Doña Ana County residents voice frustrations over cannabis farm in residential neighborhood at county commissioner’s meeting

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- A group of frustrated residents who live in and near Grey Fox Estates, Tres Hijos Estates, and Saddle Creek Estates north of Las Cruces expressed their concerns about a cannabis farm in a residential area to county commissioners Tuesday.

ABC-7 reported the frustration and concern of these same residents back in June of last year.

"We're stuck, [we're] like a captive audience and [the commissioners] can do whatever they want to us, and we can't go from there," said Lisa Butler.

She lives right next to the farm.

"The current ordinance, as it is, does not allow commercial pot farms to come into residential areas without an agricultural assessment," added Butler.

Butler claims the farm is being built with a tillable land permit that she calls "faulty and misleading." According to Doña Ana County zoning records, the property was changed from a residential to an agricultural zoning in 2022.

According to the tillable land permit application obtained by ABC-7, Tingen Incorporated LLC, the owner of the land, claims to have been growing both chile and cotton crops on the land before submitting the application, however, neighbors claim this was never the case.

ABC-7 has reached out to Tingen Incorporated LLC for a comment, but have not heard back at this time.

County Manager Fernando Macias stated during the public comment session of Tuesday's commissioner's meeting that an item regarding the farm has been added to the May 9th to "request for public input for proposed changed to the ordinance."

Tingen Farms is located at the intersection of Silver Creek Rd and Valley Drive. Records from the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department show a cannabis producer license was issued to the farm on April 10th of last year.