Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Santa Fe County frames water policy around growth and housing needs as SGMP revision begins
Summary
County growth‑management staff told commissioners that housing demand and land‑use plans, not a simple supply question, should drive water policy. Staff cited county growth data, a 17,000‑unit affordable housing gap and plans to revise the Sustainable Growth Management Plan and SLDC with public outreach over the coming year.
Santa Fe County officials opened a special Board of County Commissioners meeting on water by linking housing needs and land‑use policy to water management, outlining how the county will tighten growth review and revise its long‑range plan.
Alexander Ladd, growth management staff, told the commission that recent perceptions of rapid growth are misleading: the county’s growth rate was about 0.12% last year and the county has grown 8.18% since 2010. He said the central policy question is not simply whether there is water but “how do we ensure that we manage our water so that everyone who wants to live here can live here.” Ladd cited the county’s affordable housing plan, which estimates roughly 17,000 additional housing units are needed between 2022 and 2025 to address inadequate housing and cost burden.
Herbert Foster, a…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
