The Santa Fe County Commission delayed making a decision Tuesday on a controversial subdivision in the Galisteo area which has drawn protests from dozens of area residents.

As proposed, the Saddleback Ranch Estates subdivision would create 24 40-acre lots on a 960-acre piece of property at the intersection of N.M. 285 and N.M. 41 between Galisteo and Lamy.

Developer Gabriel Bethel, a third-generation New Mexican whose family developed many properties in the Northeast Heights area of Albuquerque, said he's gone above and beyond the requirements for approval of a subdivision of this size. Bethel said he's conducted a viewshed study, an archaeological study and plans to put 97 percent of the land in an archaeological easement, preventing future development.

But opponents of the project say Bethel has plans to create more lots in the future and is only applying for a limited number of lots now to avoid more stringent development review.

Bethel told a reporter Tuesday he does hope to create as many as 13 more lots.

Critics of the project found fault with Bethel's archaeological study, which only surveyed the proposed building envelopes and not the entire piece of property, which includes pueblo ruins and other features, according to residents. And they questioned his conclusions about water availability and quality.

"Until there is a survey and a plan to preserve this unique endangered place of history, there must be not approval for this development," said Linda Cordell, an archaeologist who has done research in the Galisteo Basin for 25 years.

The sprawling, ranchette type of development being proposed by Bethel is exactly what Santa Fe County is trying to avoid, according to opponents. They have said the project should go through a master plan process that would require conceptual approval of Bethel's future plans for the whole property.

Bethel said lots in the development would be priced between $650,000 and $800,000, which also did not sit well with opponents. One said the development would create "a culture of rich Anglos that will shop on the Internet, shop in catalogs and never really give anything back to the community."

But Commissioner Mike Anaya, who represents District 3 where the project would be, admonished the neighbors for their anti-growth position.

In making a motion to table the issue, he reminded those in the audience that many of them likely live in a 40-unit subdivision that was built in an area in Galisteo where he once rode his horse and hunted rabbits.

"Did I want that?" Anaya asked. "No, I didn't want it. But it happened. It's change and we're not used to change."

Anaya said he instructed Bethel to work with the community and agreed that he had gone "above and beyond" the requirements for a 24-unit subdivision approval process by meeting with the community on several occasions.

"If you don't want development, then why don't you just flat out say you don't want development?" Anaya asked. The developer "tried to follow the code and now you want him to go back and do more. Is that fair?"

At the close of the meeting, before the commission voted to table the developer's request for final plat approval, Commissioner Harry Montoya directed Bethel to "ponder" his future plans for the land and 650 adjacent acres he owns.

Commissioner Liz Stefanics said the project will likely be reconsidered at one of the commission's land development review meetings in April, May or June.

Contact Phaedra Haywood at 986-3068 or phaywood@sfnewmexican.com.