Downtown Neighborhood Area Sector Plan Update

Update

Next Hearing: The first City Council Hearing on the DNA SDP will be held March 28, 2012 at 5pm in the City Council Chambers, basement of City Hall.

On April 7, 2011 the Environmental Planning Commission forwarded a Recommendation of Approval to the City Council for the Downtown Neighborhood Area Sector Development Plan (DNA SDP) and in June the plan was introduced at City Council. The first Land Use, Planning and Zoning Committee (LUPZ) hearing of the DNA SDP was held on August 10th, 2011 and the second on September 14th, 2011 2011 and the third on November 30, 2011. On January 11th, 2012, at the fourth LUPZ hearing, the LUPZ Committee forwarded the DNA SDP on to the City Council with no recommendation. The plan will be heard by the full City Council for the first time on March 28, 2012 at 5pm, in the City Council Chambers, basement of City Hall.

Official Noticed of Decision

Draft Plan, Memos, & Amendments

(Committee Substitute R-11-225 Red/ Blue/ Green Line Draft) - Downtown Neighborhood Area Sector Development Plan, adopted at LUPZ, January 11, 2012.

• DNA Red/Blue/Green Line Version - Part 1
• DNA Red/Blue/Green Line Version - Part 2
• DNA Red/Blue/Green Line Version (Zoning Map) - Part 3

• DNA Red/Blue/Green Line Version - Part 4

This red/blue/green-line version of the DNASDP (C/S R-11-225) is intended to replace the current version of the DNASDP that is attached to R-11-225.  This Committee Substitute incorporates the majority of the minor and technical changes contained in the Post EPC (6.9.2011) Draft of the DNASDP as well as additional changes recommended by Council staff.  The Committee Substitute does not contain any of the changes to the Plan’s Proposed Zoning Map that were recommended in the EPC’s Official Notification of Decision but rather returns to the original Proposed Zoning Map that was contained EPC Draft 10.28.2010.  The reason for this is that, given the sensitive and quasi-judicial nature of zone changes, staff will be presenting detailed analysis of all of the individual zone change requests that have been made and will ask for the Committee to consider the merits of and vote on each of the requests separately.

The Proposed Committee Substitute contains changes in red, blue, and green font, depending on when the change was made.

• Red font = changes that correspond to recommended Conditions of Approval that were contained in the April 7, 2011, staff report (Project #1008570 – 10EPC40063) that the EPC agreed to and are included as recommended Conditions of Approval in the Official Notification of Decision

• Blue font = changes that correspond to additional Conditions of Approval that were developed by the EPC during the April 7, 2011, hearing and included in the Official Notification of Decision

• Green font = changes proposed by Council staff

The sole purpose of this system of different colored fonts is to help the public and staff keep track of which changes were made and when.  It is not necessary to differentiate between different colors of changes but just to note that a change is being proposed.

At the January 11, 2012 LUPZ hearing the Downtown Neighborhood Area SDP was forwarded to City Council with no recommendation. The Committee Substitute above was adopted by the LUPZ committee at the January 11, 2012 hearing. The following amendments were also adopted at the same LUPZ hearing:

• Amendment A - Reduces lot sizes in Mixed Residential Zones
• Amendment B - Allows 10% of floor area for non-residential uses in Mixed Residential Zones
• Amendment C - Changes Conditional Uses for Office Residential Zones
• Amendment D - Allows schools to use Tents or Canopies in Multi-Use Light Zones
• Amendment E - Removes a parking allowance along Central
• Amendment F - Addresses vehicular Ingress/Egress along Central

The following memos were presented at the January 11, 2012 LUPZ hearing:

• Responses to 11-30-11 LUPZ Public Comments
• Recommended Process for Proceeding
• Map Corresponding to Recommended Zone Map Amendments

Council response memos and amendments presented and distributed at the November 30, 2011 LUPZ Hearing.

