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Residents warn of traffic strain as Socorro approves new triplexes and legalizes multiunit conversions
Summary
At its Dec. 2 meeting the Planning and Zoning Commission approved several rezonings to allow triplexes and to legalize existing multiunit buildings. Neighbors at Manzanita and Tanya Drive told commissioners that narrow farm roads and limited exits increase safety and parking concerns.
The City of Socorro Planning and Zoning Commission voted Dec. 2 to approve rezoning requests that will allow new triplexes and legalize existing multiunit properties in several neighborhoods — decisions that neighbors say will worsen traffic and safety concerns on narrow local roads.
At a public hearing for 10371 Manzanita Drive, resident Maricella Diaz told the commission she is worried about traffic and limited access, saying: "My main thing is that, I am concerned mainly on the traffic. We don't have ways to get out." Diaz described farm roads and a nearby elementary school, and warned that bringing additional triplexes into the area would concentrate vehicle movements onto a few exits.
Planning staff and the applicant said the proposal meets current R-2 zoning allowances. Staff recommended approval and described the lot at about 10,695 square feet; the applicant's representative said the three proposed units would each be roughly 1,000 square feet and argued there is strong rental demand. The commission approved the rezoning after asking staff and the applicant about connectivity and ingress/egress options.
A similar pattern played out at other hearings: residents opposed legalizing an existing quadruplex at 366 Tanya Drive on the basis of traffic and parking; caller Claude Gutierrez said he was "strongly against" changing the allowable maximum from three to four units and cited prior accidents and parking impacts. Staff and the applicant said the structure already exists and that the Central Appraisal District has taxed it as a four-unit property, leading staff to recommend legalization with a variance.
Commissioners acknowledged the neighborhood concerns and discussed longer-term fixes: planning staff said a Unified Development Code rewrite under way will propose clearer lot-size guidance for duplexes and triplexes; commissioners urged attention to subdivision connectivity to avoid overloading a single exit onto North Loop Drive or other arterials. Staff also flagged that traffic analyses for specific projects will consider turning lanes and signalization during engineering review.
Next steps: rezoning approvals let applicants pursue permits and required engineering reviews. Commissioners and staff noted that traffic and connectivity remain open issues to be addressed through required traffic studies and the upcoming UDC revisions.
