Residents and commissioners press traffic and school concerns as Palindrome hearing is deferred

The Los Ranchos de Albuquerque Planning & Zoning Commission voted Dec. 10 to defer consideration of a Palindrome LLC site-development plan and plat to the commission’s Jan. 14, 2025 meeting, after the applicant requested more time to provide information. The deferral came as residents urged commissioners to act on traffic, parking and school-related impacts they say are already straining village streets.

The deferral was moved by Commissioner Talia Pietra and seconded by Commissioner Haywood; Commissioners Martinez, Edward, Talia Pietra, Haywood and Baldwin voted yes. Commissioner Barrow recused himself from the Palindrome item; Commissioner Homan was excused. Director Hill confirmed the commission will retain the sign-up list so speakers who signed up for the Palindrome case may present at the January hearing.

Why it matters: multiple public commenters said new uses and events near small residential streets are producing heavy traffic, unauthorized driveway use and safety risks for older residents. Cynthia Valdez of 8530 Rio Grande said film production parking connected to a neighbor’s alpaca farm led to “about 200 cars” parking and people trespassing on her property, interfering with daily life and emergency access. Barbara Chavez, a longtime resident and business owner on Neighbor Road, said narrow streets and event parking make it “almost impossible” for older residents and emergency vehicles to get through.

Several commenters tied traffic worries to pending changes in local schools. Tom Donilon and others said the possible move of the Coronado magnet program to the Taft campus — along with reported enrollment projections ranging from about 200 to as many as 600 students cited by speakers — could significantly increase drop-off and pick-up trips on 4th Street and Osuna if no bus service is provided. Commissioner Edward, who identified himself during informal discussion, criticized what he described as poor facility conditions at some local schools and said that funding decisions and perceived lack of communication with Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) have left residents unprepared for shifts that affect neighborhood traffic.

Commissioners and staff responses: Director Hill said the Palindrome item was deferred at the applicant’s request to allow review of the plat and site plan together and said the commission retained speakers’ sign-up sheets for the January hearing. Commissioners suggested code and process remedies: Commissioner Martinez encouraged residents to bring organized problems and proposed solutions so the commission can study changes; Commissioner Baldwin said recurring complaints about small streets and parking may indicate the zoning code needs broader updates, and workgroups or code revisions could follow.

Numbers and claims stated at the meeting included a resident’s statement that the Osuna/4th area had seen an approved project referencing 204 units, speakers’ estimates of roughly 200 vehicles parked for film production, and cited bond/funding figures mentioned during discussion (speakers referenced approximately $28 million for Taylor and $14 million for Taft; one speaker referenced $42 million total). Those figures were presented by commenters and commissioners in argument and were not introduced as binding staff findings at the meeting.

Next steps: The Palindrome site plan and plat will return to the Planning & Zoning Commission on Jan. 14, 2025. Commissioners said they plan to pursue code updates and encouraged residents to submit concrete proposals (problem description, possible solution) so staff and the commission can scope studies such as changes to setback and parking requirements. The commission adopted its consent agenda and then adjourned at 6:56 p.m.

Quotes (attributed): “I'm here to protest my neighbors having problems with their alpaca farm… I feel like them making money is more important than my peace,” Cynthia Valdez said during public comment. “We're going to add this to Taft to change it to Coronado… Somebody needs to do something,” Barbara Chavez said, urging trustees and P&Z to work with APS on traffic mitigation. “If you want to develop here, you gotta do it because we don't want it,” resident Randall Ginns said, urging the commission to require appropriate parking and infrastructure from developers.

Ending: The commission closed the meeting after informal discussion about ongoing village issues, including setback and parking rule changes. Director Hill and the commission directed that the Palindrome public participants retain their sign-ups for the Jan. 14 hearing; commissioners signaled interest in broader zoning-code work in 2025.