Another Hidden Valley development is on the horizon and residents had just three words for them: “Don’t come here.”

Nearly 100 locals arrived for a May 22 neighborhood meeting to oppose rezoning about 1,400 acres at Amarillo Valley Road and Louis Johnson Drive for medium density residential.

The development would bring more than 4,700 new homes to the area, which includes 490 multifamily rental units and commercial development. While the project may take up to a decade to complete, Hidden Valley residents overwhelmingly opposed the project, citing concerns around water availability, the existing power grid and traffic congestion.

Province resident Terry Clark was among the first to speak after a brief presentation on the project. His primary concern surrounded water availability.

“You’re going to add more strain on our 100-year water supply,” he said.

Michelle Beck, a Hidden Valley resident, said she plans to “fight this until [the] property owner dies.”

“We will fight them on the traffic, we will fight them on the fact that our hospital doesn’t even have anti-venom for rattlesnake bites out here,” she said. “We will fight them on the fact there’s not enough schools, there’s not enough policing … I am 36 years old. I will fight this until your property owner dies.”

Ken Lepper, a Thunderbird Farms resident and a member of a local committee dedicated to opposing these types of large-scale developments, summed up the community’s frustration.

“The county has kind of gotten into a habit of these models, not necessarily what the environment and what the community needs,” he said. “There has to be room for everybody and that’s really what they ought to be doing.”

He advocated for more sustainable growth in the area with fewer homes per acre and more consideration for the current infrastructure and resources in place.

“We’re trying to be reasonable,” he said. “But at the same time, we want equality, which we have a right under state statutes. We want people to realize we are a rural community and the wrong place for a high-density community.”