Planning commission recommends special-use zoning and replat to create Bernalillo 'town campus'

At its Sept. 3, 2024 meeting the Town of Bernalillo Planning & Zoning Commission recommended that the Town Council rezone a cluster of town-owned parcels near 829 Camino Del Pueblo to Special Use (SU) for public facilities and approved a companion summary subdivision to consolidate those lots into a single tract.

Planning and Zoning Director Stephanie Shumsky presented ZMA24-004, which would change zoning from a mix of R1-A, C-1 and "Exempt" to SU for public facilities and uses. Shumsky said the change would make zoning consistent across the Town Hall complex — an area that includes the town hall itself, police and fire facilities, museum, library and several older school and recreation structures — and allow the town to pursue a coordinated master development plan and lease incidental space such as a community commercial kitchen or incubator uses.

Commissioners cited the town’s Comprehensive Plan and Transit-Oriented Development goals in recommending approval to the Town Council. The commission’s motion noted the applicant provided the required master development plan and found the request did not create a spot zone.

In a companion action commissioners approved SUMP24-007, a summary subdivision that vacates unused right-of-way fragments and combines more than 60 small Porter Addition parcels into a single Town-owned tract to be recorded as Tract M. The replat will require signature and recording steps with Sandoval County before becoming final.

Shumsky and the surveyor confirmed retaining existing utility easements while vacating redundant rights-of-way, and advised that zoning and the replat are separate steps: the replat creates the property geometry; the zone change (ZMA24-004) still requires Town Council action.

The Planning & Zoning Commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Town Council for a second public hearing and final decision.