Smart Growth News

New Mexico

Chain Superstore to Boost Depressed Las Cruces Corridor Economy

The Las Cruces City Council unanimously approved a project to convert the old Community Action Agency building into a Pro's Ranch Market store. According to report in the Sun-News, the store will revitalize ''a moribund commercial center,'' fitting perfectly into the El Paseo corridor vision being created ''through the federal government's 2010 Smart Growth Implementation Assistance program.''

Part of the Hispanic 12-superstore chain, the 9,975-square-foot Pro's Ranch Market in Las Cruces will open early next year, offering ''fresh, authentic food'' for all. The store is expected to create 250 jobs, ''a terrific boost at a time when our local economy continues to struggle through what has become a sluggish recovery from the recent recession,'' the Sun-News editorial points out.

Pro's Ranch founder and owner Mike Provenzano Sr. is promising to a hiring priority to nearby residents. Introducing himself to small-business owners with whom he will share the El Paseo Plaza, he expressed readiness to build up both the plaza and its neighborhood. His store, the editorial notes, will offer spaces inside and on the long porch outside for small, local vendors on weekends.   8/25/2010

Resource(s): www.lcsun-news.com/

Strong Community Involvement Vital for Las Cruces Sustainable Future

Chosen by EPA for its Smart Growth Implementation Assistance (SGIA) in April 2009, Las Cruces is gathering public input on redevelopment of its economically depressed El Paseo Road corridor. The process of visioning and following community preferences for the 1.7-mile corridor, running from downtown Las Cruces through mostly low-income neighborhoods to the New Mexico State University (NMSU) campus, will be a model for the city's other locally focused and eventually wider master planning, and for its involvement in implementation of a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) comprehensive regional plan currently in the works.

Once a rural road, lined by an irrigation ditch and sometimes flooded by an arroyo, reports Las Cruces Sun-News writer Steve Ramirez, two-lane El Paseo has evolved since the late 1970s into ''a major thoroughfare, with shopping centers, large stores and restaurants,'' becoming ''an ever more important link between the city and NMSU.''

Now city officials want local advice on what to preserve, whether to aim for pedestrian traffic, especially near Las Cruces High School, and whether a trolley or any other public transit could help the corridor's traffic flow. ''Those are just some of the questions we're looking for answers for from the public,'' said MPO Associate Planner Caeri Thomas, with MPO Safe Routes to School Program Coordinator Naoma Staley adding, ''We’ve been talking about general mobility and safety along the corridor, in addition to a lot of other issues people have wanted to discuss.''

Officials have held a number of public input meetings, and several more are upcoming.   8/12/2010

Resource(s): www.lcsun-news.com/

Albuquerque’s New Mixed-Income Apartment Complex Both Affordable and Green

Albuquerque's new $12-million Silver Gardens rental apartment project is the nation’s first to benefit from its carbon emission offsets. It also is the state's first affordable housing built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum standards. The project is located on a former bus terminal site across from the Alvarado Transit Center downtown.

Two years ago, Columbia, Maryland-based Enterprise Community Partners chose the first phase of Silver Gardens for aid from its new Enterprise Green Communities Offset Fund, purchasing 330 tons of carbon dioxide that wouldn't be emitted. The purchase allowed developers – the Supportive Housing Coalition of New Mexico and Jonathan Rose Companies' local affiliate Romero Rose, LLC – to invest in further reduction of the environmental footprint of the 119-unit project.

Its just-opened, first phase includes 66 energy-efficient units – five studios, 46 one-bedroom apartments, and 15 two-bedroom apartments – with 56 reserved for those making 30 to 60 percent of the area median income, or between $12,200 and $34,800 a year. Ranging from 445 to 934 square feet, the low-to-medium-income apartments rent for $288 to $764 a month, and the market-rate ones for $650 to $1,200. Almost 70 percent of the apartments have already been leased.

''Silver Gardens is a huge asset not only to downtown but to the city as a whole,'' said Albuquerque Mayor R.J. Berry at its grand opening. ''The Project's affordability as well as its 'green' attributes make it the type of housing project the city supports.''   5/18/2010

Resource(s): http://prweb.com/ ; http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/

Las Cruces Unveils New LEED-Certified City Hall

Las Cruces, New Mexico, officially opened its new City Hall building to the public on April 5, 2010. The $33 million building is LEED-certified, a unique feat ''since this will be the first city of Las Cruces building to incorporate such standards in its design,'' reports the Washington D.C. Examiner. The building houses 285 employees of the city’s eight departments.

LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green building Rating System, was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and sets out stringent standards for environmentally sustainable construction.

The LEED certification translates to a features that benefit both the building’s occupants and the environment. Those features include reduced pollution; water-efficient landscaping; a 20-percent reduction in overall building water use; increased ventilation; indoor pollutant source control, including the use of low emitting adhesives and sealants, paints and coatings, and carpet systems.   5/1/2010

Resource(s): www.examiner.com/

Alamogordo Updating 58-Year-Old Zoning Code

City staff in Alamogordo, New Mexico are updating the city's zoning code, which dates from April 1950. Alamogordo Daily News writer Laura London reports that the city is moving toward form-based zoning, and that the zoning rewrite group has made five changes to the code in the areas of definitions, planned unit developments, conditional rezoning, parking and a more form-based approach in some residential and commercial zones.

Form-based zoning focuses on how things look and how they work rather than what their use is. Alamogordo's current zoning is use-based, which zones areas of the city according to their usage.

Alamogordo City Planner Marc South said that the zoning rewrite group has worked on the code rewrite for three years now, and the long process is because it's nearly 60 years since the code was revisited.

''We can never again go 50 to 60 years without a comprehensive review,'' South said.

According to South, the biggest impediment to the process is that zoning should follow a comprehensive plan and not lead it, South said.

''But we are where we are, so we're picking up and running with it,'' South said. -- Alamogordo Daily News   9/18/2009

Resource(s): www.alamogordonews.com/

Think New Mexico Readying Campaign to Require Smaller Public Schools

Its traditional community schools merged over time into huge ''dropout factories,'' the state's public education system needs urgent restoration, says the nonpartisan Santa Fe-based Think New Mexico result-oriented think tank in its 2008 Small Schools: Tackling the Dropout Crisis While Saving Taxpayer Dollars report, mobilizing grassroots support for a 2009 legislative campaign to cap the capacity of new public schools at 900 students and establish smaller ''learning communities'' in larger schools by 2011.

Specifically, Think New Mexico expects Governor Bill Richardson and lawmakers to enact legislation that would oblige any school receiving state construction funds to admit ''no more than 225 students per high school grade level, 120 students per middle school grade level, or 60 students per elementary school grade level,'' with smaller learning communities required in larger schools that need additional money for at-risk students.

Dismayed by the state's high-school graduation rate of only 54.1 percent, the second worst in the nation, Think New Mexico points out that more than two-thirds of New Mexico ninth graders last year entered high schools with more than 1,000 students and the rest, those with more than 2,000 students.

Citing voluminous research documenting that ''smaller schools have higher graduation rates, higher student achievement, lower student alienation and violence, and higher levels of satisfaction among students, parents, principals, and teachers,'' the think tank notes that they not only ensure better performance of low-income children, which helps narrow ''the persistent achievement gap,'' but also cost less to build and operate.

The capital cost can be reduced by designs taking advantage of such community resources as gymnasiums, pools, libraries and sports fields, while operational cost is especially low if calculated ''per graduate'' rather than ''per student'' because of low dropout rates in small schools. -- Think New Mexico 12.05.08   12/5/2008

Resource(s): www.thinknewmexico.org

Gov. Richardson Seeks Las Soleras Rail Stop to Serve Potential State Offices

With the Rail Runner commuter express from downtown Albuquerque to downtown Santa Fe, some 45 miles northeast, scheduled for inauguration next month, Governor Bill Richardson asked local transit policymakers to consider a station on the Santa Fe south side, where the state General Services Department (GSD) may consolidate several state offices.

''The presence of such a station and a state campus,'' the governor wrote to Mayor David Coss, ''would help state employees travel to and from work and facilitate public access to state services via the Rail Runner.''

So far, trains are slated to stop at the downtown Santa Fe Railyard and at the state Department of Transportation headquarters, reports Santa Fe New Mexican writer Julie Ann Grimm, with another four stations on the drawing board and developer John Mahoney renewing efforts to get a south-side station for his planned commercial-residential complex.

The developer has pledged to pay all construction costs for the station, its access points and its parking.

GSD spokesman Alex Cuellar confirmed an ongoing evaluation of sites for a state office campus that might include Health and Human Services, Children, Youth and Families, Aging and Long Term Services, and part of the Public Education Department, but also mentioned budgetary uncertainties.

Nevertheless, John Mahoney's attorney Karl Sommer said both the department and the governor think relocating offices to the site near the prospective development is a good idea.

''It's moving through their internal planning,'' he added, ''and we are cooperating with them.''

The Metropolitan Planning Organization, including Santa Fe city councilors and county commissioners, the writer notes, is to consider the fifth station issue on a meeting December 11. -- New Mexican   11/21/2008

Resource(s): www.santafenewmexican.com/

Las Cruces Residents Call for More Public Input on Development Decisions

In the wake of annexation of more than 19 square miles -- over 12,200 acres -- by the small city of Las Cruces last year, its long-awaited City Council's work session on land use and smart growth, writes Las Cruces Sun-News reporter Steve Ramirez, brought to City Hall ''a standing-room-only crowd of residents,'' most of whom called for more public input and participation in its decisions, especially on annexation and subdivision requests and related development impact fees.

With developers, city officials and planners having long debated the true costs of long-term services and maintenance for new subdivisions and annexed tracts, the reporter notes, Assistant City Manager Robert Garza thought an independent consultant would help solve the problem.

''We're recommending a consultant who could come in and do a cost-benefit analysis on impact fees currently being charged by the city,'' he told the audience. ''We don't have a model that we can follow, and something like this would provide a uniform basis on what could be presented to developers.''

Councilors Nathan Small and Gil Jones endorsed calls for increased public input in annexation and subdivision cases, with the former saying, ''we need to find ways to add public value at the earliest parts of projects,'' and the latter stressing, ''Public input is an important component but we need the entire public to participate, not just selected groups.'' -- Sun-News   3/20/2008

Resource(s): http://origin.lcsun-news.com/news/index.html

New Mexico Legislators to Focus on Tax Increment Development Districts

In an intermittent tug-of-war between developers resentful of impact fees and ''almost everyone else'' insistent on growth paying for itself, the focus will be on Tax Increment Development Districts (TIDD) during this legislative session, with Democratic Senator Cisco McSorley and Representative Elias Barela sponsoring separate bills (SB 434 and HB 451) -- the first, to impose a two-year moratorium on new TIDDs in ''greenfields;'' the second, to reduce the tax-increment amount such districts can capture and to establish a task force that would study their benefits and costs and submit its recommendations to Governor Bill Richardson in June 2009.

