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County staff: zoning, water and flood risks limit higher‑density housing in unincorporated Doña Ana
Summary
Doña Ana County's draft housing plan finds a mismatch between policies that allow higher-density housing and actual zoning, plus water/sewer deficits and flood hazards that together constrain multifamily development outside Las Cruces.
County staff told commissioners on Aug. 4 that regulatory and physical constraints in unincorporated Doña Ana County limit the county's ability to produce multifamily and 'missing middle' housing. The Unified Development Code and district zoning currently restrict higher-density uses in many rural and medium‑density zones, staff said, and minimum lot sizes and legacy regulatory caps prevent by‑right deployment of duplexes, triplexes and small multifamily developments in large parts of the county.
The housing presentation underscored infrastructure limits as a parallel constraint. "The lack of adequate water systems and wastewater capacity constrains development in unincorporated areas," Daniella Andrade said, noting flood‑prone arroyo corridors and fragmented service territory. Staff recommended regionalizing utilities and prioritizing expedited development reviews in areas where central service exists to enable denser housing types.
Commissioners and staff discussed code amendments to increase ADU size caps and allow ADUs by right in more districts; community development said a round of UDC amendments is planned to go to Planning & Zoning before returning to the board. The changes would require detailed mapping of infrastructure capacity and likely capital investments to support substantial multifamily production.
