The Rio Rancho City Council will receive an update Thursday on the controversial Project Ranger hypersonic missile facility, with city staff scheduled to brief officials on the status of agreements with Sandoval County and the defense contractor behind the project.
City staff will update the Governing Body during a 3 p.m. work session on progress developing required memorandums of understanding for road construction and fire services with the county, the water service agreement with Castelion Corporation, and summarize community meetings held last week featuring the company. While Castelion may have a representative present, the company is not scheduled to give a formal presentation but could respond to questions from council members.
The update comes as activists continue organizing opposition to the facility, which would manufacture solid rocket motors and assemble complete hypersonic missiles on approximately 1,000 acres in unincorporated Sandoval County, about three miles west of Rio Rancho’s city limits near the Northern Meadows community.
The Torrance, California-based defense contractor plans a $119.8 million capital investment over five years at the facility, which would employ approximately 300 workers with average salaries of $100,000 plus company stock ownership and full benefits. The company has committed to meeting Department of Defense standards and conducting all flight testing at approved military ranges rather than at the Sandoval County site.
The council approved three Project Ranger-related resolutions Nov. 13, following the company’s commitment to provide updates on community outreach efforts and progress on developing the required MOUs. The measures authorized up to $1 million in economic development funds for road construction, directed the city manager to negotiate water and wastewater service agreements and approved an intergovernmental agreement with Sandoval County.
Critics have raised concerns about emergency response capabilities, groundwater contamination risks and the facility’s use of ammonium perchlorate, a toxic oxidizer used in rocket propellants.
Beyond the work session update on Project Ranger, the regular council meeting at 6 p.m. will address multiple zoning and development proposals. Mayor Gregg Hull will present his annual State of the City report, and the council will consider resolutions establishing legislative and capital outlay priorities for the 2026 New Mexico Legislature session.
Public hearings are scheduled for site plan approvals, including a gymnasium at The Ask Academy on Enchanted Hills Boulevard, a church in The Village subdivision and a solar generation system in the Loma Barbon area.
Both meetings will be conducted in person at the Council Chambers and livestreamed on the city’s website at rrnm.gov/2303/Watch-and-Download-City-Meetings.