Both measures deserve public and legislative support, writes Albuquerque-based urban planner and land use attorney Lora A. Lucero in an Albuquerque Tribune commentary, reminding readers of the TIDD basics. In a TIDD, she writes, a developer can use a portion of its gross receipt and property tax yield over several decades -- revenue otherwise bound for general state and local funds -- to secure bonds for new streets and other infrastructure.

With 14 TIDDs approved in the Albuquerque region so far, government has already committed hundreds of millions dollars to their promises of economic development, job creation, and new income, the planner-attorney observes, concerned over signals from other states, including Illinois and Missouri, about potential risks to taxpayers.

She mentions three such risks.

Without full TIDD revenue, state and local governments may find it hard to meet rising demand for services, from education and health care to libraries and jails, respectively.

Instead of creating jobs, TIDDs may simply siphon them from older communities, undercutting their tax bases.

Should a TIDD's taxes be insufficient to repay its bonds, the state or local credit rating may fall and the public may be left with the bill.

Expecting state lawmakers to consider these economic and other risks, she stresses, ''In a risky world, the public's interest needs to come first.'' -- Albuquerque Tribune   2/5/2008

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/

Tax Ruling Could Help Albuquerque's Mesa del Sol Mixed-Use Project Attract Jobs, Promote Environmentally Friendly Planning

Another phase of ''Albuquerque's smart growth debate'' bodes well for the 12,900-acre mixed-use Mesa del Sol project south of the international airport, where Cleveland, Ohio-based Forest City Enterprises Inc. has already invested $40 million, with the City Council approving the state's first Tax Increment Development District (TIDD) to help fund the project's infrastructure and hoping to assign the exact shares of the tax revenue for the district and the city at a special January 10 meeting.

Strongly supportive of such funding, for which the city would sell bonds against a portion of future tax revenue, The Albuquerque Tribune points out that Mesa del Sol ''will be a nearly self-sufficient, self-sustaining, environmentally friendly development that is to include its own job base, and pedestrian-accessible homes, jobs, shopping and schools.''

In response to earlier concerns by 1,000 Friends of New Mexico and other groups, San Francisco-based consultant Bill Lee came up with ideas to guard the city against any additional infrastructure costs, and now Friends Executive Director Gabriel Nims is optimistic the TIDD will work.

It still has to be approved by Bernarillo County and the state, the daily notes, with project CEO Michael Daly expecting to present the measure to lawmakers by early February. -- Albuquerque Tribune   12/19/2006

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/

Backers of Albuquerque's Planned Streetcar System See Positive Ripple Effect for City's Economy, Livabilityn

At the cost of $28 million per mile and a total price of $270 million, Albuquerque's planned streetcar system -- scheduled to serve the Central Avenue corridor by 2009 and eventually link the University of New Mexico and the International Sunport -- isn't exactly cheap, but 1000 Friends of New Mexico Executive Director Gabriel K. Nims urges the public to consider ''the positive ripple effect'' it will have on the city's economy and livability.

''After many years advocating for the resources and policies to create pedestrian-friendly, transit-oriented and mixed-use areas in the city's core,'' he writes in his Albuquerque Tribune commentary, ''1000 Friends is delighted to see good concepts moving from drawing board to reality.''

Mayor Martin J. Chavez expects the state to contribute some $120 million over several years, while the proposed $200 million streetcar bonds must be approved by seven of the nine city councilmen on December 4; otherwise the issue will go to voters in a regular or special election. Also, the city's 1999 quarter-cent transportation tax, passed by voters for 10 years, which has created about $7 million of surplus so far, must become permanent to ensure continued improvements and help implement the streetcar program, with director Nims appreciative of the related tax legislation.

It ''contains the framework for a Tax Increment Development District (TIDD) program, which will generate dollars for the streetcar by capturing up to 75 percent of the increase in property and gross receipts tax revenues along the proposed streetcar corridor,'' he writes, confident that this funding mechanism can provide for ''critical road and other mass transit needs,'' including transit-oriented development planning.

''We commend city leadership for extending the scope of the project into these metropolitan redevelopment areas, where owners can take advantage of land use changes that increase the potential for full usage of the streetcar and transit system,'' he continues, calling for creation of a public ''advisory committee,'' including neighborhood representatives, transit users, business owners and work-force housing advocates.

Especially stressing the need to include ''high-quality work-force housing'' in the corridor as crucial for ''the success of this public investment,'' the 1000 Friends director concludes, ''We offer our assistance to ensure a successful, equitable and forward-thinking rail system that helps get Albuquerque on the right track.'' -- Albuquerque Tribune   11/22/2006

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/ ; www.cabq.gov/

Commissioner Seeks Short-Term Moratorium on Arroyo Projects Following Dona Ana County Flooding

After the September 1 flood from the Dona Ana Mountains overran levees, damaged some homes and left some crops under 10 feet of water, Dona Ana County Commissioner Oscar Vasquez-Butler proposed a short-term moratorium on projects near arroyos (brooks and water-carved gullies) to examine the problems and move toward smart growth, but the commission only created a flooding study group.

''We just went through a big disaster in this county,'' Commissioner Vasquez-Butler told Las Cruces Sun-News reporter Diana M. Alba before the commission meeting. ''It's a wake-up call, and I think it's time the county, the city, the federal Bureau of Land Management and the Elephant Butte Irrigation District come together and do a major plan for flooding.''

It's not an anti-development measure, but it's time for ''some smart growth and smart building so it doesn't happen again,'' he continued. ''I don't think any developer wants to put profit over life, and if they do, maybe they shouldn't be in our county developing.''

Commissioner Kent Evans attributed the flooding problems to long-past mistakes and the previous lack of development controls, and opposed the moratorium. ''You can't just say we're not going to build any more in an arroyo,'' he said, ''because everywhere around here there's an arroyo.''

During the meeting, several area residents spoke for the proposal, while Las Cruces Home Builders Association Director Michele Marshall objected, saying ''Let's not discount the lives of several hundred people who are employed in the construction industry.''

The flooding study group, the reporter adds, is to present its finding and suggestions by December 12. -- Las Cruces Sun-News   9/27/2006

Resource(s): www.lcsun-news.com/home

Sandoval County Criticized for Disregarding Impact Planned City of 70,000 Will Have on Water Resources, Roads and Schools

Although a 30,000-home development approved by Sandoval County for the slightly briny Rio Puerco about 25 miles northwest of central Albuquerque will have a high-tech desalinization plant, it still is ''pure sprawl, no matter how green and innovative such an enclave might be,'' states Albuquerque Tribune columnist V.B. Price, distressed by the county's disregard for new circumstances and by the prospect of clogged interstates and massive public spending on roads and schools.

''The weather's changing in chaotic ways, petroleum and natural gas production are peaking, fuel prices are skyrocketing and the availability of fresh water is in inexorable decline,'' he writes. ''This would seem like a perfect time to stop perpetuating the destructive trends that have caused such problems and cease doing business as usual.''

Especially since the 70,000 residents of Sandoval County's new city will have to compete with Rio Rancho and Albuquerque for water from the Middle Rio Grande Basin aquifer and pay three to four times more for desalinated Rio Puerco water. In addition, inland desalinization poses big problems of salt waste disposal and much higher fuel costs that wipe out the savings and technological benefits of the process.

''Sprawl is doing business as usual, no matter how high-tech you get,'' the columnist concludes. ''And doing business as usual in this new world extends local and global trends in ways that are both a business and a societal disaster.'' -- Albuquerque Tribune   8/5/2006

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/

Edgewood Urged to Adopt Developer Impact Fees Before Infrastructure Falls Behind Rapid Growth

To ensure its long-term sustainability, Edgewood should adopt developer impact fees to help it pay for additional infrastructure and services, says an Albuquerque Journal editorial, stating that such fees are part of Smart Growth and cautioning this small but fast-growing town some 25 miles east against the dilemmas of Albuquerque's West Side, where officials have procrastinated and now residents ''are playing catch-up with roads, services and, most importantly, schools.''

Reprinted in the Edgewood Mountain View Telegraph, the editorial agrees that introduction of impact fees is usually difficult, with opponents arguing the developer costs are passed to buyers and hinder affordable housing, but it points out that Albuquerque and Rio Rancho to the north have imposed the fees to help fund schools and parks.

Noting that Edgewood will get a Wal-Mart next summer and that developers are planning numerous subdivisions while others want the town to annex land for more residential construction, the editorial supports town attorney David Henderson, who asked the Town Council earlier this month to consider impact fees.

''Edgewood residents should get used to hearing that term,'' the editorial concludes. ''The time has come to start considering how to use them for responsible, controlled growth.'' -- Albuquerque Journal   7/20/2006

Resource(s): www.abqjournal.com/

Village's New Zoning Map Preserves Local Historic Character, Directs Building Sites for New Commercial, Residential Development

Ready for tourism-based economic development, but without sacrificing local historic character, the 50-acre village of Rodey in northern Dona Ana County, population about 300, moved toward smart growth last summer and now its new zoning map, worked out in cooperation with county planners and just approved by county commissioners, writes Las Cruces Sun-News reporter Diana M. Alba, will direct where commercial and residential construction can and can't go.

Noting that previously most businesses could have been sited anywhere, County Community Development Director Chuck McMahon said, ''It gives a little more stability to the property owners in the long run,'' with County Commissioner Oscar Vasquez-Butler adding, ''It allows them to predict how their community will look in the future.''

Village native and Army retiree Chon Bustamente, who led the push for stricter zoning, said, ''It's an old pueblo, and we're just trying to protect it'' and emulate successful Old Mesilla, near Las Cruces some 30 miles southeast, in attracting tourist to historic landmarks. A focal point both in Rodey and Mesilla is a historic Catholic church, the reporter observes, adding that the county approved a similar zoning plan for La Union in 2004 and that planners are now working on one for Vado. -- Las Cruces Sun-News   6/14/2006

Resource(s): http://lcsun-news.com/home

Bernalillo County Rejects Strip Mall Rezoning Request

Whether someone calls it ''smart growth, pro-preservation, intelligent expansion or just common-sense development,'' the Bernalillo County Commission's unanimous refusal to rezone 54 rural acres southwest of Albuquerque for a strip shopping mall is very welcome news and ''decidedly not anti-developer,'' says an Albuquerque Tribune editorial, quoting local activist Pat McCraw, who wrote in an earlier opinion piece that ''South Valley residents want the convenience of shopping but on their own terms -- not the developers' or the commercial entities' they represent.''

