in the borderland area. However, this growth has catalyzed unprecedented development within the city. “We anticipate another maybe between 2,0002,500 new homes within our region, within the city of Sunland Park itself,” Mayor Perea says, “and that’s on top of the 2000-4,000 homes that we’ve already seen built over the last 10 years during my tenure here at the city.” The city administration recognizes the long-term impact of current development decisions.“We want to create sustainable communities long into the future, and we have one opportunity to get this right for the next 30 years,” Mayor Perea emphasizes.“Once you build a community, it’s there and it gets pretty much redone every 30 years or so. We want to make sure that what we do with the policies we put in place and what we approve as the governing body is in the best interest of the community and the long-term future of our homes here.” MEETING HOUSING DEMAND WITH MIXED DEVELOPMENT Sunland Park is tackling its housing needs through a multi-faceted approach that blends traditional single-family homes with innovative higher-density developments.“Through the recent zonings that we have made across the entire city, we have allowed for single residential homes, which is one of the biggest things that we’re seeing right now,” Mayor Perea explains.“But also, our council has approved higher density developments within the city of Sunland Park, especially in our entertainment district, and along the major streets within the city.” The city’s vision for future development includes modern mixed-use buildings that combine commercial and residential spaces. “We anticipate that in the future, we’re going to see multilevel housing, multilevel developments that have commercial space in the bottom and housing on top,” says Mayor Perea. This approach serves a dual purpose: increasing housing availability while optimizing municipal resources.“That will also help us reduce municipal cost with a higher density in certain areas across the city.” The planning process has been marked by extensive community engagement, with residents showing 4 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 02
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