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Council discusses draft ordinance to allow village to plat lots under an acre for municipal uses
Summary
Staff proposed amending municipal code section 18‑38(d) to allow the Village of Corrales (and possibly public utilities) to acquire and plat parcels smaller than one acre for public uses such as retention ponds, access to the Bosque and fire‑suppression infrastructure; councilors raised wording and future‑use safeguards.
Village staff presented a proposed text change to section 18‑38(d) of the municipal code to permit the village to acquire and plat lots smaller than the one‑acre minimum when necessary for municipal or public‑interest functions.
Laurie (speaker 12) said the village owns numerous small parcels (retention ponds, rights‑of‑way) and that recent needs — including creating access to the Bosque and siting retention ponds or a fire‑suppression connection — prompted the request. The current code sets a minimum lot area of 43,560 square feet (one acre); the draft amendment would allow a governmental entity or public utility to acquire and plat lots “of any size for use and furtherance of their statutory function” but would add a sentence clarifying “the exception shall not allow the building of dwelling units.”
Councilors and staff debated the language and potential unintended consequences: whether the authorization should be limited to the Village of Corrales (to reduce risk that a different jurisdiction could acquire small parcels for other uses), how to prevent future commercial development such as car washes on small acquired parcels, and whether the exception should explicitly permit municipal‑type infrastructure (pump houses, hydrants, access easements) while forbidding residential or commercial structures.
Legal counsel (speaker 30) recommended avoiding the phrase “nonconforming” because of zoning law meanings and suggested explicitly allowing structures for municipal or quasi‑public use while barring commercial or residential construction. The fire chief (speaker 31) explained the operational need for smaller parcels to host access, retention and hydrant sites and noted the village has multiple sub‑acre parcels primarily used for retention and right‑of‑way.
Next steps: Staff said they will redraft the ordinance language to clarify limits (possibly restrict acquisition authority to the Village of Corrales and named public utilities) and return with revised wording and a map of village‑owned sub‑acre parcels.