The South Valley Coalition of Neighborhood Associations fought developer John Black's rezoning request, resolved to save its last pastoral lands and direct development to areas where infrastructure already exists, the editorial points out, in full agreement with the activist's statement: ''We deserve good, thoughtful developers who preserve our lifestyle and who work with our community instead of dividing it.''

The community and its commissioners should ''hold their ground, literally,'' the editorial notes, as growth pressures are expected to mount.

South Valley Coalition president Marcia Fernandez minced no words. ''Developers, land speculators, are coming out of woodwork, because the South Valley has most of the last unbuilt land in the county,'' she said. ''The developers are waiting like vultures. They're sitting on the fence posts waiting for us not to pay attention.''

Her message, the editorial concludes, ''also would benefit developers, planners and officials in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho and Sandoval County, where all too often strip malls have been wedged into remaining available and congested tracts with distressing consequences.'' -- Albuquerque Tribune   11/5/2005

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/

Albuquerque Mayor Chavez Blends Conservation and Quality of Life Positions with Pro-Business Policies

Reelecting ''centrist Democrat'' Mayor Martin Chavez to his second consecutive term and the third since 1993, says an Albuquerque Tribune editorial, city voters endorsed ''his middle political way'' and ushered in ''the Chavez era, characterized by what some regard as an unlikely blend of progressive policies on matters such as conservation, mass transit, Downtown redevelopment and public quality-of-life projects on one hand and pro-business policies fostering economic development and robust, at times sprawling, growth on the other.''

Though the mayor sometimes clashed with ''progressives'' on the City Council and others cautioning against the city's growth pattern, given its limited water supply, heavy traffic, high service extension costs and desert ecosystem fragility, the editorial acknowledges his recognition of those concerns and his efforts to meet the challenge, including the need for mass transit.

Pointing out that the mayor started the Rapid Ride bus system and has pledged ''to break ground for light rail in his next term,'' the editorial sees the opportunity to combine his vision of a safe, prosperous, and environmentally-healthy city with ''the progressives' vision of a sustainable Albuquerque.''

Since the mayor gained ''only one likely friend on the council,'' he still needs both sides, the editorials stresses, noting that voters replaced progressive Councilor Miguel Gomez with moderate Ken Sanchez, while returning another moderate, Councilor Michael Cadigan, who often sided with progressives and whose ''middle-way mixing of smart-growth sensitivities with advocacy for new West Side roads'' somewhat resembles the mayor's approach.

''The 'middle way' -- balancing support for growth and development with proper regard for sustainability -- may be the most realistic path to a high-quality, viable future for Albuquerque,'' the editorial says, adding, ''Each faction gives a little to get a little'' as the city moves forward. -- Albuquerque Tribune   10/5/2005

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/

Approval of Albuquerque's Seventh Wal-Mart Supercenter Likely to Face Court Challenge

A Wal-Mart proposal to build its seventh Supercenter in the city was approved by the city's Environmental Planning Commission in April, the approval appealed in the City Council by the Albuquerque First group, and the appeal just denied through an evenly (4-4) split council vote, a result likely to be challenged in court and to become a factor in the city council election October 4.

Albuquerque First spokeswoman Marcia Swezy, who lives near the prospective Wal-Mart site, notes Albuquerque Tribune reporter Megan Arredondo, told councilors the planned Supercenter would bring in excessive traffic, worsen air pollution and hurt small businesses. ''We can't do this without basically condemning the land,'' she said, calling the council's vote ''an absolutely unbelievable failure'' and ''a new low,'' adding, ''We're going to seriously contemplate a lawsuit.''

City council candidate Edward Glenn echoed her arguments, also asking five councilors to recuse themselves from voting as recipients of political contributions from Wal-Mart project backers. He rejected their suggestions that he is using the issue as an electoral platform. ''Yes, I am running for office, but this issue with the Supercenter is what drove me to run,'' he stated, stressing that Wal-Mart needs to do more than what its attorney said the company did and is doing to assuage residents' concerns and revise the project. ''Right now,'' he pointed out, ''this is too intrusive on the neighborhood.'' -- Albuquerque Tribune   9/20/2005

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/albq/home/

Columnist Says ''Intelligent Conservationist'' Is Best Choice in Albuquerque Mayoral Contest

Anticipating a crowded race in the Albuquerque mayoral election on October 4 and a subsequent battle among ''bad-tempered'' Democratic Mayor Martin Chavez, ''anti-environment'' Republican City Council President Brad Winter and ''brash'' Democratic Councilor Eric Griego, Albuquerque Tribune columnist V.B. Price already declares himself ''with gusto'' for the councilor, because this ''intelligent conservationist'' knows that ''(a)s times get tough from energy crunches and globalized competition, sustainable smart-growth cities will become economic hot spots.''

Confident that Councilor Griego ''will make the runoff with the help of progressives, environmentalists, small businesses, high-tech workers, civil rights and economic justice advocates, valley residents and New Urbanists,'' the columnist calls him the best candidate, for his ''intelligence, independence, and social and environmental conscience needed to give Albuquerque an economic future based on something more than land speculation.''

Although he disagrees with the councilor on some issues, the columnist concludes: ''This is an election about the future, not the past. Griego's thinking goes beyond the dead end of the '50s. And just in time.'' -- Albuquerque Tribune   6/18/2005

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/albq/home/0,2563,ALBQ_19850,00.html

Downtown Albuquerque Redevelopment Champion Leinberger Accepts Posts With Brookings Institution, University of Michigan

One of the earliest and strongest advocates of downtown Albuquerque redevelopment, Smart Growth and New Urbanism, real-estate investor and land-use strategist Christopher Leinberger will leave the city in July to become a visiting fellow with the prestigious Brookings Institution in the nation's capital and a faculty member at the University of Michigan, says an Albuquerque Tribune editorial, hailing his significant role in the city's history.

A founder and head of the public-private Historic District Improvement Co., which has spurred many downtown commercial, residential and entertainment projects, the editorial notes, Leinberger has successfully promoted downtown as ''a lucrative market for a mixture of lively ventures that appeal to a rising 'creative class' and others who want the option of living in a real urban environment.''

Welcoming his promise to remain active in the Historic District Improvement Co., the editorial points out that his downtown redevelopment idea ''dovetails perfectly with efforts to make the city grow more efficiently, by filling in the inner city, rather than allowing it to wither and die.'' -- Albuquerque Tribune   6/1/2005

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/

Editorial Applauds Smart Growth Remake for Albuquerque's East Downtown

''To many, the American dream is not at the city's edge, far from their jobs, shopping and entertainment,'' but at ''a home in an older part of town, down the street from work and restaurants and up the stairs from places to shop,'' writes 1000 Friends of New Mexico Executive Director Randolph Barnhouse in his Albuquerque Tribune guest commentary, happy that Albuquerque has finally approved such a ''smart-growth'' remake for east downtown (EDO) and hopeful that it will take less than another four years to approve mixed-use infill projects in other neighborhoods.

Pointing out that about half of the city's 150 square miles (96,000 acres) ''is given to the automobile -- streets, parking lots, driveways, garages and drive-up lanes,'' the writer urges officials to remain firm on implementation of the 2002 Planned Growth Strategy, which promises redevelopment of the city's idle land, better use of its trail network and transit system, and more housing choices for all demographic groups.

Barnhouse would like to see old mall parking lots taken for mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly projects, and cautions against putting six-story buildings on vacant West Side land, which would contradict current planning and ''repeat the 'sea of asphalt' problem we're trying to fix in older areas.''

He notes that Bernalillo County officials asked developers of an empty site near a Wal-Mart in the South Valley to ''think mixed use'' and more density, and that such projects are gaining popularity across the country, because consumers attracted to urban life create a market for them. The writer concludes, ''But that market will never get a chance here without dedication to the principles of the Planned Growth Strategy.'' -- Albuquerque Tribune   4/5/2005

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/

Cuts in Federal Housing Programs Could Dash Hopes for More Smart-Growth Native American Villages

Built under San Juan Pueblo's 2001 Master Land Use Plan, which won the U.S. EPA 2004 Smart Growth National Achievement Award in the Small Communities category, the 40-unit Tsigo Bugeh Village of high-density and mixed-income rental homes reacquainted the tribe's younger generations with the old pueblo's communal way of life, while securing modern amenities and conserving precious tribal land, but Okhay Owingeh Housing Authority Executive Director Tomasita Duran and others fear similar projects may become impossible if federal housing programs are cut.

Nine of Tsigo Bugeh's multi-story units are market-rate apartments, but the rest is reserved for families making between 40 and 60 percent of the area's median income, with rents for two-bedroom to four-bedroom units ranging from $170 to $475, reports New Mexico Business Weekly writer Megan Kamerick.

What made the project possible and successful, says Duran, was the availability of federal and federally insured grants, loans and tax credits totaling more than $4.5 million, with the Enterprise Foundation staff in Albuquerque helping her put the package together and leverage private funds. Enterprise Foundation director of the Native American program, Deborah Webster, says, ''Tomasita has been able to figure out how to move from HUD-focused housing to working with partners and leveraging funds'' even though federal agencies have never provided such a ''road map'' under the 1996 Native American Housing and Self Determination Act.

Tribe consultant Jamie Blosser, who also gives Duran much credit for pueblo meetings where elders recalled the traditional atmosphere and custom of keeping watch on children and others -- which was incorporated into the award-winning master plan -- says about federal Indian housing and rural housing grants: ''With that kind of seed money we were able to raise more than $2.3 million in investor equity,'' while incurring ''less than 5 percent long-term debt.'' -- New Mexico Business Weekly   3/4/2005

Resource(s): http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/ ; www.epa.gov/

Editorial: Regional Planning Essential to Manage Albuquerque Growth

While Albuquerque is seriously trying to manage the future through its Planned Growth Strategy and new impact fees, development rates around the city are among the highest nationwide, says an Albuquerque Tribune editorial, warning growth-thirsty suburban officials against their obvious belief that they can ''avoid the crowds, traffic congestion, pollution, water shortages, tax-revenue concerns and other urban-style stresses'' without regional cooperation.

The daily is dismayed that Rio Rancho, about ten miles to the north, jumped on a proposal shelved by Albuquerque and announced readiness to build a $42 million arena for the New Mexico Scorpions hockey team some five miles further north, targeting that mostly desert area for the new downtown of their future mega-city.

Although Rio Rancho planners promise compact, mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly designs, the irony is they base their New Urbanism on the ''assumption that metro-area growth will continue to sprawl.''

Pointing out that growth outside any jurisdictional borders can undermine the best local plans, the daily says, ''No community can control its own destiny, growth-wise. We're all in this together. We all need to cooperate through real, regional institutions that have real power.''

