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Committee hears three-installment plan for Santa Fe land development code update
Summary
City land use staff and consultant presented a three-installment approach to phase 2 of the land development code update, aiming for near-term administrative reforms, later design standards and preservation work, and final zoning-map changes coordinated with the general plan.
The Quality of Life Standing Committee heard a detailed briefing on the phase 2 land development code update that would split reforms into three sequential "installments." Matt Goble, the city's land consultant, told the committee the approach is meant to deliver early administrative fixes and faster housing-related reforms while sequencing design and mapping work to align with the general plan.
"We're proposing 3 installments, kind of 3 large buckets of code issues, each of which will be adopted individually," Goble said, describing an initial focus on process modernization and permit coordination, a second installment covering development and design standards (including preservation), and a third installment that would address district structure and mapping. Goble gave a tentative schedule: Installment 1 by the end of 2026 or first quarter 2027, Installment 2 during 2027, and Installment 3 in the first half of 2028.
Councilors pressed for clarity on committee composition and community representation. Councilor (speaker 1) urged the working groups to include a diversity of voices when debating complex topics such as density and height; Councilor Chavez warned that subcommittees should not simply duplicate existing committees and urged bringing outside expertise into the discussions. Goble and staff said multiple committees are proposed: a technical external stakeholder group, an interdepartmental work group (including the city attorney and planning staff), a Planning Commission subcommittee for policy reconciliation, and a separate preservation/HDRB working group.
The presentation flagged specific drafting topics heard in earlier visioning workshops, including accessory dwelling units, "missing middle" housing, preservation and design standards, and administrative reforms such as permit coordination and appeals. No formal action was taken; the consultant asked for feedback on committee structure and sequencing and emphasized coordination with the general plan before finalizing mapping changes.
