Join opposition to Family Dollar store in Ranchos

Over the centuries tensions have arisen from designs of urban spaces. The tension comes from the conflict between the residents and the rulers.

Will the design enhance the area for the residents or will it be the will of the ruler? Many people were unhappy with the way Paris was changed in the mid-19th century when the medieval city was torn down and replaced.

Rome and Houston are examples of cities that have not had much planning or zoning input. Taos County has its own ancient Pueblo, maybe not completely planned, but very coherent, and made and maintained throughout its history by its inhabitants.

Ranchos de Taos cannot claim to have historical structures as old as the Taos Pueblo although it has several historically significant buildings. It also has a community that has centered itself around the San Francisco de Asis Church for at least the last 200 years. This community comes out and re-plasters the church annually. Many Ranchos families have been in the community for centuries.

But times change. Now the traffic has increased through Ranchos and all around. I still remember arguments about a bypass around Taos when I was a child. Traffic could even be a problem in the 1950s, and the small businesses in Taos wanted to snag anyone who went through town.

At the time of the first traffic light at the Plaza, gas stations were on each corner and everyone went to the Plaza. People shopped for food, went to the hardware store, the drug store, the dime store, the courthouse, and so on.

Times change. The small businesses have changed from selling goods and services to the community into specialist shops for tourists. Now we have stores like everywhere else and now sidewalks. Stores are popular when they are new, and then another one is built down the highway and that one becomes popular and the old one is discarded. Now we have three dollar stores on the south side, and maybe a forth coming.

Change is coming to Ranchos de Taos. The Taos County Planning Commission has approved a special use permit for building another dollar store, this time near the intersection of State Road 518, going to Talpa, Truchas and Las Vegas, and the main road into Taos from Santa Fe, State Road 68.

Many, many people pass through this intersection every day and will experience the goings on at this dangerous intersection. It could mean that traffic will back up because the turn lane can’t accommodate the volume. It could mean delays because of trucks unloading at the Giant and thereby blocking lanes. It could mean drivers making questionable and/ or illegal turns to access the gas station and convenience store. It could mean pedestrians will try to cross the road. It could mean traffic traveling faster than the 30 mph speed limit. It could mean two lanes of traffic squeezing into one as drivers try to rush through the intersection down into Ranchos and southbound.

Nevertheless, the Taos County Planning Commission has decided it is OK for a big box store to be given a permit to be built next to the Shell/Giant station. One commissioner said that if the problem at this intersection gets much worse, the Department of Transportation will have to do something, so that is reason to approve.

Is this to mean that if accidents increase and people die, as the neighborhood fears, that we can thank our commissioners? Many residents in the immediate vicinity of the proposed store spoke against approval at the July 12 meeting earlier this year. They communicated many valid concerns not included here.

Recently when I visited the Taos County complex to vote, I read through the Taos County Board of County Commissioners Code of Ethics. The first: “Taos County Commissioners shall recognize that the chief function of our Commission, at all times, is to serve the best interests of all people of Taos County.” This was passed, approved and adopted on 16 Feb 2016 and signed by our current commissioners.

The Ranchos de Taos Neighborhood Association has filed a Notice of Appeal regarding the permit for the Family Dollar Store, and the appeal will be heard by the county commissioners on Dec. 12 at 9 a.m. (Yes, it’s a Monday morning.) The association invites

the community to attend and to sign the petitions that are circulating; please add comments and join in the discussion.

Anna Bush Crews is a member of the Ranchos de Taos Neighborhood Association.