The daily regrets that voters rejected the proposed merger of Albuquerque and Bernarlillo County governments, which would have been a step in the right direction, concluding, ''The sooner we all concede that the sun doesn't really revolve independently around our meager patches of middle Rio Grande earth, the better off we all will be.'' -- Albuquerque Tribune   11/18/2004

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/index.shtml

Impact Fees Approved by Albuquerque City Council; Mixed-Use Plan for East Downtown Set for December 15 Vote

Albuquerque is moving step by step toward smart growth, with the City Council just having voted 6-3 on Council President Michael Cadigan's five bills to impose impact fees for streets, drainage, parks, recreation, and safety services, and the council's Land Use, Planning and Zoning Committee scheduling a December 15 vote on a mixed-use redevelopment plan for East Downtown, or EDO.

Expected to raise $140 million over seven years, the impact fees will reach $9,220 for a 2,000-square-foot home on the fast-growing West Side -- but only $1,352 in the east and central city, which need less infrastructure work. West Side industrial, retail and some restaurant projects will get discounts of 70, 50 and 40 percent, respectively, writes Albuquerque Tribune reporter Ed Asher, noting that opponents consider the whole fee structure unfair and risky for city revenue prospects.

National Association of Industrial and Office Properties attorney Davis Campbell sees the bills as flawed, insufficiently scrutinized, and prone to legal challenges. Home Builders Association of Central New Mexico attorney John Salazar argues the cost will be passed on to home buyers or will force many developers to move elsewhere, leaving officials with little to collect. Mayor Martin Chavez thinks developers should bear development costs, but would prefer lower fees.

In contrast, Albuquerque Interfaith leader Loretta Naranjo Lopez asks on behalf of long-neglected neighborhoods, ''How long are our tax dollars going to subsidize developers at the expense of Martineztown?'' And Supporters of the Planned Growth Strategy coordinator Claude Morelli thinks the fees should be higher, saying they still ''do not reflect the full cost of infrastructure.''

As to East Downtown (EDO) redevelopment, wrote reporter Frank Zoretich five days earlier, its high-density mixed-use plan has strong support from local residents and growth-management advocates. To make it even better, Councilor Martin Heinrich, the chairman of the Land Use, Planning and Zoning Committee, requested more safeguards for affordable housing, transportation, and historic neighborhood protection. -- Albuquerque Tribune   11/16/2004

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/index.shtml

Albuquerque Begins Debate on Impact Fees Prior to November 15 Council Vote

A six-week political campaign and public debate on the proposed Albuquerque impact fees, scheduled for a City Council vote on November 15, began in the earnest with developers ''edgy'' about the future and seemingly prepared to move outside the city, but The Albuquerque Tribune telling readers, ''It's about time Albuquerque got smart about growth.''

Impact fees, says the daily's editorial, ''aim to reduce or eliminate the enormous public subsidy of development, to pay the real cost of growth upfront by incorporating them into long-term financing mechanisms such as individual home mortgages and to have developments reflect real and complete market costs at the time of development, rather than years later, when government is forced to fix dysfunctional neighborhoods.''

A day earlier, City Council President Michael Cadigan called claims that fees would halt growth ''outrageous,'' stressing, ''That has not happened in any city that has imposed reasonable impact fees. Housing starts in those cities are still on the upswing.'' He wants to ensure the same in his city by 25-to-75-percent discounts for projects that create well-paying jobs near residential or some commercial and community centers and campuses; for new subdivisions near retail, services, schools, park and other infrastructure; and for transit-oriented development that reduces car dependence.

Developers, writes Tribune reporter Ed Asher, see preliminary fee estimates presented by consultants and a 20-member volunteer committee as inaccurate and biased against the booming West Side. They note that a single-family home in the northeast would pay some $4,600 and a 200,000-square-foot retail store about $232,000, while the same projects in the west would require $11,400 and almost $1.2 million, respectively.

City planned growth manager Susan Strand Johnsons responds, ''Impact fees do reflect the differences in public costs to provide the infrastructure that is needed. That reflects the difference between the West Side and an already established part of the city.''

The editorial agrees. Expecting the fees to be debated and tweaked ''to ensure they are as fair as possible,'' the editorial says ''then they should be adopted enthusiastically and quickly by the council and Mayor Martin Chavez, as crucial steps along the road to smart growth.'' -- The Albuquerque Tribune   10/2/2004

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/

Governor's Task Force Brings Smart Growth Planning to Center Stage in New Mexico

New Mexico became the nation's 28th state to move toward smart growth, with Democratic Governor Bill Richardson setting up the Governor's Task Force on Our Communities, Our Future, which will work on ''new approaches to community growth that will contribute to the creation of high-quality jobs, mixed-use and mixed-income development, and successful new transportation systems.''

Established after last month's visit by Smart Growth Leadership Institute President, former Maryland Governor Parris N. Glendening and Institute Executive Director Harriet Tregoning, and co-chaired by renowned downtown Albuquerque developers Chris Leinberger and Rob Dickson, the task force brings together business and community leaders, local and county officials, ''and New Mexicans who value the State's history and culture.'' They will cooperate, says the governor's executive order 2004-053, to ''help move New Mexico's economy forward by encouraging the development of great places in which to live, work, invest and create jobs.''

The governor gave the task force until January 15, 2005, when the new three-month legislative session begins, to present him and lawmakers with recommendations ''regarding urban and rural community development and describing opportunities for high-quality investment and development in New Mexico's communities, from our largest cities to our smallest villages.'' The task force will engage the public in discussions on livability, public-private partnerships, local and county jurisdiction and incentives for investment to strengthen ''communities and families, support transit-oriented development and jobs, and help assure that community growth is efficient and livable.''   9/30/2004

Resource(s): www.governor.state.nm.us/

Editorial: Albuquerque Must Work Together to Get Infill Program on Track

In a remarkable convergence of views on Albuquerque infill, National Association of Industrial and Office Properties state chapter and Bohannan Huston president Brian Burnett and 1000 Friends of New Mexico executive director Randolph ''Dolph'' Barnhouse stress in their New Mexico Business Weekly guest columns the need for wide public-private cooperation to make infill easier and economically viable by removing procedural, financial and public obstacles.

''If we want infill, the city government, neighborhoods and developers must work together to make it happen,'' writes Burnett, noting that some local developers said they would ''do more infill projects, if they could find the land.''

Cautioning against frequent assumptions that infill is ''cheaper and easier because streets and utilities are in place,'' and that the city's more than 8,000 vacant acres could absorb its future growth, Burnett points out that some aging infrastructure requires costly repairs and that much of the aforementioned acreage is wanted for industrial development or for preservation, reserved for the University of New Mexico expansion, lies beneath transmission lines or won't support much housing anyway.

Citing his chapter's 2003 study of infill obstacles, he writes, ''We need political support, financial tools, improved city processes and neighborhood buy-in to make it happen.'' Writing for 1000 Friends of New Mexico, who see infill as the exemplification of smart growth, director Barnhouse emphasizes its importance for reaching ''work, school, shopping and other destinations without getting into the car,'' which helps reduce congestion and promotes transit. ''Business infill,'' he writes, ''can give us vital walkable centers in each neighborhood where most of the needs of daily life can be met without driving distances, or driving at all.''

Noting that Albuquerque is considering ''a multi-use zoning proposal that supports and encourages more infill, and creates new infill opportunities for developers,'' he echoes his counterpart's call for removing barriers and making infill easier. And we can benefit from all infill advantages, he concludes, ''using a fraction of the tax dollars it takes to build new infrastructure in open areas at the fringes of our communities.'' -- New Mexico Business Weekly   8/30/2004

Resource(s): http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/

Accelerated Mixed-Use Redevelopment for Albuquerque's East Downtown Gains Support

With enthusiastic support by 50 speakers from such diverse groups as the Sierra Club and the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), the Albuquerque Environmental Planning Commission followed the April example of the Landmarks and Urban Conservation Commission and unanimously recommended a City Council approval for accelerated mixed-use redevelopment of East Downtown (EDO), under principles of New Urbanism.

Proposed by the Broadway and Central Corridors Partnership neighborhood association, writes Albuquerque Tribune reporter Frank Zoretich, EDO redevelopment could be sped up by zoning changes that would free individual projects from approval by either commission, simply requiring compliance with general design guidelines, subject to a Planning Department administrative review.

This was questioned by 13 speakers from the Huning-Highland Historic District surrounding EDO and from other nearby neighborhoods, worried mostly about future housing density, likely parking shortages and full liquor sale resumption.

But Walk Albuquerque spokeswoman Diane Sena encapsulated supporters' views, saying the EDO redevelopment plan ''represents the collective memory and the collective hope of Albuquerque'' and promises a ''viable community whose streets are once again filled with people walking and shopping.'' The City Council, the reporter adds, may consider the EDO redevelopment master plan in August. -- Albuquerque Tribune   6/11/2004

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/index.shtml

Downtown Albuquerque Hailed for ''Extraordinary'' Transformation

Spurred by $450 million in public and private investment since 1998, downtown Albuquerque has made ''the most dramatic and quickest turnaround'' in the nation's history,'' said former Denver mayor, U.S. transportation then energy secretary in the previous administration, Frederico Peña, citing National Public Radio accolades and encouraging Albuquerque officials, business leaders and community activists to do even more in the city's process of ''extraordinary transformation.''

Inaugurating a series of downtown revitalization discussions, the initial one sponsored by First National Bank of Santa Fe, which came to Albuquerque about two years ago, writes Albuquerque Tribune reporter Frank Zoretich, the guest saluted listeners as ''the movers and the shakers -- and most of all the risk-takers, the entrepreneurs.'' Peña advised them to go their own best ways rather than ''trying to replicate or duplicate what other communities have done,'' because ''every community is unique,'' but he also stressed the need to build more varied-income housing units downtown.

He concluded with this general observation: ''If a downtown deteriorates, it's only a matter of time before surrounding neighborhoods and eventually the suburbs also deteriorate. You are all in this together.'' -- Albuquerque Tribune   6/4/2004

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/index.shtml

University of New Mexico Adds Graduate Program in Town Design

With the endorsement by Democratic Governor Bill Richardson and Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish, the state Board of Finance unanimously approved a graduate town design program at the University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning, its proponent, Design Planning Assistance Center Director Mark Childs, saying students will learn ''how cities emerge from design and dialog over time and how this influences the role of designer, planner or other urbanist.''

According to the university's press release, the students will examine how they can design ''a great town, a place that in and of itself gives life, dignity, joy and beauty; what aspects of design help create ''vital public squares, plazas and other civic spaces;'' can the design incorporate ''public art;'' how do common areas ''reflect the town's character;'' and how infrastructure, streets, platting patterns, building types and utility structures ''influence architecture and the character of place.''

