Development Hearing Officer

Applications submitted after December 25, 2022 will be reviewed against the regulations in the Effective IDO Document. The phasing out of the DRB are the only changes to the IDO Effective December 2022.

The presentation slides to the December 9 DRB transition meeting are located at the following link:

• December 9 DRB Transition Meeting presentation slides
• December 9 DRB Transition Meeting Zoom video recording

The 2023 and 2024 calendars for the upcoming Development Hearing Officer (DHO) hearings are located at the following links:

• Major 2023 Calendar for DHO hearings
• Minor 2023 Calendar for DHO hearings
• Major 2024 Calendar for DHO hearings
• Minor 2024 Calendar for DHO hearings

The DHO Rules of Procedure are located at the following link: DHO Rules of Procedure

For copies of recorded platting documents contact the Bernalillo County Clerk Department.

*Are you stuck in a process? The Planning Department now has two Navigators to help point you in the right direction. You can reach our Navigators, Renee and Annette at [email protected].

DHO Hearing Process During Public Health Emergency

The DHO meets remotely according to the DHO calendar, Wednesdays at 9:00 AM, until it is determined that public gatherings are safe.  Meeting details and agendas are here:  

• Agenda & Archives

The DHO ‘remote’ public hearings are using the Zoom software.  All participants –  DHO, DFT staff, applicants, and the public – participate remotely.  You can choose to participate by video or audio only.  Participants can listen to the meeting and may also speak during the public comment period.  The agenda for the DHO meeting is posted on the City website by Friday afternoon ahead of the Wednesday meeting.  The agenda includes information on accessing the DHO meeting.  Participants can call the number listed on the agenda from their phone to be connected to the meeting.  Participants may also can click on the link on the agenda to participate via computer (a microphone is required; a camera is optional.)  Participants are not required to create a Zoom account, but may choose to do so. 

Please contact either of the following with questions:

• DHO Planner Robert Webb: 505-924-3910 or [email protected] 
• DHO Hearing Monitor Angela Gomez: 505-924-3946 or [email protected]

Thank you in advance for your willingness to help our City try new things during this health and economic crisis.  We appreciate your patience with this new ‘remote’ meeting process.  We value your input and will help you connect to this new way of participating.

Function

The Development Hearing Officer (DHO) was established by an amendment to the IDO effective December 25, 2022. The DHO conducts quasi-judicial hearings to:

1.  Approve or deny major subdivision actions where no re-zoning or annexation is required,
2.  Establish rights-of-way,
3.  Vacate public rights-of-way,
4.  Establish or vacate public and private easements,
5.  Waive standards in IDO Sections 14-16-5-3 (Access and Connectivity), 14-16-5-4 (Subdivision of Land), or 14-16-5-5 (Parking and Loading), or the Development Process Manual (DPM).

The DHO is charged with administering the IDO and the DPM as well as other City ordinances and policies applicable to subdivision actions.  In addition, Waivers heard by the DHO can apply to Site Plans Administrative.

Requirements for Plats

The DHO requires that all Plats be signed and sealed by a licensed surveyor, licensed in the State of New Mexico. For plats, the first page must be signed and sealed. 

Application

Supplemental Submittals

The deadline for supplemental submittals to address DHO comments is noon on Friday, unless noted on the DHO calendar. We need this time to review your submittal completely.

Please submit by noon on Friday using the resubmittal form and send to [email protected]. For files larger than 9 MB in size, please send an email to [email protected] and request that staff send you a link via Smartfile to upload your supplemental submittal. Once you upload your supplemental submittal to Smartfile, staff can download the file.  

Submittals received after the deadline will be reviewed for the following meeting.

See below for links to an updated infrastructure list template and examples of signature blocks for different types of applications:

• Download the Infrastructure List
• Download the Plat Signature Block

General Meeting Information

Development Hearing Officer (DHO) hearings are being held remotely twice a month according to the DHO 2023 calendar. The hearings begin at 9 a.m. using Zoom software. Please refer to the “DHO Hearing Process during the Public Health Emergency” section above for instructions regarding how to participate in the Zoom-based DHO hearings.

Per the IDO effective December 25, 2022, applications to the Development Review Board (DRB) will be transitioning to either the Development Hearing Officer (DHO) or the Site Plan Administrative-Development Facilitation Team (DFT). Applications ‘deemed’ complete by close of business December 23, 2022 will be reviewed by the DRB. The DRB will continue to meet per the 2023 schedule until decisions for all cases accepted for
the DRB have been made. Once decisions have been made by the DRB on all its applications, no more DRB meetings will take place, and the DRB will formally cease to exist as a Board. To that end, DRB meetings have only been scheduled to the end of March 2023 to accommodate such applications.
Any subdivision or site plan applications submitted after the end of the business day on Friday, December 23 will be reviewed per the IDO Effective December 25, 2022. Please refer to the DHO and Site Plan - Administrative DFT webpages. 

The public hearing portion of each week's agenda is announced in the Albuquerque Journal.

• Development Hearing Officer Agendas and Actions
• DHO Rules of Procedure

Forms

• Archaeological Ordinance
• Development Hearing Officer Application
• Development Hearing Officer Supplemental Form
• Development Review Application
• Form A: Appeals
• Form P3: Administrative Decisions and Minor Amendments
• Form PLT: Pre-Approvals/Signatures
• Form S1: Subdivision – Major (DHO)
• Form S2: Subdivision – Minor (DHO)
• Form V: Vacations of Easements or Right-of-Way (DHO)
• Form V2: Waiver - DHO
• Mailed/Emailed Notice for Neighborhood Associations
• Mailed Notice for Property Owners
• Neighborhood Meeting Request
• Sensitive Lands Analysis Form
• Drainage Ponds - Slope Stabilization and Seeding Requirements
• Sign Posting Agreement Form