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Committee advances phase 1 update to Santa Fe land development code after lengthy presentation
Summary
Land use staff presented a comprehensive Phase 1 rewrite of the Land Development Code (SFCC Ch. 14). Committee members approved the update as amended, sending it to further committee review; staff said the rewrite is intended to improve clarity, streamline procedures and create incentives for affordable housing.
Santa Fe — City land-use officials presented a multi-year, phase 1 update to Santa Fe’s Land Development Code on Monday, and the Public Works and Utilities Committee voted to advance the proposal after a broad presentation and discussion.
The proposal (Bill No. 2024-17) would repeal and replace many sections of SFCC Chapter 14 and reorganize zoning districts, allowed uses, overlays and development standards. Committee members approved a motion to advance the draft (roll call: Councilor Castro, Councilor Michael Garcia and Chair Chavez voted yes).
What staff presented: Maggie Moore (assistant land-use director) and Heather Lamboy (land-use director) described Phase 1 as the culmination of more than two years of public engagement and technical review. The rewrite aims to make the code more readable, consolidate scattered provisions, add graphical process flowcharts, and incorporate new use categories and dimensional standards. Key elements highlighted by staff included: - Reorganized zone district tables with illustrations and consolidated dimensional standards to improve clarity; - A new parks and open-space zoning district and revised overlay maps (archaeological, escarpment, etc.); - Explicit listing of “missing middle” housing types (duplex, triplex, quadplex) and changes to allow higher densities administratively in some zones above 10 units per acre; - Updated parking standards with options for shared parking, transit proximity reductions and separate bicycle-parking standards; - Revisions to historic-district procedures, archeological-clearance thresholds, and telecommunication standards to align with federal rules; - An expanded set of affordability incentives in the Santa Fe Homes program, with density bonuses scaling to the percentage of affordable units and administrative-review pathways for certain infill projects.
Affordability and incentives: Staff emphasized enhanced affordability incentives intended to spur infill and affordable units, including scaled density bonuses, administrative review for qualifying projects, and flexibility on parking and dimensional standards for developments that provide affordable units on site. Staff said outside funding and infrastructure costs continue to be a constraint and that some incentives are calibrated to encourage on-site affordable housing rather than fee-in-lieu models.
Budget, staffing and implementation concerns: Councilors pressed staff about implementation capacity. Councilor Michael Garcia urged the department to identify additional full-time equivalents (FTEs) and process improvements to handle increased permitting and administrative reviews; staff said digital permitting, OpenGov asset/software improvements and a lean process redesign are planned alongside reorganization of review procedures.
Public input and historic review: Several members of the public spoke during earlier public-comment periods in favor of the code changes to enable more affordable housing; other commenters urged caution on historic-district impacts. Lamboy said the Historic Districts Review Board requested that design-standard changes that affect historic districts be delayed until Phase 2; staff will prepare a supplemental memo listing proposed amendments ahead of future hearings.
Committee action: After discussion the committee voted to approve the draft as amended and send it forward to subsequent committee hearings (quality of life and finance) and ultimately to the governing body for a final adoption hearing. Staff requested and offered to provide supplemental materials and suggested one-on-one briefings with council members prior to the governing-body hearing.
Why it matters: Staff and councilors described the code rewrite as an effort to remove contradictions accumulated since the last comprehensive update (1997), reduce administrative barriers to infill affordable housing, and modernize standards for stormwater, parking, electric-vehicle charging and accessibility.
Next steps: Staff said the code will proceed through two more committee stops and a planned governing-body adoption hearing on Nov. 19. Lamboy said a supplemental memo listing proposed amendments will be circulated in advance, and staff urged council members to schedule one-on-one briefings if desired.
Record and references: Staff provided detailed disposition and assessment reports and an enhanced-affordability-incentives memo that summarize substantive changes and where old code sections map to the draft.
