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Planning commission backs new Core Commercial zone, limits drive-throughs and recommends lower village-center heights
Summary
Los Ranchos planning commissioners voted to recommend TA-25-02 (text amendments) and ZMA-25-01 (map amendment) to create a Core Commercial zone, limit most drive-throughs on the Fourth Street corridor to service uses, prohibit external storage within 18 feet of Fourth Street, keep light manufacturing permissive, and recommend the Board consider reducing VC height to 26 feet.
The Planning & Zoning Commission on Aug. 12 voted to forward a package of zoning changes to the Board of Trustees that would create a new Core Commercial (CC) zone, update the Village Center (VC) regulations and change the official zoning map.
Staff planner Mr. Williams described TA-25-02 as the product of several months of community working groups. The changes would remove the VC project-area concept, create the CC zone, require an economic-development plan as part of site development review in some cases, and lower the permissible building height in the CC zone (as proposed) from three stories/48 feet to two stories/26 feet.
Late-submitted comments from resident Tom Donlon were read into the record; Donlon urged a two-story (26-foot) limit, opposed removing restrictions on drive-ups and drive-thrus, and said park parcels should be returned to R-3 rather than be included in the VC/CC package.
Key votes and policy decisions taken by the commission:
- Drive-throughs/drive-ups in the CC zone: Commissioner Baldwin offered an amendment to remove most drive-up facilities from the VC and CC auto-oriented use tables and limit permitted drive-up facilities in the CC zone to service-oriented operations such as banks and pharmacies. The commission approved that amendment (roll-call vote passed with two 'no' votes), reasoning that restricting drive-up uses improves pedestrian and cyclist safety along Fourth Street.
- Light manufacturing: Commissioners debated whether to make light manufacturing permissive or conditional in the VC. Staff proposed a hybrid (permissive with a 15% retail component, conditional otherwise) but the commission ultimately voted to keep light manufacturing permissive as it is today.
- Storage and streetscape: To protect the streetscape on Fourth Street, commissioners added an amendment prohibiting stored materials within 18 feet of the Fourth Street right-of-way in the proposed CC zone and asked that screening and enforcement be applied to storage areas. That motion passed unanimously.
- Village Center height recommendation: Citing strong community preference, the commission voted to recommend reducing VC maximum height from 48 feet/3 stories to 26 feet/2 stories in future code language and added a separate finding that the Board of Trustees should consider allowing limited architectural features (for placemaking) to exceed a height maximum; staff counsel recommended the commission forward that as a finding for further work rather than change text mid-process.
Commissioners passed a package motion recommending approval of TA-25-02 as amended and the companion map amendment ZMA-25-01 that converts certain VC parcels to CC on the village zoning map. The vote to forward the amended package to the Board of Trustees was unanimous. Mr. Williams noted that the map amendment is the companion, ministerial step to reflect the text changes.
Tom Donlon, who addressed the commission, asked the commissioners to remove park parcels from the CC conversion and to return them to R-3 to reduce the risk they could be used for parking associated with adjacent apartment buildings; staff cautioned that selectively changing map parcels during this legislative package could raise procedural complications. The commission added a finding urging the Board to consider a parks/municipal-use zone for future ordinances.
The commission’s recommendations are advisory; the Board of Trustees will consider TA-25-02 and ZMA-25-01 at the next legislative hearing. If adopted, the CC zone and map changes will trigger subsequent site development, conditional-use and building-permit reviews for any specific projects.
