Contact: Erin Madsen/ The Current Argus

Carlsbad, Apr 17, 2003 - Another change in flood designations will now permit a local retirement community to build dozens of town homes along the Pecos River.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency earlier this week opened about 200 feet around Landsun Homes Inc. for development by declaring the area as floodplain, rather than floodway, City Administrator Jon Tully said. Floodway is more restrictive on construction.

The land will be used to construct at least 50 town homes, a plan that was put on hold because of FEMA's restrictions, said Landsun Executive Director Danny York.

"Now, at least we know where we stand with this thing. Before, we didn't know what our boundaries were," York said. "We can start those town homes and go from there."

Landsun's new designations follow a similar relief effort two weeks ago in which FEMA changed four of five acres of the city-sponsored riverfront Cascades Project from floodway to floodplain, allowing more development.

Frank Pagano, FEMA's regional mitigation director, said the Cascades' original distinctions were changed because, after additional technical surveying, the agency determined the project would be both safe to local residents and encourage economic development with the four acres considered floodplain.

"It's a pretty common-sense approach to helping cities," he said.

Mayor Bob Forrest said the new designations for Landsun will also maintain safety within the community.

"We don't want to endanger the community to do this," he said. "It opens up property that we couldn't build on - and that makes all the difference in the world."

Several property owners to the east of the retirement community will also benefit from the re-classification, Tully said.

"If they want to remodel their house, they can do it, whereas before they couldn't," he said. "They were built before the city was forced into the ordinance (of floodway restrictions)."

Tully and Forrest said the FEMA relief was supported by Sens. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., and Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., and Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M.

"When they make a phone call, it makes a difference," Forrest said.

York said he will resume working with an engineer to determine development options and designs, which will help accelerate the project that has been on hold for several years.

"We have people who are waiting to get those town homes," he said.

In addition to the new town houses currently back on the drawing board, Landsun has started a $600,000-plus remodeling project that will convert 12 assisted living units into 11 long-term care rooms, York said. The project - said to help ease the facility's growing waiting list - will add 20 more beds to the nursing home, which will bring its total bed occupancy to 105 this fall.