Rio Rancho opens Development Process Manual for 30-day public review; adds 75% master‑plan ownership, early traffic‑calming guidance

At a Rio Rancho governing‑body work session, Amy Rincon, director of development services, gave an update on the draft Development Process Manual and said the city will open a web page tomorrow to begin a 30‑day public comment period on the proposed changes.

The manual update, Rincon said, consolidates standards that were previously in Chapter 155, adds a 75% ownership threshold for master plans and encourages early incorporation of traffic‑calming elements. "We're opening that up for a 30 day, review period," Rincon said, and the comment page will include chapter drafts, a comment matrix and crosswalks showing where provisions moved from the old manual into the new DPM.

Why this matters: the DPM will be the primary guide for subdivisions, street design and development approvals. Rincon and staff said the changes aim to reduce later redesign work and let developers and staff consider street design and traffic calming earlier in the entitlement process.

Rincon said staff has conducted numerous stakeholder meetings since February, including one‑on‑one meetings with the development community, two open houses (one at City Hall and one at a Decker office in Albuquerque), and a February–April round of internal and external reviews. She told the governing body the DPM committee met April 3 and voted to recommend advancing the draft to the next steps. "We have had 4 meetings since the last work session. 32 in total, additional meetings since we have started this whole process," she said.

Staff summarized substantive edits that have been added since the last presentation: a 75% ownership line for master plans to allow a master plan to proceed when most but not all parcels are under single ownership; clearer language encouraging traffic‑calming design at project outset rather than deferring it until after subdivision approval; and a draft public comment matrix that will log incoming comments and staff responses. Rincon said one common stakeholder question related to payment‑in‑lieu options for off‑site infrastructure, which she said is handled through development agreements and more closely relates to the city's impact‑fee ordinance.

The city plans to publish chapter PDFs, the stakeholder comment matrix and presentation materials on the DPM web page and run a 30‑day comment window in April–May. Rincon said staff will forward the comment matrix for early review before the Planning and Zoning Board packet; the Planning and Zoning Board is scheduled to consider the DPM on May 27 and the governing body will review it on June 12, with Chapter 155 text changes following and an implementation date of July 7 if adopted.

Council members asked about outreach and substantive changes. Councilor Weimer confirmed the two open‑house sessions had two attendees and pressed whether edits since the prior review were primarily clerical; Rincon and other staff said most were clerical or minor clarifications but identified two significant additions: the 75% ownership threshold for master‑plan applications and added language and cross‑references to traffic‑calming and streetscape design standards. Planning and Zoning Manager Bridal Babiak noted the comment matrix was requested by a developer and will summarize comments and staff responses in one document to increase transparency.

Staff also emphasized the DPM is intended to be stress‑tested in the field. A senior manager noted the document contains waiver mechanisms and a two‑year review cycle, allowing changes to address unintended consequences discovered during application.

The governing body did not take formal action during the work session; staff requested direction and released the public comment period timeline. Rincon said staff will post the matrix, chapters and presentations online and incorporate incoming comments before the Planning and Zoning Board hearing.

A web page launch and 30‑day public comment period will open tomorrow; the Planning and Zoning Board hearing is planned for May 27 and governing body review for June 12, with an implementation date of July 7 if approved.