More than seven years ago, the County Council made a commitment of $20 million to invest in White Rock, with the goal of providing catalytic projects that would lead to investment from the private sector and to economic development. In the intervening years, State Road 4 has been improved and beautified, the Cañada del Buey trail has been completed, and the White Rock Visitor Center has been built and is serving many times more visitors than ever before. The final piece of the puzzle, the improvement of the Youth Activity Center and Senior Center and the construction of a new branch library, is well underway. The investment has not gone unnoticed by the private sector.
Anchor businesses in White Rock include Los Alamos National Bank, Metzger’s, Smith’s, Del Norte Credit Union, Hampton Inn, and the two gas station and convenience stores at the intersection of Rover and State Road 4. Those businesses have all shown a commitment to White Rock and have invested in the community. Smith’s put more than a million dollars into remodeling their White Rock branch. The gas station on Rover that was previously owned by Polk Oil has changed hands and added liquor to their product line (a significant investment in inventory and staffing goes along with that). Metzger’s has seen a surge in propane sales with the location of the RV Park across the street, so they’ve expanded their offerings to provide more amenities for RV campers.
Time Out Pizza has invested in their store, expanded their hours, and made a commitment to open a second store in Los Alamos. Bandelier Grill owner Brian Appel has a plan to invest in his business with a beer garden and game room. He has already expanded his hours to provide service seven days a week. Attack Research purchased the former Mountain Community Bank building, next door to Time Out, and is selling its services to companies and other entities around the world. Bilingual Montessori School has expanded to include infant care, and has purchased and rehabbed one of the abandoned buildings on Longview Drive, as well as improved their rented facilities. Warm Hearts Yarn has expanded its own inventory greatly, occupied the spot previously occupied by the White Rock Tourist Information Center, and folded several micro-businesses into its location. Chinshan Chinese Restaurant has changed hands and is now called Lee’s. The now-closed Hive saw a large investment by owner Roger Waterman to prepare the building for new uses. Hot Hole Instruments has expanded so much that its primary business location is now in Indonesia.
Next up for White Rock is the development of the land transfer parcel known as A-19. The parcel runs mostly parallel to SR 4, with the eastern boundary at the Visitor Center and the western boundary near Pajarito Road. The vision in the Master Plan is for three levels of development- small retail or office development in the east, mid-density or high-density housing in the middle and single-family retail in the western portion. The White Rock Implementation committee continues to meet on the second Monday of each month at 6 p.m. to advise the County, and to encourage everyone in White Rock to contribute to the vision.