RIO RANCHO, N.M. (KRQE) – The city of Rio Rancho is growing quickly. According to Mayor Gregg Hull, home building permits are back from pre-recession levels from the mid-2000s, and supply chain issues and rising costs are not slowing things down. In his state of the city address, Mayor Hull says the extensive amount of projects happening in the city are spurring the growth.
“I’m proud to say the investments we are making in local government personnel, facilities, quality of life, and public safety resources in infrastructure will help keep Rio Rancho moving in the right direction for years to come,” says Hull.
Projects like the 65-acre development in the Unser Gateway area, known as The Village, will feature a variety of retail vendors, restaurants, and a grocery store. It could also mean more interest for new residents. In 2021, 1,054 new single-family home permits were issued, which is the higher number of home permits since 2007.
While Rio Rancho has had a small-town feel compared to the much larger population in Albuquerque, some residents say they are on the fence when it comes to Rio Rancho’s rapid growth. “This is a great place, yes but the generation now, my kids are all in their 40s and they are all settled, so I don’t know what the younger ones are doing,” said one Rio Rancho resident.
Others who call the City of Vision home, say they are glad to see more people moving to Rio Rancho. “I love it, actually. I think we need more growth out here. I don’t want to become like Albuquerque but, the more growth there is, it’s probably going to be better for the economy,” said Rio Rancho resident, Chris Lalley.
A city spokesperson says the whole city is seeing growth, including new housing developments across all parts of the city. A lot of the new developments are outside the City Center of Rio Rancho. Mayor Hull says that they rely on private developers to continue to grow.
