Aztec approves north parking lot for new Riverside BMX track

Aztec city commissioners unanimously approved the north parking area for the new Riverside BMX track, settling weeks of debate over whether the project would replace grass or take over parking space at Riverside Park. The April 14 vote chose Option B, placing the track in the north lot and using spaces G, H and I for expansion, with construction potentially beginning as early as this summer.

The decision followed a January 27 presentation from the BMX Bike Association, when Wade Anderson told commissioners the group wanted to bring a BMX track back to Riverside Park. City officials said at that meeting that any approval would require a lease agreement in place before the city could move ahead, which pushed the project into a more formal public process and set up the later arguments over site selection and timing.

Riverside Park already shows a BMX or bump track area on the city map, and the park includes a softball field, rodeo ring, fishing pond, volleyball, basketball and pickleball areas. Sitting along the Animas River near Aztec Blvd., the park serves as one of Aztec’s busiest shared recreation spaces, so the north-lot option keeps the new track inside an area already used for public access while avoiding the grass area that had drawn concern.

The dispute did not end with the site vote. At a later meeting, commissioners unanimously rejected a proposed agreement between Aztec Riverside BMX Inc. and the city after discussing the track’s location and the timetable for a utilities study. Mayor Mike Padilla raised concerns that underground infrastructure could force the track to be dug up later for repairs. Residents at that meeting also raised concerns about trash control and access to elected officials. Anderson said the agreement he signed did not specify the location.

City of Aztec records show regular commission meetings are held every second and fourth Tuesday at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 201 W. Chaco, where the BMX project will continue alongside other parks-and-recreation and infrastructure work. For families and neighbors around Riverside Park, the next steps now center on the lease, the utilities review and how much parking the track will leave available once construction begins.