Had a chance to see first-hand how things are developing these days over at “Santolina,” a word Burqueños heard about all the time a few years back. Here’s how it’s going so far:

It’s not all just a dirt road and distant radar facility, however. There’s also this:

In case you’ve forgotten all the talk and controversy circa 2015-2022, here’s a synopsis from “The Santolina Level A Master Plan.”

Santolina is a master planned community in the southwest portion of Bernalillo County covering an area of about 13,700 acres. The concept plan for Santolina (Santolina Level A Master Plan) was adopted in 2015 by the Board of County Commissioners. The Santolina area is currently vacant but is expected to develop in phases over the next 40 to 50 years. The Santolina area, corresponding to the Santolina Level A Plan area, is shown on the following map.

The Santolina Level A Plan provides a general framework for development within the plan area to include a variety of uses, including residential villages, business parks, a town center, an industrial park, an urban center, parks and public facilities, and an open space network. While the development of Santolina will take many years, the long-term goal for the plan area is to reach approximately 75,000 jobs and 38,000 households.

Still got 30 to 40 years to meet that Master Plan timeline; maybe real estate fever dream momentum will pick up the pace sometime down the historical road. For now, it’s just really good dirt, with not that much sand, bicycle riding, and a rancher passing by with a trailer of cows while both cyclist and rancher tip their helmet/hat in recognition of each other.

Personally, I’d be fine if it just stayed like this until I’m at least 100. That’d give us another 36 years.

Stay safe and tip your helmet, folks.