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Updates on Planning and Zoning Related Projects and Legislation

Below is a list of planning-related items that will be heard at full Council in the coming weeks.

General Legislation

R-16-49, August 15th Full Council | If adopted, R-16-49 would designate a new Metropolitan Redevelopment Area to be called the North Corridor. The area is bounded by Granite Avenue on the south, the railroad tracks on the east, typically one property deep on the west side of 4th Street, and the commercial properties that line Montaño Road. There are additional commercial properties included at the intersections of major roads with 4th Street and along 4th Street to the northern City limits. The purpose of designating a place as a Metropolitan Redevelopment Area is to identify distressed areas of the City in which the City’s Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency department may spur redevelopment through public/private partnerships, federal funding initiatives, and community outreach. A minor amendment was prepared to clarify the boundary of the map. This was heard at the June 15th LUPZ hearing, and the committee voted to forward a recommendation of Do Pass to the full Council, as amended. If the North Corridor MR Area is designated by the full Council, a community effort to develop a Metropolitan Redevelopment Plan for the area will follow.

R-16-50, August 15th Full Council | 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.
 
 
O-16-11, August 10th LUPZ Committee | 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 at which point a committee substitute of the bill will be presented.

District-Specific Projects and Legislation

District 4

The City’s Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency is seeking to designate a property, 9201 Pan American Freeway NE, as a Metropolitan Redevelopment Area – tentatively to be called the Coronado MR Area. This area is the site of the old Philips semiconductor plant, a now unused industrial tract of land. The first public meeting on the possible designation of this area was held on June 14th. This meeting was an opportunity for citizens to ask questions of and make comments to City staff in addition to providing input as to the content of the future MR Plan. Adoption of an MR boundary would lead to the development of an MR plan. We expect the boundary designation and plan to begin the adoption process in August. The project website can be found here

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. Comments may be submitted via abc-zone.com or email [email protected] up until June 20th, at which point the plan will be submitted to the Environmental Planning Commission. The Comp Plan will go through two, seven-hour sessions at EPC on August 4th and August 25th.

Albuquerque’s Integrated Development Ordinance (IDO)
The IDO will replace the City’s zoning code, subdivision ordinance, and other land use regulations. It 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. Public meetings were held in May to discuss Module 2. Module 3, outlining review and approval processes, will be released later this Summer.

  • 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 – expected Summer 2016.


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 Meeting

August 15, 2016 | 5:00pm | Council Committee Room, 9th Floor Suite 9081

ABC-Z Public Meetings

No public meetings scheduled at this time, see above paragraph for EPC submittal schedule.