Santa Fe, NM – On April 16th, the New Mexico Supreme Court refused to review a ruling by the State Court of Appeals addressing the Santolina development that is proposed for Albuquerque’s West Mesa.
According to New Mexico Environmental Law Center staff attorney Douglas Meiklejohn, the Supreme Court’s ruling means that the decisions by the Court of Appeals concerning Santolina remain in effect.
“The Court of Appeals ruling means that the land in question remains zoned Rural Agricultural and that it cannot be used for a planned community such as Santolina,” said Meiklejohn.
Dr. Virginia Necochea, the Executive Director of the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, which litigated the case before the Board and in the Courts, said, “This important decision has been years in the making. The community has been battling against the Santolina Development for more than eight years. The decision of the Supreme Court is great news, because it means that our water and communities remain protected from this unneeded sprawl development, at least for now. We thank the NMELC attorneys for their commitment to use the power of the law to defend the community’s interests.”