Sites Southwest was hired to update the Village’s existing Comprehensive Plan, with a focus on economic development, recreation, tourism, and transportation improvements. The Village wishes to diversify its economy while continuing to serve its residents and tourists. The first phase included a series of meetings with Ruidoso’s leaders, community, and stakeholders, in which over 250 people took part. These meetings’ feedback influenced the plan. During the community meeting visioning exercise, the natural beauty, desirable climate, abundant outdoor recreation opportunities, supportive community, and friendly people in the small-town atmosphere were prioritized. The Ruidoso community established six guiding principles to represent community priorities identified during the comprehensive planning process. These principles uphold the vision for Ruidoso and are supported by all the goals, policies, and actions identified in each chapter of the plan.   

Sites Southwest worked with Ruidoso’s Parks and Recreation and Watershed directors to create conceptual plans for their parks. We also worked on strategies to improve the village’s river health, trail connections, and recreational opportunities. A key component of the plan was establishing a collaboration between the Village and the Ruidoso branch of Eastern New Mexico University to better prepare Ruidoso residents for jobs in nursing, entrepreneurship, and other trades by expanding on the workforce programs already in place. In October 2019, the draft Plan Update was presented for community and stakeholder feedback. It was completed and approved in November 2019.