By Jill Reisz Westlund, AICP

Develop to address a growing national security mission or conserve environmentally sensitive land – are these actions inherently at odds or can they be reconciled? This article attempts to answer this question by examining existing uses and future development plans at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico.

Sandia Labs uses its land to support its mission to develop advanced technologies to ensure global peace. The mission includes nuclear deterrence as well as the development of broader capabilities pertaining to national security. The land uses on the New Mexico campus range from a typical research and development (R&D) office park to large-scale testing areas for components related to the mission.

Outside of R&D office areas, many operations require large land buffers between facilities. Additionally, there are large areas of land where facilities lie demolished or vacant but are planned for future development. This land has either been left untouched for so long that native vegetation has reestablished itself or disturbed areas have been re-seeded per Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stormwater permit requirements. Once vegetation is reestablished, this land becomes wildlife habitat.

Herein lies the conflict.

Following the EPA regulations regarding stormwater pollution prevention have resulted in the intended outcomes: re-vegetation requirements improve stormwater quality by reducing sediment and prevent land erosion. However, they are also creating wildlife habitat in areas where it is not intended.

The Tijeras Arroyo begins in Tijeras Canyon, which separates the Sandia Mountains from the Manzano Mountains and runs through Sandia, Kirtland, and sparsely developed portions of the City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County before it is channelized and eventually empties into the Rio Grande river. The Tijeras Arroyo is an ephemeral channel that only contains water during rainfall events. It is a thriving wildlife corridor that is particularly important for the protection of migratory birds. In 2010, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreeing to maintain the natural habitat was signed by the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Sandia Field Office, Kirtland Air Force Base, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the City of Albuquerque, and Bernalillo County.

The area of Sandia adjacent to the protected Tijeras Arroyo is currently vacant but was previously developed and contained both underground and above ground infrastructure and NNSA facilities. These facilities were demolished along with some of the underground infrastructure, and the land was environmentally restored with varying levels of environmental controls.

The DOE property that Sandia operates on is an enclave inside Kirtland Air Force Base. Although Sandia (DOE and NNSA) has land use permits obtained from Kirtland, the DOE property is surrounded by Kirtland, with little opportunity for development expansion. As Sandia’s mission grows, the need for developable land grows. The land near the Tijeras Arroyo is the largest piece of undeveloped DOE property and the prime candidate for new development. As previously stated, the Tijeras Arroyo Wildlife Corridor is protected by the MOU and is not planned for development. However, development near the corridor could also put pressure on wildlife.

The role of a site development planner is to plan for land uses and site facilities in a logical way and consider things like the synergy between uses, safe and comfortable pedestrian circulation, and efficient development of infrastructure. The overall objective is to create a framework for development that results in a campus that is a safe, healthy, and pleasant place to work. Aside from the conservation of wildlife habitat being required by federal law, it also is the foundation of a sense of place. Research has found that having access to nature contributes greatly to the mental and physical health of employees.

The conservation of wildlife habitat is good for both nature and people, but how do you do it in a way that protects the needs of both? At Sandia, a multi-disciplinary group that includes planners, architects, ecologists, stormwater professionals, and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) administrators have been working on some ideas.

It started with a long discussion about perspectives and the primary objectives and job responsibilities of each profession represented. The primary responsibility of the environmental professionals is to ensure that Sandia follows all federal environmental laws and to protect environmentally sensitive land on DOE property. The major objective of the planners and architects is to foster well-planned development that utilizes the limited land efficiently. At first, it seemed like development and conservation was an either/or proposition, or a zero-sum game. As discussions continued, there was a realization that both could be accomplished if there was agreement on boundaries and better definition of the way that development would occur. This led to the formation of development principles (see figure 1 below) for areas near environmentally sensitive land.

These development principles outlined a conceptual process to create development that respects the natural environment and offers opportunities to increase the health of both the human and wildlife populations.

First, observe and respond to human and natural surroundings means developing with the existing contours of the land rather than grading a site without thought to the natural topography.

Second, leverage infrastructure as an asset consists of employing green infrastructure/Low Impact Development (LID) techniques to manage stormwater, utilize native and pollinator landscaping, and create places for people and wildlife.

Third, making conscious materials and design choices is about constructing buildings and infrastructure that are in harmony with their surroundings and protect the environment through techniques like energy conservation, heat island reduction, limiting impermeable surfaces, and using bird-safe windows.

Fourth, create connected spaces/places is situating buildings so that they have easy pedestrian access to other facilities and amenities while also respecting the boundaries of environmentally sensitive land. The preservation of wildlife habitat is most successful when contiguous.

Fifth, connecting people and nature in a way that promotes a healthy and safe work environment means creating spaces for people to access nature such as a recreational trail that also creates a hard boundary between developed and undeveloped land.

Finally, complying with regulatory requirements and laboratory policies is a reminder that development at the Sandia site is subject to NEPA compliance and most buildings must be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified. Additionally, Sandia laboratory policies emphasize the importance of a safe workplace and the protection of the natural environment. All development principles should further these objectives.

Agreement was reached on the principles of development in environmentally sensitive areas and it was recognized that development and environmental protection are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Sandia is now working on tackling the more concrete task of determining boundaries.

Before these agreements, the Sandia Environmental Department had mapped land areas as either primary or secondary conservation, and the Sandia Planning Department had separately mapped areas of planned development. The conservation areas and land use plans were never coordinated and directly conflict (see Figure 2). Projects sited in a conservation area are approved on a case-by-case basis. The area is slowly being taken over by piecemeal development, which is counter to comprehensive planning, conservation, and cohesive development.

Figure 2: Depiction of the overlap between planned development and conservation areas

Currently Sandia is working on a proposal that would define developable and conservation areas. Approximately 10 acres of land that is currently defined as secondary conservation would be set aside for a habitat restoration project. This area is adjacent to primary conservation areas and would increase the contiguous habitat area. Transition areas that could include infrastructure but would not include habitable facilities are proposed to be located west and north of the habitat area to create a buffer zone between development and conservation. Figure 3 illustrates how the land uses are envisioned to transition between habitat to development. A pedestrian and bike trail along the north boundary of the habitat area would create a physical boundary and would also provide an outdoor recreational amenity for Sandia employees.

The hope is that this planning framework would balance the development needs with the need for environmental conservation (see figure 4).

Figure 3: Exemplification of habitat, transition, and development areas

Figure 4: Depiction of the Habitat Restoration Project area

This plan is a work in progress and is currently in the planning phases. While the principles described above have been used on a smaller scale throughout the New Mexico campus, they have not yet received approval for the larger planning framework. Identification of common objectives moved the plan forward toward a solution for well-planned development and environmental conservation. The project is anticipated to come to fruition and implementation soon.

This paper describes objective technical results and analysis. Any subjective views or opinions that might be expressed in the paper do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Energy or the United States Government. This Document was reviewed by a Derivative Classifier and deemed Unclassified Unlimited Release SAND2019-14818 J.

Jill Reisz Westlund, AICP is a Strategic Planner at Sandia National Laboratories. Her primary responsibilities are long-range and site development planning. Jill has a master’s degree in Community & Regional Planning from the University of New Mexico, is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and has more than 14 years of urban planning experience in both the private and public sectors. In addition to her campus planning experience at Sandia, she has worked on numerous development projects, sector development, and large-scale master plans.

Balancing Development and Environmental Conservation