plans for new subdivision in carlsbad reflect city's growth

A project that could see the construction of more than 250 homes in north Carlsbad is being seen as a response to the southeastern New Mexico city’s unprecedented growth.

Members of the Carlsbad City Council have given their approval to a zoning change for the site of a new subdivision called The Flumes. That change will take the site from a rural residential district designation to a residential district number one designation.

Council members also voted to approve a zoning change for a nearby 10-acre site, going from a rural residential district to a commercial district two.

That change, applying to land just west of Callaway Drive and north of the Pecos River, will allow for the development of any number of businesses and retail operations designed to service the residents living in the larger Flumes subdivision.

Carlsbad developer George Dunagan is taking on both the residential and commercial portions of The Flumes project and has told members of the city council that he hopes to see work starting on the subdivision by late 2020.

With a population of just over 25,600 in the year 2000, Carlsbad has seen its population substantially increase due to the current boom in regional oil and gas exploration.

Although no official figures have been released, some have estimated that because of the oil work, the population of Carlsbad could today be twice what it was in 2000.

In a column recently published in the Carlsbad Current Argus, Mayor Dale Janway noted that Carlsbad is “continuing to see significant residential, commercial, and industrial development across the town.”

“We all know that building more houses and apartments is the key issue,” Janway continued, adding: “and the City is committed to supporting that effort.”

By Garry Boulard

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