1 / 50

Alamogordo Zoning Rewrite

Alamogordo Zoning Rewrite. An Overview. Alamogordo Zoning Rewrite. Previous CD Director (Arthur Alterson) directed by City Commission in 2006/7 to undertake comprehensive rewrite of the City’s Zoning Code This is the product of that effort. Zoning Rewrite Group.

Gabriel
Download Presentation

Alamogordo Zoning Rewrite

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Alamogordo Zoning Rewrite An Overview

  2. Alamogordo Zoning Rewrite • Previous CD Director (Arthur Alterson) directed by City Commission in 2006/7 to undertake comprehensive rewrite of the City’s Zoning Code • This is the product of that effort

  3. Zoning Rewrite Group • Two main groups of participants: • Live participants • Email participants

  4. Zoning Rewrite Group • The frequent in-person participants: • Mike Drunzer • Tommy Messer • Klad Zimmerle • Mark Goga • Bill Schimmer • Deb Alton • (con’t)

  5. Zoning Rewrite Group • Wyatt Earp • Andrew (JR) Gomolak • Several members of the Community Development Department • And occasional visits from various other folks with an interest in the process

  6. Zoning Rewrite Group • E-mail participants? • Won’t provide a complete listing, but the group included: • Commissioners Griggs and Cole, Former Commissioner Brockett, the Otero County Builders and Contractors Association, and 25-30 other persons or groups.

  7. Alamogordo Zoning Rewrite Fundamental Principles • Focus on Necessary Changes • Focus on City-Wide Impacts

  8. Why Rewrite? • Present Code from 1950 • Obsolescences lead to variances • Variances are not desirable; the rules should be clear and consistent

  9. Why Rewrite? • Zoning has changed significantly from 1950 to present • Biggest change is from “use-based” zoning to “form-based” zoning

  10. Use Based Zoning • Specifies property uses in various zones • For example, you can have a little bakery shop here, but you cannot have it there • Very traditional and what Alamogordo has had since 1950

  11. Use Based Zoning • “The use-based zoning of the 1950’s deserves to die, but not simply to be replaced by a dumb “smart code” or a simplistic rating system.” W. Paul Farmer, FAICP Executive Director American Planning Assoc. in Planning: The Magazine of the APA (April 2009)

  12. Use Based Zoning • We didn’t do that (completely eradicate the old system) • What we tried to do was rework what we already had, add a number of items missing from our current code, and explore limited form based proposals in a couple of categories

  13. Form Based Zoning • Began to be developed across the country in 1970’s • Focus is on “how it looks/how it works” instead of “what it is”

  14. Form Based Zoning • The fundamental approach of form based zoning: • Do we care what the use is? Isn’t our concern what the impact will be on surrounding properties? • Obviously a much more complex system

  15. Form Based Zoning • So, we’re recommending a very incremental approach, focusing on adding form based components in two zoning categories: R-4 and C-1

  16. Alamogordo Zoning Rewrite Biggest Impediment Zoning is supposed to follow planning not lead it Zoning will be continue to be revisited after completion of comprehensive plan

  17. Alamogordo Zoning Rewrite Biggest Changes • Definitions • Planned Unit Developments • Conditional Rezonings • Parking • More form-based approach in R-4 and C-1

  18. Definitions • Absolutely necessary to the proper functioning of a zoning system • Almost totally missing from the current zoning regulation • Home based occupation rules are included in this section

  19. Planned Unit Developments • More commonly known as PUD’s • Allows for comprehensive development of a parcel of property according to the coherent design of the developer

  20. Planned Unit Developments • PUD’s have been a standard planning and zoning tool across the US since the early 1970’s

  21. Planned Unit Developments • A good local example of a development that could have been addressed more rationally by the city is Mesa Village on the northwest side of the city.

  22. Conditional Rezonings • What is a “conditional rezoning?” • An example is the property @ White Sands and N. Scenic that First Baptist Church of Alamogordo • The church wants the property zoned C-3, but the neighbors want assurances in case the church ends up not using the property

  23. Conditional Rezonings • The conditional rezoning would allow the City Commission to determine that the property is being rezoned for a specific use. If that use doesn’t happen, or if the use ceases over time, then the zoning reverts to its previous classification.

