Trustees accept many sign‑code edits but defer full zoning rewrite to October

The Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque on Tuesday approved a string of technical and policy amendments to a sweeping zoning and sign‑code update, but the Board of Trustees paused final passage of the full ordinance to allow more public review.

Shana Schultz, the village’s zoning and planning director, told trustees the update was twofold: to centralize and clean up the code’s definitions and to overhaul the sign chapter to remove ambiguities that have raised legal and enforcement issues. "A lot of revisions to the code are just to make it clearer," Schultz said, urging trustees to focus on sections that create enforcement confusion.

Trustees spent much of the evening walking through staff‑proposed amendments labeled A through M. Several policy changes stood out: the board approved deletion of content‑based examples from the temporary‑sign rules and created a new rule that temporary signs of small size would not require a permit. After discussion about typical sign sizes, trustees amended staff’s initial threshold and adopted a four‑square‑foot permit exemption for temporary signs; Schultz said six‑square‑foot signs are common in jurisdictions of similar scale but staff was willing to adopt the smaller threshold to reduce enforcement burden.

The board also approved a clarification limiting the valid period for a temporary sign to 30 days with a single 30‑day extension, and it struck a discretionary standard that had previously required subjective director approval for ‘‘neon tubing’’ signs, favoring measurable illumination criteria instead.

On a more technical point, Amendment A added cross‑references so terms that relate to the transfer‑of‑development‑rights process appear where readers expect to find them. Shana Schultz emphasized that the amendment was navigational and not an endorsement of transfer‑of‑development‑rights policy.

Trustees were cautious about digital displays and the amount of a sign that may be illuminated. A staff proposal to limit the illuminated portion of a sign to 40% of the total permitted area prompted detailed questions about programmable message signs, legacy signage and how grandfathering would work. After extended discussion, the board asked staff to research industry practices and tabled that specific restriction for a later study session.

Public testimony included concerns that moving or deleting some definitions could erode village character. "If we are going to ignore the village ethos and apply Albuquerque, why are we pretending to be something different?" Vincent Sanchez told trustees during the public hearing, urging the board to defend Los Ranchos’ distinct code language.

Votes on the individual amendments were unanimous by roll call (Trustees Benvitas, Kefir and Ranovich voting yes on the items considered Tuesday). However, after approving a long list of staff amendments, the trustees voted to defer final adoption of Ordinance 303 to the next scheduled Board meeting on Oct. 21 so residents could review the redline packet and staff could bring additional clarifying language, especially on enforcement and political‑sign issues.

What’s next: the planning director will prepare refined language and a staff memo addressing how the interim sign rules and enforcement will operate during the election season. Trustees said they want a study session before final adoption to dig into time limits, right‑of‑way rules and the interaction between permanent and temporary signage.

The board’s decision leaves in place the amendments already adopted Tuesday and retains the village’s interim sign procedures — a stopgap the administration adopted earlier this year while the long rewrite remains under review.