What Dreams May Come…
by John Weckerle
…To Sandia Park?
That question was answered recently with the announcement that the 2010 HGTV Dream Home will be built in one of the seven communities included in the 30,000 acre Campbell Ranch master planned community. That’s right; the custom-designed Pueblo-style home – a 3,900 square-foot, three-bedroom, three-bath estate with “a home office, gourmet kitchen, home theater, and a guest casita” – will be built right hear in the East West Mountains. The 14th annual HGTV Dream Home, the network’s first in the southwest, will be located in San Pedro Overlook, which, according to the network’s press release, is specifically designed for those who choose to work from home. According to the San Pedro Overlook web site, it is a gated community with three- to six-acre home sites and includes 625 acres of protected nature preserve, spectacular surroundings, and a number of amenities.
As quoted in the press release, HGTV’s Dream Home Planner, Jack Thomasson stated: “It’s a spectacular place and the house we’re building is going to be a responsible example of Southwestern living at its best.”
According to a May 22, 2009 article in the New Mexico Business Weekly, “The new home was designed by Amy Coburn, a Harvard University-trained architect who worked at Mesa del Sol. Cedar Crest builder Mark Roccaforte of Allied Homes is the builder.”
Some confusion has arisen as to whether the Dream Home will be built within the Town of Edgewood. We checked with Campbell Corporation representative Mark Lautman, who confirmed that San Pedro Overlook is, in fact, in Sandoval County and not within the Town’s boundaries. That means that the issues surrounding Campbell’s appeal to the Town Council regarding its plat extension will have absolutely no bearing on the project. That appeal was to be the subject of a public hearing at this Wednesday’s Town Council meeting, but according to an e-mail message sent Monday morning by Estefanie Muller, Edgewood Town Clerk, that meeting has been canceled due to lack of a quorum.
Campbell Corporation is to be congratulated on landing this outstanding opportunity, but the benefits may extend beyond Campbell and the builder; residential construction and real estate in general may see a boost from the project. A high-visibility effort such as this will bring great attention to the area’s charms – as one of the top-rated cable networks, HGTV is distributed to 97 million households, and their web site attracts about 5 million visitors in an average month. Of course, we’ll have to wait until the HGTV Dream Home program moves on to 2010 to start registering to win. Right now, though, they’re showing daily photographs of the construction site at the Dream Home central page, and it looks as if grading has already begun. We’ll be keeping an eye on the project, and we’re looking forward to seeing how it turns out. Welcome to New Mexico, HGTV!