Portales council denies request to change ordinance

The Portales City Council voted on Wednesday to deny a request by a developer to change an ordinance that established building standards for Raven Wood Estates Addition, a subdivision that the city annexed in 2010.

The city’s Planning & Zoning Commission had recommended the council deny the request to make the change.

The ordinance provided that the houses in the subdivision have brick exteriors and cement block fencing, as stated in the ordinance. Removing these requirements in future homes in the development could reduce the homes’ values, current homeowners said.

The developers of Raven Wood are Adam Broomfield and his partner Guy Kcholi, according to the city. The News asked the city for its contact information on the developers so it could include their comments. The city did not respond to the request by press time.

During the public comment period at the August 9 council meeting, several residents who live in the subdivision spoke against allowing any change to the ordinance. They wanted the ordinance to remain the same.

Pamela Shuler, homeowner in Raven Wood Estates, said in the public comment period that the “primary reason” for purchasing her home was the very change the developer is asking to make to the ordinance—removing the requirement for homes to have brick exteriors and cement block fencing.

Shuler said the exterior and fencing features will allow homeowners to retain their property values.

Rich Jones said, speaking of the developer, he is “sorry that the price of things are going up” and that he understands that, but he is against changing the ordinance.

In a text, another homeowner, Junior Aguilar, said he wants the subdivision to be completed, “but not with cheaper homes” and that he would “hate to see property values go down.”

The council unanimously approved the denial of the request to change Ordinance 689, which set standards for building in the subdivision.

On another item, in the public comment period at this week’s council meeting, two residents spoke against the proposed 30 percent increase per year for five years to residential and commercial water users.

Thomas Dewitt said the city’s explanation that it had not raised water rates in more than 10 years because former city managers would not let staff bring the item to the council should be looked into. It should “not happen again.”

Dewitt said the city should forma committee to find out how this happened.These types of decisions, referring to the need to raise water rates in previous years, “should not be kept from the council or the people.”

Mayor Ronald Jackson spoke after the comment. The Mayor said council did not raise the rates to that “exorbitant amount.” Instead, it tabled the matter.

“We were as appalled” as the residents and everyone else by the high proposed water rate increase, he said. The council sent the matter back to staff to look into a smaller increase –“but it has to be increased.”

“We are taking action to make sure this does not happen again,” he said. “I appreciate everybody’s concerns” and understand them. The city wants to “keep our doors open and keep business coming to Portales.”