The North Highway 14 Sector Development Plan has been the subject of two meetings at Los Vecinos Community Center and may play a big role in the shape of developments to come. The sector is along N.M. 14, from just north of the village of Tijeras to north of Frost Road.

Janet Winchester-Silbaugh, president of the North 14 Forum, a registered nonprofit organization, said the plan will not only benefit residents concerned about preserving the character of the community but should help developers, as well.

"I actually see it as really helpful for everybody," she said.

This way potential developers will know the kinds of developments — and in what areas — the community would like to see, she said.

She also hoped that commercial businesses could be encouraged to group together.

There are some businesses the area does not have, like a laundromat or a carwash that may not be possible without appropriate wastewater treatment, she pointed out.

"For me, personally, I'd like to see historic and natural areas protected and growth in appropriate pocket areas," she said.

Everyone may not agree on the specifics, which is part of the reason an architecture and planning firm, Sites Southwest, was contracted by Bernalillo County to gather the concerns expressed by those attending the meetings. And all the opinions are being recorded, according to Winchester-Silbaugh.

"I was pretty darned impressed how they just put up everybody's ideas," she said.

The plan is starting to come into focus. There are three main concepts it addresses: transportation, style and important locations. Winchester-Silbaugh gave examples of each.

An important location that was brought up was a historical rock house just north of Interstate 40, on the east side of N.M. 14, while style may be an emphasis on New Mexico territorial architecture, as opposed to an architectural style that wouldn't fit with the area, such as the mansions of the Deep South.

Transportation, or the road through Cedar Crest and the areas nearby, was possibly the most contentious issue, she said, and has been discussed at length.

The ideas centered around slowing down traffic through the area, but ranged from traffic circles to increased police patrols and even a place for Park and Ride service. With the increase in traffic during the past several years, it has become a bone of contention for quite a few people in the community.

Winchester-Silbaugh said people would have to decide whether their stretch of N.M. 14 is a highway primarily for people to get to the freeway or Frost Road and points north, or whether it is a road that primarily serves the local businesses and homes.

"It can't be both. You've got to decide," she said.

The next meeting will be Jan. 14 at Vista Grande Community Center, which is north of Frost Road and east of N.M. 14 on La Madera Road. Before it is implemented, a draft of the plan must be approved by the Bernalillo County Commission, according to Breanna Anderson, the county's community services public information administrator.