A strong advocate of community involvement in town design, director Child says, ''A course will be offered this fall in town design and public health. We need to make the connection between physical exercise and the urban form.'' For details contact mchilds@unm.edu or call (505) 277-5059.   5/11/2004

Resource(s): www.unm.edu/

Albuquerque, Bernarillo County Voters Reject Government Unification

In highly controversial all-mail-in ballots counted on November 4, nearly 62 percent of Albuquerque and Bernarillo County voters rejected government unification, with proponents and opponents agreeing that the process was cumbersome, unreliable and costly, and further affected by ''voter fatigue'' after a statewide special election on two education-related constitutional amendments in late September and an Albuquerque street bond referendum and City Council election in late October. ''The controversy over the mail-in ballot took over the election'' in media coverage during the last two weeks,'' said Citizens for ABC Government spokesman, Albuquerque attorney David Campbell, which diminished prospects for ''informing and educating the public over the merits of the proposition.'' Unification Chapter Commission chairman Ray Padilla noted that in those crucial last weeks ''there weren't very many dollars available for (campaign) contributions,'' adding, ''It's unfortunate that such an important issue was the third in line in six weeks.'' On the other side, reports Albuquerque Tribune writer Ed Asher, County Commissioner Michael Brasher and Sheriff Darren White are going beyond the procedural flaws and focusing on voters' doubts about the merits of unification. County voters, they noted, were uncomfortable with losing the right to elect some county officials, with Sheriff White stressing, ''People weren't convinced that it was going to be a government that costs less to run or that would provide for more efficient services.'' Under a 2000 constitutional amendment, the writer observes, the city and the county will create another commission to present voters with a different unification proposal next year. If that is also rejected, the effort would be resumed after two more years. -- Albuquerque Tribune   11/5/2003

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/

Albuquerque Elects Smart Growth Candidates to City Council, Rejects Road Expansion Through National Monument

'' 'Smart growth' views thunder into City Hall,'' exults the headline of an Albuquerque Tribune editorial on the October 28 election, in which long-time inner-city advocate Debbie O'Malley, open smart-growth champion Martin Heinrich and centrist incumbent Brad Winter convincingly beat rivals strongly pushed by the developer-friendly Citizens for Greater Albuquerque group, which also lost its campaign for $52 million in street improvement bonds, because it included $12 million for the proposed westward extension of Paseo del Norte through the Petroglyph National Monument, fought by smart-growth activists as certain to induce sprawl. The electoral victories ''create a powerful smart-growth block on the nine-member City Council,'' the editorial stresses, noting that smart-growth councilors O'Malley, Heinrich, Eric Griego and Miguel Gomez can likely count on support from moderates Winter and Michael Cadigan on many issues, which would secure a veto-proof majority and limit Mayor Martin Chavez in his development drive. Glad that the negative campaigns of growth-as-usual candidates failed, the editorial observes that voters also ''expressed disgust'' with City Council's ''uncivil bickering,'' which ''is often the province of smart-growthers like Griego and Gomez.'' In a separate analysis, reporter Ed Asher notes that the envisioned six-member growth-management majority would leave councilors Sally Mayer, Tina Cummins and newly-elected Craig Loy ''on the conservative side.'' He also quotes Mayor Chavez, who calls himself ''fiscally conservative'' but ''moderate to liberal on social issues'' and says, ''I'll find the common ground with the council on an issue-by-issue basis, and we'll move this community forward.'' Still, the reporter adds, the councilors must wait for the November 4 voting on city-county unification, which will confirm their post for the next four years ''or turn them into a caretaker government for the next two years.'' -- Albuquerque Tribune   10/29/2003

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/index.shtml

Writer Questions Albuquerque's Hurried Road-Building, Government Unification Efforts

Since Albuquerque's $52 million street improvement bond package includes $12 million for a ''highly controversial'' westward extension of Paseo del Norte through the Petroglyph National Monument, residents voting for better streets on October 28 are getting ''tricked into publicly subsidizing'' road-induced sprawl; and since Bernarillo County has always rejected unification with the city, the current ''railroading'' of voters into making a ''whirlwind'' decision about a metro government on November 4 opens an ''ill-conceived'' scenario for 25 months of transition ''madness,'' argues free-lance writer-commentator V. B. Price in The Albuquerque Tribune. Questioning the hurried road-building and unifying efforts and the proponents' readiness for regional planning, the author writes ''there should never be a public subsidy for roads without stringent planned-growth requirements'' and all should focus on ''tightening our belts, subsidizing infill and fine-tuning the public planning process,'' especially since the aquifer ''is way down'' and ''profoundly vulnerable'' to a looming drought. He also points out that the approval of the metro charter would mean operational chaos because the County Commission and the City Council, often mutually antagonistic and both split internally, would be passing bills and budgets until January 2006, but subject to approval by a transitional body of three commissioners, three councilors and the mayor, ''not known for his diplomacy.'' -- The Albuquerque Tribune   10/22/2003

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/index.shtml

Albuquerque's Downtown Revitalization Looking Brighter With New Urban Initiatives Fund

Encouraged by Albuquerque's pattern of redevelopment, set by the city and the private Historic District Improvement Co. (HDIC) through cooperation on a theater block and transit center downtown, the Florida-based American Ventures Corp. created the New Mexico Urban Initiatives Fund, contributing $1.5 million to the $9.8 million Gold Avenue Lofts residential-retail project and hoping to raise $50 million for other community revitalization initiatives across the state over the next eight years. Financed mainly by Wells Fargo Bank, reports Albuquerque Journal writer Diane Velasco, the six-story Gold Avenue Lofts building near the Amtrak and Greyhound stations will feature ground-level stores, second-floor offices and 41 upper-floor condos in a $190,000-$335,000 price range. ''Clearly there's a beginning of a trend of not just retail activity but residential growth'' in downtown Albuquerque, said the Florida investor, fund president and CEO Philip Blumberg, who met HDIC president Chris Leinberger through Funders Network for Smart Growth, a consortium of 80 foundations that helped finance other HDIC downtown projects. Even though 14 of the Gold Avenue Loft condos have been pre-sold, Blumberg's contribution is crucial for satisfying Wells Fargo financial requirements, as the project is still risky, ''because buyers, by law, have the right to walk after you have built the building, noted HDIC partner Pat Bryan, adding, ''This is not like a Wal-Mart going up in the suburbs.'' Credited by Blumberg for the city's help with land and parking for HDIC revitalization projects, Mayor Martin Chavez said, ''This should lead to the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in the downtown area.'' -- Albuquerque Journal   9/4/2003

Resource(s): www.abqjournal.com/

To Prevent Gridlock, Albuquerque Newspaper Reverses Position on Proposed Road Extension

Having long opposed Albuquerque's Paseo del Norte Boulevard extension through the Petroglyph National Monument as certain to spur sprawl northwest while the city should focus growth within, The Albuquerque Tribune upholds these principles, but with subdivisions spilling north toward Sandoval County and west toward the Rio Puerco ever faster anyway, it now feels the city ''must'' extend the boulevard at least to Unser Boulevard about 1.5 miles away, ''so that new far West Side residents have a way to get around and so West Side streets do not completely seize up and paralyze the city with a vehicular stroke.'' The daily explains its ''dramatic'' policy change in six points. There is no way to stop westward development, already beyond the projected Golf Course Road cutoff point. There is no other realistic choice, since other routes, zoning changes for high densities and mass transit or introduction of light rail ''would take dozens of years, hundreds of battles and billions of dollars,'' with traffic congestion breeding a popular revolt. The abundance of inexpensive West Side land bodes well for affordable housing and ''the American dream'' of the single- family home. With subdivision of such homes rising ''at a phenomenal rate'' in Sandoval and Valencia counties, it may be better to keep the growth nearby, ''lest Albuquerque turn into an Eastern-style urban donut, in which Albuquerque is the hole.'' All concerned about the extension, the editors included, are now in the politically- best position ''to extract numerous concessions'' to make the road as ecologically friendly as possible and to ensure sound management of the new growth in its wake. And ''we can more effectively advocate for laws that will make a real difference in promoting 'smart growth' -- such as statewide impact fees that charge developers the full costs of roads, water lines and supplies, schools and other new public 'infrastructure,' thereby encouraging them to build in established city neighborhoods.'' -- The Albuquerque Tribune   6/16/2003

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/index.shtml

''War Wagon'' Delivers Anti-Smart Growth Message in Otero County

Smart growth foes nationwide are getting ideological help from yet another property-rights group, this time the Alamogordo-based seven-year-old Paragon Foundation, whose traveling speaker-reporter Jay Walley spreads the message he has recently delivered locally at the Otero County Republican Women's meeting -- smart growth halts rural development, eminent domain takes private property, conservation easements bar owners from the full use of their land and the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which limits habitat area drilling, mining and logging, has produced ''a dependent nation'' and contributed to its bankruptcy. Citing the Eighth and Tenth commandments, the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Bill of Rights and Pope John XXII statements, reports Alamogordo Daily News writer Michael Shinabery, the Paragon activist said they all affirm the sanctity of private property, while Plato's idea of eliminating it ''as the cause of social strife'' and the Soviet ''great social experiment'' with state ownership of land have both failed. As a model for action, he cited the ''Take Back Kentucky'' program, under which area conservative groups unified in defense of property rights and ''beat bills that have denied our freedoms,'' while backing bills ''that take back our freedoms.'' The Paragon activists, the writer notes, travels the U.S. in his so-called ''war wagon,'' sending back his ''Dispatch from the Battlefield'' reports on local property-rights controversies to the monthly Paragon Powerhouse. After visits in Florida, Oregon and Ohio, he will speak to the Arizona Public Assembly in June. -- Alamogordo Daily News   5/9/2003

Resource(s): www.alamogordonews.com/

Environmental Protection, Clean Energy Among Gov. Richardson's Goals for New Mexico

A high-wage economy, environmental protection and clean energy high among his goals, Democratic Governor Bill Richardson told lawmakers in his first State of the State address, ''Give me tools and I'll give you -- and New Mexico -- the results,'' pledging to spend at least a fourth of his time on economic development, while moving ''quickly and decisively to secure the future of our water supply -- the lifeblood of our people and our environment.'' The governor proposed to invest $200 million -- 10 percent of the state's 20- year bonding capacity -- in water supply projects and to modify water use laws and ecosystem practices ''through consultation and the best science -- not by the blunt club of litigation.'' Affirming constitutional water guarantees for farmers, ranchers, tribes, pueblos and municipalities, along with New Mexico's interstate stream compacts with Texas and Mexico and the adjudication process aim ''to protect the right of water users, and facilitate the transfer of rights among willing buyers and sellers,'' the governor stressed the need to settle the 40-year-old Aamodt adjudication case with four pueblos along Rio Grande and prevent such delays in the future by making adjudication ''less adversarial.'' The governor pointed out that the state's energy industry, ''the bedrock'' of its economy, also ''must change and adjust to the new imperatives of the 21st century,'' with oil and gas operations required to observe the highest environmental standards possible. ''Rich in hydrocarbons beneath the surface, we are rich in wind, solar, geothermal and biomass energy potential across our landscape,'' the governor noted, setting a goal of producing 10 percent of the state's energy from renewable sources by 2010. ''The Richardson administration,'' he said, ''intends to make the energy industry in this state stronger, environmentally cleaner and diversified away from the fossil fuels that have underpinned our economy for so long.'' -- Albuquerque Tribune   1/20/2003

