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Residents press trustees to enforce guest-house rule after PNZ approval
Summary
Multiple residents told trustees that Planning & Zoning approved a guest house with an attached garage in contravention of Ordinance 9.2.7 A15B and urged consistent enforcement to protect Los Ranchos’ rural character.
Mayor Lawrence Real opened public comment at the Village of Los Ranchos meeting on Oct. 21, where several residents urged trustees to enforce the village guest-house ordinance and called attention to a recent Planning & Zoning approval they say undermines the law.
Teresa Ray told the board that "guest houses may not have a garage. Period," and said last week’s PNZ approval of a guest house with an attached double‑car garage sets a precedent that could let homeowners expand living space and effectively evade the 1,000‑square‑foot guest-house cap written in Ordinance 9.2.7 A15B.
Other residents backed that charge. Dan Bis, who said he spent 15 years as a licensed contractor, told trustees it is "too easy a way to evade the limitations" when an applicant argues there will be no door between a garage and a guest house. Long-time resident Nancy McGoff said she reviewed plans at a PNZ meeting and was "very uncomfortable" with findings that appeared to allow a standing 1,200‑square‑foot garage to be reclassified with additional storage as a guest house.
Speakers framed their concerns as a consistency problem: if one property gains an effective increase in living area by reclassifying garage space, Ray said, that "removes the character of the village" little by little.
Trustees did not adopt or direct new enforcement at the meeting. Several board members acknowledged the problem and said staff and legal counsel should look into whether PNZ followed existing code and whether policy changes are needed. Planning director Shana Schulz later told the trustees she would provide a clearer mapping of definitions and where proposed code language does or does not currently apply.
The issue has two parts: whether the specific PNZ approval complied with the text of the current ordinance, and whether the rules and administrative practices allow a homeowner to achieve essentially larger living quarters through semantics. Residents asked trustees to pursue consistent application of the code and to consider whether PNZ decisions merit review or additional guidance.
Trustees and staff agreed to follow up. The board's next regular meeting will allow additional opportunity for staff to report back and for the community to weigh in; the zoning overhaul now underway was also mentioned as part of that follow-up.
