By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

In its ongoing effort to pump economic vitality and housing into the downtown areas in Los Alamos and White Rock, Los Alamos County Council acted on two ordinances during its regular meeting Tuesday night.

The motions made on both ordinances passed 6-0; Councilor Keith Lepsch was absent.

The first ordinance addresses the maximum building height in Chapter 16 of the County Code allowed south of Trinity Drive. Originally, the maximum height for a building in this area was 45 feet, but the newly approved maximum height is 54 feet within 150 feet of a property line abutting Los Alamos Canyon and a maximum height of 86 feet elsewhere.

Council also requested that County staff direct the Planning and Zoning Commission to make recommendations regarding building setback requirements for the canyon edge south of Trinity Drive.

Councilor Suzy Havemann, who made the motion to approve the ordinance, said she felt this was a step in the right direction.

“While I appreciate the concerns of unintended consequences … I do get developers can submit a better proposal to the County when they know definitively the rules of the road in advance and I share the values of our trails and the desire to expand the Canyon Rim Trial specifically. I have to say I place a higher value on the sense of urgency … to make progress in bringing economic, housing and placemaking opportunities to an area that currently has none of these,” she said.

Councilor Melanee Hand argued that while she supported the ordinance, the County needs to address long-term planning and take into consideration not only the County’s needs but also Los Alamos National Laboratory’s (LANL) and the region’s needs.

“… this proposed revision … is needed,” Hand said. “Further, I just like to mention in a broader scope of things I support that we are doing everything we can possibly do to increase the amount of development and housing in the community, but I would also like to mention we need to continue coordination with (LANL’s) long range plans and regional development plans and suggest we continue to monitor the development and codes to right-side Los Alamos for long term needs. It’s important to assess and reassess our decisions … for long term future development.”

The second ordinance addresses parking requirements in downtown Los Alamos and White Rock.

The original motion was to pass the ordinance as written but that motion failed 2-4 with only Councilors Randall Ryti and David Reagor in favor.

The second motion, which was passed unanimously, suggested a few minor changes to the ordinance’s wording and that the revised version be returned to council for final approval May 23.

Council Chair Denise Derkacs requested the changes. The first revision was to correct the statement in the ordinance that council previously voted to request additional parking reductions when in fact it directed staff to evaluate additional parking reductions. She also requested that the zone districts in which shared parking reductions are allowed in the ordinance be clarified.

The ordinance proposes several changes to the parking requirements in Chapter 16.

The first is decrease the parking ratios for various land uses:

• Medical or dental clinic: change from six spaces per 1,000 square feet to five.
• Bar, lounge or tavern: 10 spaces per 1,000 square feet to six.
• Restaurant: change from 10 spaces per 1,000 square feet to six.
• Retail sale: change from five spaces per 1,000 square feet to four.

The second change is to reduce parking requirements for multi-family uses to one parking space per unit in the downtown areas.

Other changes are to clarify shared parking reduction applicability and additional parking reduction applicability as well as correct any inconsistencies in the shared parking reductions.

Ryti said he supported the ordinance but noted that are things to consider in relation to it.

“I am favor of the changes proposed by Planning and Zoning because we do need to have a vibrant downtown … if we are reducing parking and we want to be effective in reducing it further then the County needs to be providing better transit services and better facilities for walking and biking,” he said. “I think that is a good approach for us to make ….”

Council Vice Chair Theresa Cull said she hopes these ordinances bring the changes that everyone hopes they will produce.

“…I sure as heck hope by passing this parking ordinance in two weeks and the height requirements that we already passed that we are going see a lot more development and lot less blight in the downtown areas,” she said.

Echoing her comments from earlier, Hand said it is important that the County make long-term plans and address the needs of LANL and the region. A consequence of not doing this is that people will leave the County to live in areas that do meet their needs, she said.

In other business, council:

• Adopted resolutions to increase the pick-up of PERA contributions for fire, police, detention, contract employees, the plumbers and pipefitters union, the electrical workers union and other County employees.
• Introduced ordinances, which address amendments to the traffic code, terminating the economic development project for public support for UbiQD and amending fees for recycling and solid waste facilities.