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/

Mayor's Choices for Albuquerque Growth Task Force Draw Criticism from Growth Management Proponents

Long in the making, hotly contested by real estate interests and weakened in the process, Albuquerque's long-term Planned Growth Strategy (PGS) became law in September, but the fight over its future effectiveness is just starting, with City Councilors Eric Griego and Hess Yntema, two of the strongest growth-management champions, criticizing Mayor Martin Chavez for nominating mostly his pro-development allies to the 19-member task force that will draft PGS implementation policies. The PGS law, Councilor Griego told Albuquerque Tribune reporter Kate Nash, required the mayor to pick two of the five candidates named by each of the nine City Council members. But the mayor chose only one of each five proposed by Councilors Eric Griego, Michael Cadigan and Greg Paine, none suggested by Councilor Hess Yntema and two put up by Councilor Tina Cummins, who voted against the PGS law. In sum, the mayoral list -- due for the council's vote in January -- includes nine members named as representatives of neighborhood associations and ten seen by Councilor Griego as PGS opponents or critics. The mayor defended his picks by pointing to an ordinance that lets him select any board or commission members ''with the advice and consent'' of the council, saying ''I came as close as I could'' to its proposed slates. Councilors Cadigan expressed optimism that PGS supporters can work together with those ''who are openly hostile to the process,'' which is ''not to say the development industry shouldn't be on the task force.'' Councilor Payne agreed. ''Just because you have issues with the PGS doesn't mean you're disqualified from bidding on contracts or serving on task forces like this,'' he said, adding, ''we need to have a diverse range of opinions.'' -- Albuquerque Tribune   12/21/2002

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/

Albuquerque Builder Draws Praise, Criticism for Foothill Development

Having used 850 of its 987 acres on the Albuquerque-Sandia frontier for 1,200 mostly identical homes since the early 1990s, the High Desert Investment Corp. is ready to mix types and sizes of another 110 houses on a 72-acre tract called ''The Wilderness'' for its closeness to the mountains, but some nearby residents think the section may be too dense and local hikers regret that it will block their shortcuts to the public mountain trails and open space. The corporation's president, Doug Collister, says his planners are environmentally conscious. They reduced the initially projected number of homes from 300 to 110, set a wider buffer along the rocks and agreed to coordinate landscaping and trail routing with homeowners, whose association will eventually own 25 percent of the whole subdivision as open space. However, he says, to secure the construction permit, the company not only promised to create the subdivision's extensive trail network, but also to honor specific requests by city and Cibola National Forest officials, who told it to limit access from the new section's trails to the public trail system; otherwise they couldn't manage it effectively. Some High Desert residents praise the company for doing a great job in developing the area, reports Albuquerque Journal writer Lloyd Jojola. But he also quotes an avid biker, leader of the local Trail Partners group, Mark Reineke, who hopes the latest High Desert residential surge will be ''an additional wake-up call to the city,'' to seek large tracts of remaining land for protection and public recreation. -- Albuquerque Journal   12/16/2002

Resource(s): www.abqjournal.com

Concessions Set Tone in Albuquerque's Planned Growth Strategy Votes

Bridging a sharp internal divide on Albuquerque's Planned Growth Strategy (PGS) through mutual concessions, the City Council voted 7-to-2 for a crucial ordinance designed to facilitate development in older neighborhoods, sent another part to the Environmental Planning Commission and delayed a vote on yet another till October 3, both dealing with proposed design standards and zoning categories. Mayor Martin Chavez, who has earlier declared his support for ''95 percent'' of PGS, pledged to sign the ordinance, reports Albuquerque Tribune writer Kate Nash. Setting up a committee to study and specify future development impact fees and another committee to work on PGS implementation methods and time frames, the ordinance will discount or waive impact fees for urban infills and give funding priority to infrastructure improvements rather than expansion. Limited to projects within city limits, the ordinance disappoints those who counted on its countywide application, with Bernarillo County Commission Chairman Tim Cummins blaming the city for a lack of communication. On the other hand, business and other critics worry about its potential economic impact, especially on home prices. The writer quotes Consensus Planning principal planner Karen Marcotte, who told the crowded city council meeting the ordinance will ''kill jobs'' and ''export kids.'' That was refuted by University of New Mexico computer science professor Jared Saia, who said, ''Planned growth leads to a more attractive, vibrant city, which attracts more talent. Talented people won't be attracted to more tract housing, Wal-Marts, strip malls, rundown neighborhoods and congested roads.'' -- Albuquerque Tribune   9/24/2002

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/

Albuquerque's Planned Growth Strategy Gets Support from School Board Committee

Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) spokesman Rigo Chavez said the board's District Relations Committee decided to endorse the city's Planned Growth Strategy and participate in its future multi-agency management team. Albuquerque Tribune reporter Susie Gran notes that seeking to prevent further suburban school overcrowding, the strategy would use such growth-management tools as incentives for development in older neighborhoods, where schools are underutilized and can accommodate more students. The City Council is expected to vote on a recently modified growth-strategy bill in September. -- Albuquerque Tribune   8/28/2002

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/

Albuquerque's Growth Plan Undergoes Makeover; Sponsor Calls it a ''Better Bill''

As the proposed Albuquerque long-term Planned Growth Strategy (PGS) ordinance -- newly broken down into three measures by an 8-1 city council vote seen in an Albuquerque Tribune editorial as diluting smart growth -- moves toward city and Bernalillo County actions expected in late September, the debate centers on developer impact fees, the allocation of capital improvement money and better planning cooperation to prevent further school overcrowding. One of five sponsors of the original ordinance, Councilor Michael Cadigan, defends the three-part substitute as ''a better bill,'' with considerable changes and ''compromises,'' yet still effective ''in accomplishing the goals of the PGS.'' He points out that the sponsors have succeeded with their argument for responsible infrastructure money spending so far, but must also succeed with the argument for curbing development on the city outskirts and making it more profitable on the 16,123 vacant acres within the city's water service boundary. Developers, including Councilor Tina Cummins, reports Albuquerque Tribune writer Kate Nash, argue they value open space as others do and often pay fees for parks and playgrounds in their subdivisions, but prefer to build on the fringes because urban and infill projects involve too many hassles. PGS sponsors say making these projects easier and cheaper is one of their top goals, along with ensuring that outside growth doesn't place even greater burdens on area schools and taxpayers. According to a former city councilor, Albuquerque Public Schools facility master plan director Angela Robbins, the school district has sent the city 110 negative memos on proposed residential projects since 2001, and ''in every single case, the city approved (the subdivision) anyway.'' -- Albuquerque Tribune   8/20/2002

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/

Editorial Criticizes Dilution of Albuquerque's Growth Plan

''This city needs smart growth,'' expounds a forceful Albuquerque Tribune editorial, telling the City Council straight out that it ''should stop retreating and should embrace the original Planned Growth Strategy ordinance -- not some watered-down compromise of an ordinance and the 'we'll-get-to-it-when-we-can' collection of resolutions'' it adopted earlier this month. Warning that the Albuquerque growth crisis ''soon will be desperate,'' with drying up water and tax resources, worsening traffic and rising air pollution, the editorial says the time is running out on the city's opportunity to improve its quality of life and halt ''sprawl development that sucks up profits and leaves taxpayers with the bill.'' The editorial asks readers to consider two of many improvements the PGS ordinance could secure. Although its mandatory developer impact fees wouldn't go for schools, they could ''set the stage'' for school impact fee legislation. And its concurrency provisions to keep residential growth from surging ahead of services and infrastructure would avert a disgrace like the digging through of the northernmost stretch of a dead-end mesa road to lay a massive sewer line extension for two fringe subdivisions under construction on both sides, even if the road is inadequate for present users. Urging the council to adopt the original ordinance, the editorial says: ''The planned Growth Strategy doesn't outlaw development. It makes it more reasonable, more market-driven, more cost-efficient -- paying its way by paying today.'' -- Albuquerque Tribune   8/8/2002

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/

Albuquerque Urban Rail Line Could Use Abandoned Tracks

As he pushes for bus rapid transit with exclusive road lanes, Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez has also assembled a technical team to look at his long-range ''dream'' project, a ten-mile urban rail network from the Albuquerque International Sunport through downtown and Old Town to the Balloon Park, letting residents and tourists reach all the city's key destinations without a car. ''We have all these pearls that have never been strung together,'' the mayor tells Albuquerque Tribune reporter Kate Nash, who notes that the rail network would include defunct tracks of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe line and shuttle under construction between the Rio Grande Zoo, the Biopark and the Tingley Beach area, along with new links to the Hispanic Cultural Center, the Convention Center and the Alvarado Transportation Center -- the city's new hub for trains, buses and taxis. City Councilor Greg Paine likes the idea, but awaits its ''price tag.'' The mayor hasn't the price yet, but points out that most of ''the basic parts are there'' and that the rail network would help show off the city's assets. ''You could spend a whole day just going from one facility to the next,'' he says. ''People who visit Taos or Santa Fe would spend an extra day just here.'' -- Albuquerque Tribune   7/29/2002

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/

Debate Over Albuquerque's Growth Plan Gets Stickier With Flier Claiming Tax Relief

A hot Albuquerque debate on its long-range Planned Growth Strategy (PGS) has gotten hotter in the few days since City Council president Brad Winter -- as yet undecided how he will vote on its implementation bill later this year -- alerted the Albuquerque Tribune to a flier signed and circulated by the plan's self-described ''supporters,'' implying that its passage could decrease property taxes. ''Twenty years of poor government planning,'' quotes Tribune reporter Kate Nash from the flier, ''have caused rising property taxes and falling home values in many parts of the city. The Planned Growth Strategy will reverse this downward trend by investing in our existing neighborhoods and encouraging new development where infrastructure already exists.'' The council president, himself told about the flier by his 83-year-old mother who received it from someone at her door, said he would love the authors to show him ''where the PGS has anything to do with property taxes,'' adding, ''I don't think they should be going around telling seniors it does.'' The daily wasn't able to reach anyone at the telephone number listed in the flier. Noting that the implementation bill, introduced to the nine-member city council by councilors Michael Cadigan, Miguel Gomes, Eric and Vince Griego and Hess Yantema, doesn't mention property taxes, the reporter quotes councilor Eric Griego, who theorizes that higher revenue from developer impact fees could let the city pay for road and other improvements without using so much capital budget money, which comes mostly from property taxes. -- The Albuquerque Tribune   7/17/2002

