RIO RANCHO SET FOR GROWTH

Construction of Presbyterian Medical Services’ Rio Rancho Medical Center is half complete. With opening set for October 2011, the $190 million, 66-bed facility is expected to be the anchor for new activity in southwest Rio Rancho, says Tom Swisstack, Rio Rancho mayor.
That new development near the hospital includes a retail and office project, The Village at Rio Rancho, on a 75-acre tract immediately north of the Presbyterian project. The Village will be designed in an outdoor, urban-street environment. A $50 million retail and medical office development called Petroglyph Plaza will be constructed on 20 acres across Unser Blvd. from the hospital.
In July, Swisstack told metro Albuquerque developers that the city is moving to deal with the legacy of its development history. Within the city limits Rio Rancho has more than 20,000 half-acre lots without infrastructure and owned by people around the world. These lots are part of more than 77,000 lots created by Rio Rancho’s initial developer. To start, the city will pursue modifications to the Metropolitan Redevelopment Act during the 2011 legislature, Swisstack said.