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Planning Commission launches subcommittees and sets schedule for Santa Fe Forward and LDC phase 2
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Summary
City planning staff announced subcommittees and a staged schedule for the Santa Fe Forward general-plan update and Land Development Code phase 2, aiming for a 2026 adoption and a lean, implementation-focused plan. The commission also heard that a fee study for development permits is underway.
The Santa Fe Planning Commission on Wednesday heard a briefing on the Santa Fe Forward general-plan update and the Land Development Code (LDC) phase 2 work, including formation of two subcommittees, an installment-based delivery schedule and a new permit-fee study.
Janice Biletnikoff, long-range strategic planner for the city's Planning and Land Use Department, told commissioners the commission has formed two subcommittees: a land development code phase 2 group and a long-range planning/general-plan group. The LDC subcommittee will meet Fridays at 12:30–2:30 beginning May 1; the general-plan subcommittee will meet Tuesdays at 5:15–7:15 beginning May 5, with twice-monthly meetings for the first three months.
The general-plan process is organized by stage gates, Biletnikoff said, with information-gathering and an assessment report already completed. Stages 2 and 3 (draft mission, vision, strategies and scenario frameworks) are nearing closure; staff plans a preferred plan and public review before the governing body takes action. "That stage gate has closed," she said of stage 1, and the team anticipates adoption of the general plan in 2026, followed by an implementation plan also scheduled for 2026.
Biletnikoff said LDC phase 2 formally kicked off April 14 after a contract reassignment from Lehi and Associates to Global Partners. Matt Gobel of Gobel Partners will be under a separate contract to repair structural and pagination issues in the phase 1 document before staff advances a correction docket. Phase 2 will be delivered in multiple, topical installments rather than a single large report, with a mini-assessment report accompanying each installment.
The department also announced a development-permit fee study. "We issued a scope of work and requested quotes for an economic study to assess these fees," Biletnikoff said; the top candidate is already under contract with the city for an impact-fee study, which staff said could speed procurement and provide efficiencies.
Commissioners pressed staff for advance materials and packets for subcommittee members; Biletnikoff said agendas and packets will be sent in advance and that the first meeting will focus on logistics, with substantive packets beginning at the second meeting. Staff additionally noted budget and contract amendments were required to finish the work and characterized the October–December timeframe as aspirational for adoption and implementation tasks.
Santa Fe County staff indicated parallel work. "We want both of our general plans to say the same thing about the same issues," said Herbert Foster, team leader and long-range land-use planner for Santa Fe County, who described early-stage public engagement and a push for a shorter, implementation-oriented county document.
The commission approved routine consent items and several findings and conclusions earlier in the meeting before the presentations. The subcommittees will reconvene periodically to align the LDC and general-plan work and to provide priority-setting input to staff.