• Legal Issues 11-30-11
• Non-Zone Change Memo
• Recommended Text Amendments 11-30-11
• Other Amendments 11-30-11
• Transition Area Memo 11-30-11
• Office-Residential Zone Amendment 11-30-11
• Map LUPZ Proposed Zoning 11-30-11
• Zone Change Memo Supported 11-30-11
• Zone Map Amendments 11-30-11
• Zone Changes Memo - Unsupported

Council response memos presented and distributed at the September 14th, 2011 LUPZ Hearing: PLEASE NOTE SOME OF THESE MEMOS HAVE BEEN UPDATED (SEE ABOVE)

• LUPZ Proposed Zoning - Downtown Neighborhood Area SDP
• Memo on Non-Zone-Change Issues Raised
• Memo on Non-conforming uses
• Memo on State Preemption of City Regulation of Bail Bond Companies
• Downtown Neighborhood Area Plan Amendment Requests and Preliminary Recommendations
• Memo on Concerns Raised about the Jane Carlton Property

Council Process

With a recommendation of approval from the EPC, the DNA SDP moved on to review by the City Council. The plan was first reviewed by the Land Use, Planning and Zoning Committee (LUPZ). The plan received four hearings at LUPZ. The plan will now be heard by the full Council.

Public, staff and agencies will have another opportunity to submit comments for consideration of the draft plan submitted to the City Council, as well as providing comments in writing or in person for Council hearings.

Further Opportunities for Review and Comment

The public is encouraged to attend hearings to share comments about the plan. Written comments can also be submitted as testimony.

You may present comments verbally at the LUPZ and/or City Council hearings and/or send written comments to the clerk of the Council, Crystal Ortega, for inclusion in the file. Written comments may be submitted up to two weeks prior to the next public hearing for inclusion in staff reports. Written comments may also be submitted in person the day of the hearings for consideration. Comments received after a public hearing will be included in the case file to be considered at the next step in the approval process.

US Mail: Crystal Ortega, Clerk of the Council

City of Albuquerque City Council

P.O. Box 1293

Albuquerque, NM 87103

Attention: Crystal Ortega

Email: Crystal Ortega

EPC Process

The update to the Downtown Neighborhood Area Sector Development Plan (DNA SDP) was submitted in October 2010 to the Environmental Planning Commission for review and recommendation to the City Council. The draft DNA SDP had its first EPC hearing on December 2, 2010. The hearing was continued 70 days to February 10, 2011 and then deferred 30 days to March 10, 2011 and continued to Thursday, April 7, 2011. At the April Hearing the EPC voted to send the DNA SDP to City Council with a recommendation of approval. For further details about the process so far please scroll down to the PROCESS section.

Purpose

The purpose of this community planning effort is to update the DNA Sector Development Plan, which was approved in 1976. The purpose of this plan was the “… conservation and renewal of neighborhoods and the improvement of living conditions of low and moderate income families…” (DNA SDP, 1976, p.13). The DNA SDP has not been revised since it was approved over 30 years ago; yet the neighborhood has changed significantly and some of the specific goals in the plan have since been achieved. The update of this plan will investigate what elements of the plan are still relevant, what elements need revising and how the plan can be up-dated to address the Downtown Neighborhood Area today and in the future.

Process

The community selected and the City hired Consensus Planning as the project consultant. The city staff, consultants and community have been meeting since August 2009.

In October city staff, the consultants and the community spent three days walking through the neighborhood to learn about the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and problems in the area. The walking map and key observations developed from the tour are available.

The first community meeting was held on Saturday, the 16th of January 2010, at the Hotel Blue, 717 Central Avenue NW. The participants discussed how the neighborhood can maintain its historic character, create a more walkable community and allow for appropriate infill.

First Meeting Summary >>

The second community meeting was held on Saturday, the 20th of February, 2010, at Manzano Day School, 1801 Central Avenue NW. The participants discussed the draft vision statement and the draft goals and objectives for the plan. These were created from input from the community and from the first community meeting. The goals and objectives provide the framework for the plan’s policies and projects.

Second Meeting Summary >>

The third community meeting was held on Saturday September 25th, 2010 at the Mid Region Council of Governments Building, 809 Copper Ave NW.  The open house was an opportunity for the public to meet the planning team and to learn more about the proposed plan.  There was a short presentation on the plan at 9:30 am, and at 11:00 am.  The sector plan was revised based on the open house and was then submitted to the Environmental Planning Commission for review and recommendation to the City Council.  The following is a short summary of the third meeting and the comments and questions received, as well as responses.

Third Meeting Summary >>

Contact information

For more information, please contact Petra Morris at 505-924-3897 in Advanced Planning or Kelly Sanchez-Pare at 505-768-3159 in City Council Services.