DOÑA ANA COUNTY, New Mexico (KTSM) – Dozens of residents who live near a 50-acre parcel of land in Anthony, New Mexico are worried that the land’s property owner is seeking a permit from Doña Ana County (DAC) to operate a cannabis business.
A sign posted by Doña Ana County off of 1240 Gardner Road, where the property is located, states that the establishment would include space for retail, cultivation and a consumption lounge for cannabis.
The sign also states there will be a public hearing held by the DAC Planning and Zoning Commission at 9 a.m. Thursday, March 13 at 845 N. Motel Blvd. in Las Cruces.
“We use the road as an avenue to be able to walk our dogs, be out with our families. And so from our standpoint, that quality of life is certainly something that’s very important to us. When it comes to the marijuana, I don’t think that’s really what our opposition is. It’s about the commercial development of having a lounge and a retail store here,” said Mitch Morgan, who lives near the property.
Clark and other nearby residents shared a number of concerns about the proposed cannabis business.
Chief among those concerns was how a cannabis business could lead to increased traffic in the rural area.
They are worried that narrow and poor road conditions and the potential for impaired drivers could cause problems for them and pose a danger to public safety.
Residents said they’re also concerned that the smell of cannabis will be prevalent throughout the area, and that the business may attract property crime.
“It just doesn’t involve the growth of some marijuana plants. But there are greenhouses there. There’s going to be a processing plant. There’s going to be retail sales, and there’s also going to be a consumption lounge, which means people are going to be smoking here and then getting back on our streets. As you can tell, the streets really aren’t set up for commercial and extensive retail. And we’re also concerned (that) it’s going to look like a prison yard with high fences and barbed wire and gates and high intensity lighting for security purposes,” said Chris Clark, who also lives nearby.
Clark said the proposed cannabis business would only be a small part of the 50-acre parcel and this business, if OK’d by the County, could open the doors for more retail businesses to move into the area.
“Since this is such a large parcel, 48.33 acres, they’re only using a small portion of it to start. But once that’s in place, if it is, then we have to worry about the possibility of precedent setting. If a business has been allowed in here, maybe the next one’s coming and then the next one, and all of a sudden we’ve got a strip shopping center right here on a small rural road,” Clark said.
Clark said they have created a petition that now has over 130 signatures from nearby residents opposing the rezoning of the property. He also said there is a neighboring church that’s been doing a similar petition to oppose the zone change.
KTSM reached out to Acoma Hill Investment LP, the owners of the property, but we have not heard back from them yet.
County Commissioner Gloria Gameros, who represents the area, said she has heard concerns from residents and encourages them to attend Thursday’s meeting of the County Planning and Zoning Commission.
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