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Updates on Planning and Zoning Related Legislation

Below is a list of planning-related items going through Council in the coming weeks

General Legislation

R-16-50 If adopted, R-16-50 would amend FS/R-88-404, which established policy stating that traffic signals shall be installed between major intersections on Coal St. and Lead St. from Oak St. to Washington St. The amendment would add the segment of Broadway Blvd to Locust St. to the boundary area. The resolution would also direct the City to install a traffic signal at the intersection of Coal Ave. and Walter St and Lead Ave and Walter St. This was heard at the June 15th LUPZ meeting, and the committee voted that the matter be sent to Council with no recommendation. At the August 1st full Council meeting, the bill was postponed to the September 7th full Council meeting, and was again deferred to the September 19th meeting to give DMD time to conduct additional studies. This bill will be on the September 19, 2016 City Council Meeting Agenda.

O-16-11 If adopted, O-16-11 would adopt a new article in the zoning code to be known as the “Vacant Commercial Building Ordinance.” The intent of this ordinance is to better track vacant commercial buildings for a variety of reasons. First, the ordinance would outline minimum aesthetic requirements for vacant commercial buildings that don’t exist in the code today. Second, it would create a registry that every vacant commercial building would need to sign up for with basic information such as a local contact in case of an emergency. There would be financial penalties for vacant commercial buildings on the registry who aren’t meeting the minimum aesthetic standards outlined in the bill. The bill will also give the City more options to deal with deteriorating or blighted buildings via condemnation. Overall, the sponsors of the bill hope this will deter buildings from deteriorating and becoming blighted, thus negatively affecting surrounding properties and property values. This was heard at the June 15th LUPZ hearing, and was deferred to the August 10th LUPZ hearing, and again deferred to the September 14th LUPZ hearing at which point a committee substitute of the bill will be presented. This bill be on the September 14, 2016 Land Use, Planning, and Zoning Committee Meeting Agenda.

O-16-22 If adopted, this ordinance would repeal F/S O-05-98, the current ordinance regulating development on the 47-acre Albuquerque Indian School site at 12th Street and Menaul, and replace it with updated exhibits establishing land uses and development regulations. This bill be on the September 14, 2016 Land Use, Planning, and Zoning Committee Meeting Agenda.

O-16-23 If adopted, O-16-23 would remove an inconsistency in the Zoning Code pertaining to minimum acreage requirements for Private Commons Developments (PCD) in specific residential zones. The regulations pertaining to PCD’s were amended in 2013 to reduce the required minimum acreage from two to one. This amendment did not include the necessary amendments to RO-1, RA-1, and RA-2, where PCD’s are listed as a permissive use and make reference to the minimum acreage requirements. O-16-23 would amend the minimum acreage allowed for a PCD in zones RO-1, RA-1, and RA-2 from two acres to one acre to make them consistent with the Private Commons Development regulations in the Zoning Code. This bill will be on the September 14, 2016 Land Use, Planning, and Zoning Committee Meeting Agenda.

R-16-93 Adoption of R-16-93 would designate a new Metropolitan Redevelopment Area (MRA) to be called the Coronado Metropolitan Redevelopment Area. The boundary of the Coronado MRA includes the privately owned property located at 9201 Pan American Freeway. The Area is the former site of a City owned landfill that operated from 1956 to 1963 before being closed to make way for development in the area. In 1982, Philips acquired a portion of the property and built an 11.5 acre semiconductor facility that operated until 2002. Since Philips’ departure from the property over 14 years ago, this blighted area has not redeveloped. This bill will be on the September 14, 2016 Land Use, Planning, and Zoning Committee Meeting Agenda.

R-16-94 Adoption of R-16-94 would approve the Coronado Metropolitan Redevelopment Plan created for the Coronado Metropolitan Redevelopment Area, established by companion resolution R-16-93. The Coronado MRA is unique in that the request for a boundary designation and request for the adoption of an MR plan are happening simultaneously. This was requested by the property owner and MR Agency so that remediation and other efforts could get started before the end of the year. A SWOT analysis was performed for the subject site to identify the area’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT). This type of analysis is useful for uncovering opportunities that the MR Plan can utilize to help redevelop the area. The SWOT analyses lead to a handful of recommendations for the area, which can be found in the plan. This bill will be on the September 14, 2016 Land Use, Planning, and Zoning Committee Meeting Agenda.

District-specific Projects and Legislation

District 4 | Coronado Metropolitan Redevelopment Area, as described in R-16-93 and R-16-94 above

Other Council-related Projects

ABC-Z Project (Comprehensive Plan update and Integrated Development Ordinance)

Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Comprehensive Plan

A revised draft of the Comprehensive Plan has been published on the project website. The Comp Plan has begun the adoption process and had its first hearing by the EPC on August 4th. The second hearing occurred on August 25th and went through a one week continuance to September 1st. At the September 1st hearing, the EPC recommended approval to the City Council with findings and conditions.  The Comp Plan will first come through the LUPZ committee in October or November before reaching full Council later this year.

Albuquerque’s Integrated Development Ordinance (IDO)

The IDO will replace the City’s zoning code, subdivision ordinance, and other land use regulations, and is being drafted in three modules.  After incorporating comments collected after each module, a full draft with revisions will be released for review and discussion in Fall 2016. Module 3, which outlines review and approval processes was released in August and several public meetings were held to discuss the document.

Next steps: The project team will be working on revisions to all three modules in the coming months and will produce a complete revised draft before the end of the year.

  • Module 1:  Zones and uses – See draft on abc-zone.com for review and comment. 
  • Module 2:  Dimensional standards (building heights, setbacks, landscaping, parking requirements, etc.) – See draft on abc-zone.com for review and comment. 
  • Module 3:  Required review and approval processes for development, draft available on the project website.

The project team has released an interactive Zoning Conversion Map. This map allows the user to look, parcel by parcel, at the existing and proposed zoning of a particular lot. The public can comment on a particular parcel to let the team know if the proposed zoning is appropriate or not. The map can be found here: http://abc-zone.com/ido-zoning-conversion-map

Relevant Meeting Dates, Times, and Locations

Land Use, Planning, and Zoning Committee (LUPZ)

September 14, 2016 | 5:00pm | Council Committee Room, 9th Floor, Suite 9081

City Council Meeting

September 19, 2016 | 5:00pm | Vincent E. Griego Chambers, Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Government Center