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/

Albuquerque's 25-Year Planned Growth Strategy Winning Support, But Splitting City, Business Leaders

Inspired by two Albuquerque town hall meetings and continuous public advice since 1998, the ensuing 25-year Planned Growth Strategy -- to encourage mixed-use projects in older neighborhoods and near transit, while making others more contingent on preexisting infrastructure and varied impact fees -- is winning general support, but splitting city and business leaders on specifics. Having vetoed a City Council bill to raise water hookup fees for new projects last month, Mayor Martin Chavez said the five signers who followed up with the strategy's implementation ordinance, which drew 200 participants to the first hearing this month, are doing a ''sales job'' and a lawyer for the business-based New Mexicans for Smart Growth Inc., Larry Wells, cautioned against polarizing the community. He said the goal of the group, which includes the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties chapter, the Albuquerque Economic Forum, the Home Builders Association of Central New Mexico and the Associated Builders and Contractors, is to ''educate and work together on a planned growth strategy without killing each other.'' He stressed that the group wants ''time to create a dialogue about growth'' and to reach ''a community solution,'' with its spokesman, Orlando Lucero, adding that a ''too restrictive growth strategy'' could squeeze development, together with future jobs and revenue, out of the city limits. The ordinance's five sponsors, Councilors Michael Cadigan, Miguel Gomez, Eric Griego, Vince Griego and Hess Yntema, consider such concerns unwarranted. Councilor Cadigan noted that the plan offers incentives for projects in areas ''with school capacity'' because ''it will cost less to build there.'' Councilor Eric Griego pointed out that development will continue, with part of it as neighborhood infills ''instead of subdivisions.'' And Councilor Yntema expressed readiness to hear specific objections to the plan, but not to study it ''to death,'' adding that the plan's most important aspect is ''the opportunity to stop the subsidies for sprawl residential growth.'' In contrast to the large business organizations under the ''smart growth'' banner, small businesses in a diverse Businesses for Balanced Growth group, along with Albuquerque Development Services, which oversees city redevelopment and affordable housing, advocate moving forward with plan implementation. Urging the public to research and support the plan, the small business group's spokesman, Eric Haskins and the agency's manager, Ken Balizer -- former city director of planning and president of 1,000 Friends of New Mexico -- hailed it on The Albuquerque Tribune opinion page as innovative, efficient and balanced in its pursuit of better quality of life. The plan is available at the city's web site www.cabq.gov; the next council hearing scheduled for August 9. -- The Albuquerque Tribune   6/20/2002

Resource(s): www.abqtrib.com/

Albuquerque's Downtown Revitalization Brings Unwanted Noise

Albuquerque made large strides in downtown revitalization last year, writes Downtown Action Team president Luisa Lindsey in Albuquerque's weekly Alibi, mentioning new stores, restaurants and a 14-screen movie theater, which are quickly creating a ''unique entertainment district that you can't find anywhere else in the state.'' But her nonprofit group of business and neighborhood leaders working hard to make it happen has also become a victim of its own success, she writes, with many downtown residents complaining about the area's stillness two years ago, now disturbed by more noise from the increased nighttime activity. Under the ''Urban Center Zones'' provision, she notes, the strict noise restrictions imposed last year on the city were relaxed downtown for obvious reasons, while her group's recent public meetings with residents, officials and business owners revealed that much of the noise is not coming from the entertainment establishments themselves, but from ''vehicle boom boxes'' and parking lots used by ''rowdy patrons.'' Promising further efforts to make the downtown area livelier, safer and cleaner, she expresses her belief that a six-month series of public hearings and research will let all sides identify the real issues and ''develop resolutions to keep noise levels within limits.''   3/14/2002

Resource(s): www.alibi.com/

Writer Says Desert Subdivision Epitomizes Ills of Random Growth

''In an era when smart growth and new urbanism dominate the progressive urban planning landscape,'' Las Maravillas in Valencia County -- an isolated subdivision of tract homes 35 winding road- miles south of Albuquerque -- epitomizes everything that is wrong with random growth, writes Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez in Albuquerque's weekly Alibi, pointing out that the lack of anything but sagebrush near the subdivision changes its character from suburban to subrural, which is ''a whole new breed of sprawl.'' With many residents saying they chose Las Maravillas for its affordability and safety, the writer finds them in ''collective denial'' about the local image, the daily inconveniences and the backcountry's poverty-fed crime. The Sivage-Thomas and D.R. Horton tract homes indeed start at $80,000, which is under half the national new home average and thousands less than identical models cost in Albuquerque, she writes, but residents like to claim they live in Los Lunas, they are 11 miles away from the nearest supermarket, their children have four playground swings for recreation, and their bargain-priced housing costs them up to $8,000 annually per car in commuting expenses. Nevertheless, she continues, Las Maravillas seems to be ''a model for developers with eyes on nearly 50,000 acres'' near the Manzano mountains, with one tract-home project on those distant barren plains slated for 2004 and another two on the drawing board. In the conclusion of her eloquent indictment of sprawl, the writer notes that anti-sprawl laws enacted in some states are unlikely in New Mexico, due partly to its ingrained dependence on cars and ''the lack of political outrage surrounding developments such as Las Maravillas.'' As to the general prospects for smart growth, she wishes that Americans, increasingly aware of ''the negative impact of suburbs'' on the environment, road congestion and quality of life, would became more receptive to higher density and other sustainable practices.   3/7/2002

Resource(s): www.alibi.com/

With lease prices rising sharply around the ...

With lease prices rising sharply around the 12-block Albuquerque entertainment district under reconstruction by the Historic District Improvement Company (HDIC), the company and the nonprofit Enterprise Foundation are determined to preempt gentrification by keeping the area affordable for its residents, small businesses and arts groups. The HDIC's and the foundation's leaders, Christopher Leinberger and Bart Harvey, announced an 18-month study of downtown residential and commercial needs, to lay the ground for a new nonprofit organization that would spur affordable housing by working on deed restrictions, land trust policies, family financial assistance and similar measures. Affordability, said Leinberger, will make the downtown district "as vital as it needs to be." Today, said Harvey, rising rents and home prices are pushing out long-time residents "in city after city," while conceptually-new efforts to curb future gentrification promote inclusiveness -- "Let's be inclusive of affordable housing and arts groups." His foundation, reports Albuquerque Journal writer Lloyd Jojola, focuses on community revitalization, providing low-income residents with access to jobs, affordable housing and child care. It has raised and distributed more than $3.8 billion in equity, loans and grants to help build and renovate more than 120,000 homes nationwide.   6/4/2001

Resource(s): www.abqjournal.com

The Santa Fe County Commission and the ...

The Santa Fe County Commission and the city-county Extraterritorial Zoning Authority easily approved New Mexico's first transfer of development rights (TDR) program, to prevent development along scenic highways, concentrate it within the Santa Fe urban radius and surround the city with a green buffer, while rewarding TDR buyers with higher-density building bonuses in areas targeted for growth. The local leader "of 'the 'smart growth' advocacy group 1,000 Friends of New Mexico, Edward Archuleta, hailed the program approval as a means of preserving open land and historic landmarks, telling the commission and the zoning authority that "as governing bodies," they "always have the right to say 'No' to development." Commission Chairman Paul Duran pointed out that the program will compensate affected landowners near highway corridors for their potential losses.   6/4/2001

Resource(s): www.abqjournal.com

The National Trust for Historic Preservation released ...

The National Trust for Historic Preservation released its second annual list of the Dozen Distinctive Destinations that, said Trust President Richard Moe, "typify our country's small towns, close communities, and celebrated heritage." These town and cities, he continued, "are committed to preserving their historic landmarks, maintaining their unique character, and supporting locally owned business entrepreneurs. They are not historically distinctive vacation spots -- they are also fun places for families and visitors of all ages. We can learn from their past and contribute to their future. Yeah." The list includes Eureka Springs, Arkansas; Calistoga. California; Silverton, Colorado; Madison, Indiana; Bonaparte, Iowa; Northampton, Massachusetts; Red Lodge, Montana; Las Vegas, New Mexico; Jacksonville, Oregon; Doylestown, Pennsylvania; Beaufort, South Carolina; and Staunton. Details at www.nationaltrust.org   4/16/2001

Resource(s): www.usnewswire.com

Working to make Albuquerque's core a vibrant ...

Working to make Albuquerque's core a vibrant round- o'clock neighborhood, the Historic District Improvement Company and its civic Downtown Action Team are confident of bringing even more people there with a plan for a Central Arts District, which will host visual, literary and performing arts groups, galleries and live-work studios. "We don't want to see downtown become all bars," said Suzanne Sbarge, director of the Magnifico art group, which is spearheading the effort and trying to get several vacant stores and warehouses opened to arts organizations. The improvement company's spokesman, Chris Leinberger, described the arts district as part of the $300 million downtown projects "coming out of the ground right now," including a 14-screen theater, the transportation center and apartments. Noting that in five years, "downtown rents will be the highest in the city," he said, "We're putting mechanism in place to maintain this community. We don't want the artists to be driven out later."   4/10/2001

Resource(s): www.abqjournal.com

In an address to city and county ...

In an address to city and county officials in Santa Fe, their New York guest, associate dean and director of the Government Law Center at Albany Law School Patricia E. Salkin told them that in this era of "legislative reform," when "land use reform legislation and initiatives are at an all-time high," New Mexico should seize a tremendous opportunity for smart growth and update its antiquated planning laws. Noting the bipartisan character of smart growth and its broad support by organizations ranging from the Sierra Club to the National Association of Home Builders, the dean said the movement is "about economic development, about housing, about transportation, infrastructure and quality of life." She cited numerous smart growth laws, tools and studies, and she called attention to the upcoming Urban Land Institute conference on smart growth. The response was promising. Thaw Charitable Trust of Santa Fe President Eugene V. Thaw and McCune Charitable Foundation Director Owen Lopez called for quick action on smart growth laws. An American Planning Association chapter official, Albuquerque land-use lawyer Lora Lucero said the state needs to move forward, with help from the recently formed New Mexico Coalition for a Livable Future. Its 25 founding groups include the planning association, 1000 Friends of New Mexico, the New Mexico Public Interest Research Group and New Mexico Republicans for Environmental Protection.   3/15/2001

Resource(s): www.abqjournal.com

The Bernalillo County Commission wants voters to ...

