Bernalillo County delays vote on South Coors Boulevard sector plan after community concerns

Bernalillo County commissioners on Nov. 18, 2025, voted to continue two related zoning items — an amendment to the Southwest Area Plan (SPR-2025-0003) and a proposed South Coors Boulevard sector development plan (SPR-2025-0004) — to Feb. 13, 2026, after staff presentations and extensive public comment.

County planner Mino Savoca told the Board the amendment would add three new neighborhood activity centers at Coors Boulevard intersections with Sage Road, Arenal Road and Blake Road and that the change is intended to align the Southwest Area Plan with the proposed sector plan. Richard Meadows of County Public Works said the sector plan is tied to a major corridor safety and multimodal improvement project and that the county received a large federal grant to address safety issues along Coors Boulevard. “We recently were awarded a large federal grant to address safety issues along the corridor,” Meadows said.

Jessica Lawless, the county’s consultant with Decker, described outreach that included a steering committee, two open houses and an online survey with 252 responses. Lawless summarized community priorities captured in the outreach — convenient local services, public spaces, and expanded retail and housing choices — and described the plan’s zoning and design tools: an opt‑in corridor zone (SC‑C) and an activity center zone (SC‑AC); permissive residential and commercial uses; conditional‑use pathways for higher densities; and design overlay standards for setbacks, landscape buffers and facade treatment.

Under the draft plan, activity centers would allow up to 25 dwelling units per acre as a permissive right and up to 50 units per acre through a conditional‑use permit; height caps proposed were up to 42 feet in the corridor zone (about three stories) and up to 54 feet in activity centers (about four stories). The draft also includes stepback and buffer protections, including a 10‑foot stepback before a third floor within 40 feet of the Coors right‑of‑way, a 30‑foot maximum height within 50 feet of low‑density single‑family parcels, and a 20‑foot no‑build stepback adjacent to MRGCD facilities.

Several commissioners pressed staff on the data underpinning the plan. Commissioner Frank Baca asked where the cited regional estimate of “1,000 to 2,000” additional affordable rental units on the Southwest Mesa originated; Meadows and other staff said the figure came from a regional housing needs assessment prepared by the Mid‑Region Council of Governments and related studies, and that the county’s role is to create zoning opportunities rather than to deliver subsidized housing directly.

Public comment included both opposition and support. Neighbors and coalition representatives repeatedly urged lower height limits and protections for South Valley character and dark skies. Jerry Noble, president of the Blake Road Neighborhood Association, said the plan “fails to act on this opportunity by proposing 4 story, 20 unit buildings at activity centers,” and asked that activity centers near Blake be capped at two stories. Peter Ashman representing neighborhood coalitions urged fully shielded lighting in the corridor and warned that structures taller than two stories would be out of character. Conversely, the Mid‑Region Metropolitan Planning Organization voiced support for the plan’s integration of land‑use and transportation policies, and several local property owners and business advocates said the plan could create jobs and opportunities for neighborhood services.

Mark Garcia, representing the Garcia Family Trust, told the Board two parcels were mistakenly included within an activity center boundary; planning staff acknowledged the error and said they would remove the parcels and preserve A‑1 agricultural zoning unless the owners opt in to a change.

Meadows clarified crash totals presented during the hearing: data depend on the look‑back period. He said the federal grant application reviewed a longer period that showed as many as 18 fatalities in the corridor area in the dataset used for that application, while more recent five‑year windows show fewer deaths. Commissioners repeatedly returned to traffic safety as a driving justification for coordinated land‑use and roadway changes.

Commissioner Frank Baca moved to continue both agenda items to Feb. 13, 2026, to allow staff time to incorporate community feedback and to give commissioners additional time for detailed review; the motion passed 4‑0. Staff told the Board they support the continuance, will prepare revisions (including the Garcia parcel correction), and are available for briefings and workshops with commissioners ahead of the next hearing.

The Board’s action means there was no final vote on the plan or the Southwest Area Plan amendment on Nov. 18. The next formal hearing on both items is scheduled for Feb. 13, 2026, when the Board may take final action or continue further. For now, the proposed zoning changes — including height limits, density allowances, and design overlay requirements — remain draft and subject to revision.

What’s next: Staff said they will continue public outreach, incorporate requested map corrections and consider commissioner direction on height limits, buffering, streetscape standards and contractor‑yard provisions before the Feb. 13 hearing.