By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily
kirsten@ladailypost.com
Development of the downtown masterplans for Los Alamos and White Rock is progressing, Los Alamos County Council learned during its work session Oct. 27.
Will Gleason of Dekker, Perich, Sabatini, the firm the County contracted to develop the master plans, reported that the vision and design workshops for the two plans are completed. Now, work begins on formulating concepts that embody the public’s vision for the downtown areas, he said. Work will begin revising Chapter 16 of the County’s Development Code in January.
As a recap for the projects, County Community Development Department Principal Planner Ryan Foster explained what these master plans are, why work is being done to develop two master plans as well as what the County gains from having downtown master plans.
The master plans, he said, are amendments to the County’s comprehensive plan. They are being development to establish high level vision goals and objectives for future development in Los Alamos and White Rock.
Foster added that the master plans are being developed now because Los Alamos does not have a master plan for its downtown and White Rock’s downtown master plan is now a decade old. The County is changing as is its demands for housing and for office and commercial space.
The master plans will offer the County “a descriptive vision, goals and objectives to guide where Los Alamos would like go into the future over roughly a 20-year time period,” Foster said. “We get recommendations for short and long-term projects. Often these projects find their way into capital improvement plans. These are steps specifically to take to achieve the plan’s vision.”
County Council Chair Sara Scott agreed.
“The master planning efforts for Los Alamos and White Rock are going to ultimately result in an updated development code,” she said. “This is initially focused on the downtown areas but it will be extended to (other areas) in our community … and this is a response to current interests, needs and challenges, whether that is for housing, commercial space downtown or renovation of dwellings around town … with the end result being that our development code is easier to use and understand.”
She added this project comes at a good time because people want to redevelop. There are interests in both commercial and housing developments that could be taking place in the downtown area, Scott said, adding that a number of key properties have either been purchased or are under contract so the “interest in redevelopment is significant.”
The entire project, Foster said, will occur in two phases. The first phase addresses the downtown master plan while the second phase focuses on Chapter 16 of the County’s Development Code.
Chapter 16, he explained, is an ordinance in the existing code. It is more commonly known as a zoning ordinance, which implements the comprehensive plan through zoning districts, development standards, processes and procedures for land use planning and development.
“Essentially it is the nuts and bolts of how to implement the comprehensive plan, to make it a reality,” Foster said.
Councilors offered input on what the consulting firm should consider moving forward with the master plan.
Councilors Antonio Maggiore and James Robinson said the master plans should address land deals between developers and County and ensure developers get empty land or properties filled.
“Is this plan going to look how we make these agreements with other businesses … how we can make sure they follow through on some agreement with empty land in a timely manner,” Robinson asked.
He pointed out there was a development agreement with Del Norte Credit when it built its White Rock branch but the parcel remains vacant.
Maggiore also mentioned the development agreement between the County and Smith’s.
Robinson and Ryti said more effort should be made to get input from Los Alamos’ younger residents on the master plans.
“I am concern that there was no participation from anyone under 18 and only 7 percent from those 17-24,” Robinson said. “If this plan is supposed to last us 20 years, then those age brackets will still be utilizing a lot of what we planning …”
Ryti agreed.
“I am concerned about getting a robust public engagement … broader age distribution would be good and more people is always better …,” he said.
With council’s feedback, the next step in the process is to develop the final vision and plan for the downtown areas. This will be the jumping off point to address Chapter 16 in the Development Code.
For more information on the project, visit https://losalamosconnect.org/
