The Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 23, 2025, voted 4-1 to deny an appeal and uphold a zoning administrator decision allowing PB & J Family Services to reduce required parking at 900 Armijo Road from 23 spaces to 12 in a variance case (COA2025-002; BA2025-006). Commissioners also voted 5-0 to add documents shown at the hearing, including petition signatures and projected site visuals, to the official record.

The decision affects a county-owned, triangular 0.86-acre site near Isleta Boulevard and a small park in the South Valley where PB & J plans a phased, like-for-like replacement of aging classrooms. Supporters said the move preserves neighborhood services and protects children from interruptions; opponents cited traffic, insufficient parking, and limited neighborhood outreach.

Zoning administrator Maggie Gold told the commission the variance request was tied to the parcel’s shape and access constraints and noted the Board of Adjustment previously upheld the administrator’s decision. “The variance criteria is really tied specifically to things about the parcel itself that are unusual or unique,” Gold said, summarizing the legal standard the commission must apply. The appeal also invoked the county’s “20% rule,” which requires a supermajority where at least 20% of property owners within 100 feet protest; staff said roughly 36% of properties within that buffer filed protests, making four votes necessary to approve the variance.

Appellant Clara Pena argued the site is too small for the proposed development and said the reduction from the current roughly 35–50 spaces used at PB & J’s Lopez Road campus to 12 would overload neighborhood parking. “This property located on 900 Armijo Road is too small for the type of development that the architect is requesting,” Pena said during her presentation. She offered petitions and maps showing nearby park and business parking she said could be affected if visitors look for spaces.

County staff and the project team, including Jared Divot, director of fleet and facilities, and architects Sherry Mackenzie and Jeremy Jurch, said the project is a phased, like-for-like replacement that keeps most administrative parking at the Lopez Road campus and that the design responds to site constraints. Divot said more than $7.6 million has been encumbered or spent on design and early work, and that the project has been presented at multiple public meetings. “900 Armijo is a county-owned piece of property that's currently vacant, just 700 feet from PB & J,” Divot said, adding that demolition of failing Lopez Road portions would follow relocation of classrooms.

The applicant’s team emphasized that about 90% of students are expected to arrive by bus, reducing parent drop-off trips the South Valley Sector Development Plan’s square-footage parking formula does not account for. Architect Jeremy Jurch told the commission the sector plan’s 1-per-400-square-foot requirement for larger buildings “applies a one-size-fits-all parking formula based solely on square footage, not on use,” and that strict application would force program reductions or parking-dominated site layouts on the uniquely shaped lot.

Public works traffic reviewer Julie Luna said a traffic scoping report was completed for phase 1 and that phase 1 did not meet the county’s threshold for a full traffic study; she said a site-specific traffic count would be required for phase 2. “We always… will accept local data, and we see the phase 1 as a very good opportunity to observe the traffic patterns,” Luna said.

Commission debate focused narrowly on whether the parcel’s shape and constraints met the variance standard. Commissioner Barbara Baca moved to uphold the zoning administrator and deny the appeal; Commissioner Barboa seconded. The motion passed 4-1. A prior procedural motion from the chair to add the overhead visuals and petitions to the record passed unanimously, 5-0. The commission’s decision is limited to the parking-variance question; it did not modify the project’s funding or construction contracts.

Opponents said they feared overflow parking and insufficient outreach; supporters and staff said retaining the site preserves continuity of services and avoids temporary closures of existing classrooms. Senator Debbie O’Malley addressed the commission in support of PB & J, calling the organization a long-standing local service provider.

The commission and county staff also discussed post-decision, non-binding steps: Vice Chair Barboa and the county manager indicated willingness to pursue a “good neighbor” engagement framework and coordinate departments to monitor operations and traffic as the project proceeds, though such agreements are separate from the quasi-judicial variance decision. Staff also recommended adding evidence from both sides to the official record to ensure the board’s written findings reflect materials shown at the hearing.

The appeal hearing record identifies the variance request as COA2025-002 (parking reduction from 23 to 12 spaces) and Board of Adjustment appeal BA2025-006. The commission noted prior hearings on June 11 (zoning administrator) and Aug. 6 (Board of Adjustment). The commission’s next zoning meeting was announced for Oct. 14 at 3 p.m. in the commission chambers.