Mesa del Sol in Albuquerque, NM

Mesa del Sol is a master-planned community on state trust land about six miles southeast of downtown Albuquerque, bounded by the Sunport and Kirtland Air Force Base on the north and east, Isleta Pueblo land to the south and Interstate 25 to the west. Forest City Enterprises was selected to develop the 12,900-acre mesa in 2002 and broke ground in 2005; builders are still opening new phases. Residents share a pool, fitness room, dog park and miles of walking and biking trails, and both Aperture Plaza and a public charter school sit inside the community rather than a drive away.

The land underneath belongs to the New Mexico State Land Office, and the plan drawn on it runs long: roughly 9,000 acres set aside for development, 3,200 held as parks and open space, and 800 reserved for schools. Public infrastructure is paid for through the Mesa del Sol Public Improvement District and tax increment development districts numbered one through five, so a lot here can carry a special levy on top of ordinary property tax. The master development is now in the hands of MDS Investments.

Every owner belongs to the community association automatically, and its assessment covers the common areas, grounds and clubhouse, road maintenance and security, plus the neighborhood parks that break up the blocks.

Two neighborhoods sit beneath the community. Innovation Park is the newer of the pair, building out near the town center. Montage at Mesa del Sol is a D.R. Horton neighborhood of roughly 180 acres, released in phases of one- and two-story plans, with a further section called Artiste being site-planned. Abrazo Homes, Twilight Homes, Richmond American and Westway are working in the community as well.

University Boulevard is the way in and out, crossing the Tijeras Arroyo on bridges the City rebuilt and widened, adding drainage, curb, gutter and sidewalks. Work is close by: the Albuquerque Studios lot that Netflix took over, a Fidelity Investments support center, and Sandia National Laboratories next door. Isleta Amphitheater and the soccer fields draw crowds from across the metro.