  24. Conditional Rezonings • We thought we had conditional rezoning authority but a succession of city attorneys have concluded that we don’t • We will when this revision is complete

  25. Parking • Actually required for the 1st time! • Minimum parking requirements will be somewhat less than current 3:1 open space rules • Maximum parking is also established @ 2X the minimum for each category, BUT

  26. Parking • There isn’t really a maximum on parking; what’s proposed is a maximum on impermeable surfaces. As long as the amount greater than 2X the minimum is permeable, the owner/builder/developer can have as much as they can afford • Dirt and gravel are not permitted (we have enough dust already).

  27. Parking • Also includes minimum parking space size (generally 10’x18’; parallel 10’x22’), but no restrictions on orientation of spaces (90O, 45O, parallel, etc.)

  28. The R’s • Changes in Setbacks • Allowing of HUD-Plated Manufactured Housing Units, such as modular houses

  29. RR-1 • Agreement to Disagree • Minimum ¾ acre lot • No requirements for curb, gutter, and/ or sidewalks

  30. RR-1 • Would not be required to tie into the City’s sewer system • Full discussion/debate on this proposal at next Planning and Zoning Commission meeting (Thursday 1 October, 6:00 PM, Commission Chambers)

  31. R-4 • Currently Multi-Family plus professional offices • Will become a ‘transitional’ zone between residential and small retail/ office • But still allow multi-family

  32. R-4 • Proposal will be to limit the size of these “professional” offices and to also allow “small” retail establishments by limiting the size of the lots they can be on

  33. R-4 • What is “small”? • In both cases the size is under 10,000 sq feet • For reference: 10,000 sq ft is (approximately) an Allsup’s lot (the building is about 2,500 sq ft)

  34. C’s • C-1 (Neighborhood Retail) is narrowed down to smaller scale (see next slide) • C-2 is new: Office with retail included (see later slide) • C-3 is regional retail: Mall, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, etc.

  35. C-1 • Current rules result in very little difference between C-1 & C-3 • New proposal is designed to encourage actual “neighborhood” retail • How?

  36. C-1 • Limit size of buildings in C-1 zone (to 25,000 square feet: about the size of the Hastings strip @ 10th & White Sands) • Pull the buildings closer to the street (so people in neighborhoods don’t walk across acres of parking)

  37. C-1 • One more change in C-1: Single family residential development would no longer be allowed in C-1 zones • Current single-family uses grandfathered

  38. C-2 • Recognize the development of office/professional building parks • Parking requirements scaled to the needs of offices rather than stores • Would still allow for some retail to accompany/service the offices

  39. M’s • M-1 is new: Office with light manufacturing • M-2 is old M-1 • M-3 basically says anything that’s industrial, legal and you can get P&Z and City Commission to agree to is acceptable

  40. M-1 • This is designed to be a mixed use type of facility: a professional office where some manufacturing happens • Examples: computer software, film production (on CD/DVD), a publishing (not printing) company

  41. M’s • One other new wrinkle in M’s: • M’s & R’s can’t touch (except across 54, 70, or White Sands)

  42. MH • Old MH-1 disappears; single manufactured housing (HUD plated) units now allowed in R zones • Old MH-2 is now MH: this is for manufactured housing/mobile home communities • Current Chapter 25 is eliminated

  43. RV • Completely new category (h/t Klad Z) • RV-1 is for temporary stay RV’s • RV-2 is for a “condo”-style RV park where the RV owners actually own their own spaces (h/t Mesa AZ!)

  44. RV • We don’t currently have any of the RV-2 style developments in Alamogordo (because they are not currently legal) but the committee agreed that this might be something that a property owner/developer might want to consider.

  45. X • Annexations will be allowed directly into any zone • A new zone to allow for annexation w/o designation of a specific zone • A holding pattern

  46. G • Another new zone: for property that is governmentally-owned

  47. Discussion Process • October P&Z (1 Oct): R’s, MH, & RV • November P&Z (5 Nov): C’s & G • December P&Z (3 Dec): M’s & X • January P&Z (7 Jan): Final decision

  48. Discussion Process • If approval is recommended, the proposal would be presented to the City Commission at either the 2nd January (est. date 26 Jan) or 1st February meeting (est. date 9 Feb).

  49. A Final Word (Hooray!) • All P&Z meetings are @ 6:00 in Commission Chambers. • If you have comments, ideas, opinions, please come and share them at those meetings. • Or come into Community Development @ City Hall: unless you hit a previous engagement I will be happy to meet with you at any time.

  50. A Final Word (Hooray!) • Some CD’s of the draft proposed documents are available for the taking • The draft proposed documents and other ancillary documents relating to RR-1 will be on our website (ci.alamogordo.nm.us) sometime tomorrow for downloading

More Related