grande. More recently, the developer built homes in the Los Cerritos and La Entrada subdivisions behind Los Lunas High School and adjacent to Interstate 25.

So far, said Sivage-Thomas president and ceo Mike Sivage, about 200 homes have been finished in the latest subdivisions, with space for another 1,500. Prices for Sivage-Thomas homes in Los Lunas range from $89,000 in Los Maravillas to over $200,000 in Los Cerritos. "Part of the reason a person might want to consider living in Los Lunas is they might get a little more home for their money," Sivage said.

Diane Pope, executive director of the Los Lunas Chamber of Commerce, said additional construction opportunities are opening up on the town's expanding west side, where 2,000 annexed acres will be the basis for a mixed-use, planned community development. Sivage predicted that his company will operate in a more competitive environment in the future as new contractors enter the market. For some long-established residents consider it important to convince newcomers they have a stake in the Valencia community and shouldn't simply consider it a home base from which they depart to work and shop in Albuquerque. Dr. Margaret Espinosa McDonald, Belen educator and local historian, said that attachments to old shopping habits end up depriving Valencia County of a bigger funding base needed to support the added population. "All the sales tax then goes to Albuquerque instead of to Los Lunas and Belen."

Pavlos Panagopolous, the president-elect of the Belen Chamber, is one relative newcomer who would readily agree with McDonald.

A financial consultant, Panagopolous said he's found the small-town atmosphere and big city proximity ideal for his growing business.

A hospital is one hotly debated item on the development agenda and, in the view of some, could be the stimulus for further economic growth. Although there are doctors and dentists, no 24-hour medical facility exists in Valencia County. For the present.

KENT PATERSON IS AN ALBUQUERQUE FREELANCE WRITER.