La Entrada Family Festival at Rancho Viejo

Bring your family and friends to a Festival at La Entrada at Rancho Viejo on Saturday, July 19th from 11am to 3pm. Visit the festival page for more information.

Rancho Viejo de Santa Fe, Inc. is now SunCor New Mexico, Inc.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Santa Fe, NM – A New Mexico builder that has spent its first 10 years in Santa Fe doing business as Rancho Viejo de Santa Fe, Inc. is entering 2008 doing business under a new name: SunCor New Mexico, Inc.

The name change reflects a growing commitment that company leadership is making to doing business throughout New Mexico.

“When we started the company, our vision was to create a master planned community in Santa Fe County and not expand beyond our project at Rancho Viejo,” said Isaac Pino, president of SunCor New Mexico, Inc.

“During the past several years, as we have been successful in the Santa Fe area, we have been invited to explore other opportunities throughout New Mexico,” Pino added. “Today, we are also looking into projects in Albuquerque, Las Cruces and other areas of the state. As such, we felt that it made sense to proceed with business using a name that would be identified with the entire state and not only Santa Fe.”

SunCor New Mexico, Inc. is overseeing development of the 11,000 acre Rancho Viejo master planned community that is located two miles southwest of Santa Fe.

Presently, the company is building new homes in its third village, La Entrada at Rancho Viejo. This village is projected for up to 1,200 homes, 60 acres of retail and commercial development, a new public elementary school and the first apartment units in Rancho Viejo. Build-out is expected to take eight to ten years.

The first village at Rancho Viejo, with more than 550 homes, was built out in 2002. The second village, which has another 761 residential units, is only months from build out. Construction of the first homes at Rancho Viejo began in 1997.

SunCor New Mexico, Inc. is a business unit of Tempe, Arizona-based SunCor Development Company (SunCor).

SunCor is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (NYSE: PNW), a publicly traded company. Pinnacle West Capital Corporation is also the holding company for Arizona Public Service, the largest electric utility company in Arizona.M

Since it was founded in 1986, SunCor has:
- created 18 master planned communities in four states—New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Idaho—that 13,000 families now call home;

- built 26 commercial and retail centers where more than 500 entrepreneurs are doing business and fueling their local economies;
- provided world class amenities to 300,000 golfers at eight golf courses every year; and
- leased or sold more than 25 million square feet of retail space.

SunCor New Mexico, Inc. Completes First Solar Home in Rancho Viejo Community

Monday, December 17, 2007

Santa Fe, NM – A New Mexico builder is sowing the seeds of technology that will make adding solar heating and cooling options to new home construction easier and more cost effective than ever.

SunCor New Mexico, Inc., the residential home builder developing the 10,000 acre Rancho Viejo community just south of Santa Fe, is creating new solar options for homebuyers who desire to take advantage of cost savings and federal tax credits.

The south side Santa Fe community developer recently completed construction of a new house with a solar heating and cooling option that is as easy for buyers to choose as the color of carpet.

“We are committed to being at the front end of what could become a solar revolution at Rancho Viejo,” said Isaac Pino, president of SunCor New Mexico, Inc. “For the first time in New Mexico, a major developer is making solar power an option that’s as easy to order as fixtures, flooring or a two-car garage.”

The majority of solar powered homes in Santa Fe are custom built or retrofitted. According to R.C. Hammond, project consultant from Cedar Mountain Solar Systems, the company that outfitted the home with its solar components, the main advantage of having a developer install solar heating systems is that it is much less expensive to install the system in new construction rather than to try to retrofit it later.

In the 1,321 square foot solar home at Rancho Viejo, a solar-powered system will heat the two bedroom, two bathroom home during winter and provide cooling in the summer. It is estimated the solar system will save the new homeowner between 40 and 80 percent of heating and cooling costs. Besides using a solar panel system for air and water heating, the solar house has an underground cistern and a drip irrigation system that will use non-potable runoff water to sustain the xeriscaped landscaping.

All of the homes in the Rancho Viejo development, including the solar house, are Energy Star rated, fit with double pane windows and insulation that exceeds city code requirements. Rancho Viejo is currently providing a $36,000 credit that can be applied toward a solar purchase or other amenity. Additionally, a federal tax credit ranging from $9,000 to $10,000 is available to those who build new homes with solar options.

"In Santa Fe, it's critical for developers to view their projects with a long-term commitment to preserving and maintaining natural resources,” said Pino. “SunCor is committed to building energy-efficient homes and making them available to everyone. Constructing the first solar house at Rancho Viejo is another demonstration of our building a sustainable community that is also committed to incorporating progressive ideas in energy and water conservation."

Rancho Viejo is entering the solar home market on the heels of a recent Environment America report that singled out the state of New Mexico as a “rising star” due, in part, to the state’s advances in solar power.

Solar power is more than just an attractive energy option for New Mexico residents. According to www.environmentnewmexico.org, solar is also good for the community. The construction of solar power systems creates 20 times the jobs per megawatt than are created by the construction of gas and coal plants, and more jobs per megawatt than any other energy source.

Approximately 12,000 new homes are built each year in New Mexico. Each home and building constructed without solar power is a missed opportunity for the state to tap into its year round sunshine and give the economy a boost, according to the environmental monitoring service.

"In today's market, more and more buyers are coming to us with straightforward expectations that their new homes be designed and constructed with a strong emphasis on energy conservation," said Pino. "As developers, we have a responsibility to protect both the land and natural resources. We’re accountable to consumers who want the latest ‘green’ technology in their homes."

To learn more about solar options available at Rancho Viejo, call (505) 473-7700.