Planning and Zoning Commission approves site plan to convert Manhattan Project-era women’s dorm into visitor center

The Los Alamos County Planning and Zoning Commission voted to approve a site plan to renovate a Manhattan Project–era two-story dormitory at 1725 Seventeenth Street into a visitor center with historical and educational exhibits, associated office space, a caretaker unit and a 560-square-foot detached restroom facility with a picnic pavilion.

The approval, on a roll-call vote with six commissioners voting yes and none opposed, follows a staff presentation and testimony from the county project team and nearby residents. The commission’s decision cites findings of fact on the record that the proposal meets the site-plan decision criteria in the Los Alamos County development code.

The project team told the commission the application process has taken several years and multiple prior approvals: "it's been a long road to get to where we are this evening" and "it's taken 6 years to do it," said Russell Naranjo, project manager with the Los Alamos County Capital Improvements and Facilities Division, who presented the application and described how the proposal addresses the development-code criteria.

Why it matters: The property is within the Institutional (INS) zone following a prior zoning amendment and sits adjacent to the county’s historic assets and walking-tour sites. County staff said the plan advances tourism and historic-preservation goals tied to the Manhattan Project National Historical Park while addressing neighborhood protections for residents closest to the site.

What the commission and staff said - Jane Matthews, senior planner and case manager, summarized the request as renovation of the vacant 5,462-square-foot building with a new restroom/pavilion and said the application "meets all the decision criteria" in staff’s professional judgment. She noted landscaping, ADA-accessible sidewalks, and parking that exceeds code minimums. - Commissioner Adler disclosed a potential perceived conflict of interest on the record: "I work for historic preservation services for the National Park Service, for a program that supports all of the parks in this region, including the Manhattan Project National Historical Park," and said she did not expect a financial gain or loss.

Neighborhood concerns and responses Resident John Davey, who lives directly across from the dorm, told the commission he supports reuse of the building but asked the county to ensure mechanical equipment will not create persistent noise for nearby homes. Davey cited the county noise ordinance and said on the record that "it shall be a violation of this article for any person to cause or permit the production of sound in such a manner as to escape more than 65 decibels, across any residential property line during the day. At night, that's reduced to 53 decibels." County staff and the applicant said the county will comply with the ordinance and described mitigation measures.

Project design and mitigation measures described in the hearing - Mechanical equipment will be located on the east side of the building and will be screened; the applicant committed to enclosing equipment and the dumpster area with concrete masonry unit (CMU) block and stucco rather than a minimal fence and to using quieter equipment where practicable. - Parking: the site plan provides 18 parking spaces (including two ADA spaces), two motorcycle spaces and six bicycle spaces; applicants said those counts exceed code requirements. - Lighting: exterior lighting will follow the county dark-skies and nighttime lighting standards, with proposed correlated color temperature not to exceed 2,700K and fixtures fully shielded; staff said lighting will be dimmed in the evening and turned off after business hours. - Historic review: the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) has been involved in design guidance. The design team said new site elements should not mimic 1940s siding and that materials and layouts will reflect SHPO guidance as the project moves toward any National Register or National Historic Landmark nomination processes.

Formal action and next steps Commissioners voted to approve case SIT2025-0071 and authorized the chair to sign a final order approving the application and findings of fact to be prepared by county staff. The chair read appeals information for the record: the commission’s final written decision may be appealed within 15 calendar days by property owners listed in the application, persons who received mailed notice, a county official whose interests may be adversely affected, or any person with recognized legal interest under New Mexico law.

The project will proceed to subsequent design and permitting stages: county staff and the project team said several implementation details (final mechanical equipment selection, exact wall heights and final signage) will be finalized during building-permit review and that certain elements raised by the interdepartmental review committee (for example, enlarging the waste enclosure) will be addressed during permitting.

Closing notes: Commissioners and staff thanked long-term public participants for their engagement. The commission’s approval concluded the public hearing and decision for the site-plan application.