The Bernalillo County Commission wants voters to approve a continuation of the 1998 open space protection tax, lowering it from a half mill to a quarter mill, while extending from two to six years. The expiring half-mill tax costs an owner of a $100,000 home, taxable on its net value of $33,00, only $16.50 a year. The new annual cost would by halved to $8.25. The current tax has yielded about $8 million, letting the county buy almost 1,300 acres, with $2 million left for initiated purchases. The county's coordinator for special projects, Susan Jones, says the county and Albuquerque are at a growth stage such that if we want to buy sizable chunks of open space, we need to do it sooner rather than later. The county is aiming, she adds, for places accessible to walkers and riders, that is, for breathing space for the urban area.   9/5/2000

Albuquerque's efforts to combat sprawl and revitalize ...

Albuquerque's efforts to combat sprawl and revitalize its downtown area are the subject of the National Public Radio News series The Changing Face of America, scheduled for a July 26 Morning Edition broadcast hosted by Bob Edwards. The host and correspondent John Nielsen will discuss the city's problems and solutions with Mayor Jim Baca, developer and sprawl historian Chris Leinberger and local business leaders. According to the program preview, Leinberger contends that the era of urban sprawl has ended with a struggle over defining a replacement model. He will describe plans to rebuild Albuquerque's depressed downtown along so-called 'new urbanist lines' and explain post-sprawl designs, in the context of the outdated modular development that made the nation's cities all look alike. Station information and broadcast times can be found on NPR's web page.   7/21/2000

In an effort to reduce traffic congestion ...

In an effort to reduce traffic congestion, the Albuquerque Transit Department launched a free Sun Ride trolley service downtown. Calling the free trolley another part of the downtown revitalization plan, Mayor Jim Baca said, You can come Downtown, park your car and hop a trolley to get you wherever you need to go. The free trolley cost is paid for from a quarter-cent transportation sales tax approved by voters in March 1999. The tax for road repairs, transit and trails is expected to raise about $24 million annually over ten years.   4/28/2000

Albuquerque's Uptown Review Team, a 25-member ...

Albuquerque's Uptown Review Team, a 25-member group of city officials, developers and representatives from uptown associations and businesses, says making the area both intensely urban and pedestrian friendly is the best way to realize its full potential. Learning from a new Downtown Action Team redevelopment model, the uptown team will rework the 1995 Uptown Sector Development plan to ensure general compactness and livability, while protecting neighborhood, air quality and traffic mitigation priorities. The team wants to triple the sector's density, create incentives for concentrating high-rise apartment buildings and condos in the uptown core, build multistory parking garages 500 feet apart to form the park-once-and-walk habit, fill the buffer space between the core and older neighborhoods with small stores easily accessible from both sides, and redevelop malls and mall sites for mixed use. Other goals include a common theme of water fountains, outdoor art and attractive landscaping. Promising an asphalt jungle demise and uptown renaissance, Uptown Association president and Coronado Center mall manager Randy Sanchez counts on massive public input into a draft plan readied for September.   4/17/2000

The two things Santa Fe needs most ...

The two things Santa Fe needs most are schools and affordable housing. School project consultant Karen Wening says the district is "way behind in keeping up with growth," even though voters approved more than $52 million in bonds and mill levies in February. Some developers are helping "alleviate the financial burden of building new schools." The developer of the 655-home Rancho Viejo de Santa Fe, Inc., Bob Taunton, stresses his company tradition of donating land for schools, and adds, "It's the collective view of our partnership that we need to provide land for these kinds of institutional uses ... as a part of building a community." The company is now planning to donate land for two schools -- up to 30 acres, valued at about $100,000 an acre. With such land prices, sites for affordable housing, under $200,000 a unit, are increasingly hard to find, says director of the nonprofit Neighborhood Housing Services Mike Loftin. Noting some progress on affordable housing over the past several years, director of Santa Fe Community Housing Trust Sharron Welsh says "it has to be induced here," which means the city has to "subsidize it or build and then subsidize it." Real estate agent David Dougherty describes the affordable housing market as "healthy," but his definition of affordability covers homes up to $300,000.   12/22/1999

Sprawl Costs/Sprawl Solutions," a new report ...

"Sprawl Costs/Sprawl Solutions," a new report by the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club states: "In New Mexico and El Paso, our taxes are subsidizing sprawl at all levels of government because hook-up, impact and other fees do not come close to covering the costs of residential sprawl development." The report marks the start of the joint Sierra Club and 1000 Friends of New Mexico campaign to make the public aware of the need to "fill in Santa Fe's undeveloped interior before leapfrogging to the fringes and straining city roads, firefighting, water and sewer systems and schools." 1000 Friends' Santa Fe director Edward Archuleta said during a "Tour de Sprawl" through the southwestern suburbs that the city's newest "neotraditional" mixed-use villages are a good idea, but still extend sprawl into the treasured desert. Following the recently approved Santa Fe County General Plan to control development over 20 years, the Sierra Club and 1000 Friends are drafting a new policy agenda to "bring sprawl to a crawl" in the region. They want officials to create a Regional Planning Authority; observe restrictions for water and sewer line extensions inside I-25b and the Santa Fe Bypass; pass the Highway Corridor Plan to protect both highway areas from overdevelopment; increase incentives for infills and brownfields redevelopment; and secure funding for purchases and protection of open space.   12/9/1999

A new Albuquerque "Downtown 2010" plan would ...

A new Albuquerque "Downtown 2010" plan would entice and guide private investment by reducing more than 70 building standards to 21 and committing the city to approve compliant projects within 24 days, with public hearings only in some cases. Created by city planners and Downtown Action Team experts, the plan is hailed by associate planning director Richard Sertich as "doable" and by team president Pat Bryan as "revolutionary" and probably the first-of-its-kind in the country. Based on a "park once, pedestrian first" strategy, the plan would seek mixed-use downtown development, while barring new drive-through facilities, commercial surface parking lots and some alcohol package stores. Its major goals include creating a public market and two parks; transforming elementary schools into specialized "magnet schools," which would draw students from around the district; encouraging sidewalk dining and retailing; introducing a free downtown "circulator" bus service and express shuttles to other activity hubs; and building about ten city parking garages to "eliminate all parking requirements for private developers." The plan calls for downtown area designation as a metropolitan redevelopment district, where developers could use tax-increment financing. The Environmental Planning Commission will review the plan on December 9.   12/8/1999

Voting 8 to 1, the Albuquerque City ...

Voting 8 to 1, the Albuquerque City Council approved a landmark deal with the Historic District Improvement Co. to revitalize a 12-block southeast downtown section. The council accepted councilor Alan Armijo's amendment to raise the city's investment returns from 100 to 125 percent, but rejected councilor Mike McEntee's amendment to cap the investments and get an earlier share of returns. The city is to put in $10 millions to $12 million in land value, street improvements, free parking and property tax breaks. It will also build a $6.5 million municipal parking garage. Besides sharing the profits, the city can expect $29 million in sales tax and property tax revenues. The Historic District Improvement Co., a partnership of the Downtown Action Team, Arcadia Land Co. and the McCune Charitable Foundation, is to invest $60 million in cash and loans from more than 100 banks. Mayor Jim Baca and partnership representative Chris Leinberger praised the city council for doing the right thing.   10/21/1999

Troubled by many farmers' tendency to sell ...

Troubled by many farmers' tendency to sell land for subdivisions and by the cost of services for unincorporated areas, Valencia County commissioners are updating the 1987 master plan and rewriting zoning laws to preserve farmland and concentrate growth in cities. Commission Chairwoman Alicia Aguilar says, "We can't be blind; we need to identify where growth is going to go and try to preserve what we have that is good for the future." Describing the 1987 plan as "woefully inadequate," county planner Steven Chavez says his "landmark legislation" will set goals and guidelines for saving the county's best agricultural land. It will also encourage communities to retain their small-town charm and will channel development to settlements on the east and west mesas. He is exploring such options as land preservation tax breaks, state-funded conservation easements, development right purchases and minimum agricultural lot size reduction from ten to five acres.   10/21/1999

The city of Albuquerque and the private ...

The city of Albuquerque and the private Historic District Improvement Co. have agreed to invest $16.5 million and $60 million respectively, in a 12-block mixed-use downtown revitalization project. By the end of 2000, the project will include a 14-screen Century Theaters multiplex, a 650-car garage, shops, restaurants, offices, 45 townhouses and 45 affordable apartments. Later, the company will build more shops and offices, and 300 housing units. Mayor Jim Baca describes the negotiations as "hard fought," and the agreement as "beneficial to everyone in this community." The company's Chris Leinberger promises "the fastest downtown turnaround ever," which should become "a model for the country."   10/12/1999

Albuquerque: After a public three-day design workshop ...

Albuquerque: After a public three-day design workshop here, the Historic District Improvement Co. outlined its master plan for renewal of an eight-block section of downtown. The company, a partnership of the Downtown Action Team, Chris Leinberger's Arcadia Land Co. and the McCune Charitable Foundation, wants to start with a 14-screen movie theater, shops, restaurants and 100 town houses. Next will be a marketplace, camouflaged parking garages, offices, lofts and a pueblo-style complex of 140 affordable apartments. Praised by officials and residents, the plan will go to the City Council next month.   7/21/1999

With a 5 to 4 vote, the ...

With a 5 to 4 vote, the Albuquerque City Council sided with ten West Side neighborhood associations fighting a 62-acre West Bluff Center commercial project they consider detrimental to the area's roads and community. The village-style project includes shops, small businesses, restaurants, offices and a huge Wal-Mart Supercenter. Developer Paul Silverman, a major player in the Downtown Action Team's renewal plan, said he has already changed his project to reduce its traffic impact and appease nearby residents. He added that now he "won't be doing any infills ... and anything downtown either."   6/25/1999

Albuquerque: Selected by the Cornell University Center ...

Albuquerque: Selected by the Cornell University Center for the Environment for a study of eco-industrial development, the planned Mesa del Sol community, on a 13,000-acre state property south of Albuquerque, may become a national model of both business and environmental excellence. Eco-industrialism, already successful at Chattanooga's Smart Park project, benefits businesses through sharing renewable energy sources and exchanging byproducts for specialized reuse.   3/1/1999

Albuquerque and Bernalillo County: A joint study ...

Albuquerque and Bernalillo County: A joint study shows that continued spread of development rings around the city would cost $3.2 billion for infrastructure in the next 20 years. The study, by the Parsons Brinckerfoff Quade & Douglas engineering firm, says the metropolitan area has 6,000 acres that can be easily developed, accommodating population growth for five decades and saving taxpayers $250,000 million in the next several years.   1/1/1999

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