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Corrales Comprehensive Plan Review Committee Named |
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Written by Jeff Radford
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Tuesday, 23 January 2007 |
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Second in a series
Public involvement has been the key ingredient for the development of the past three comprehensive plans for Corrales.
In other municipalities, such plans usually evoke little public
interest, and may be written almost entirely by professional planners
or consultants after token “scoping” sessions with members of a narrow
spectrum of the public.
From Corrales’ initial “master plan” in 1974 to the latest
comprehensive plan in 1996, intense public participation in that
planning process has been the glue that has kept Corrales as cohesive
as it is.
Consensus has not always come easily. In some villagers’ memories, the
shouted rebuttals still echo from debate on the “middle alignment” for
a north-south road which eventually manifest itself, in fragments, as
“Calle Blanca.”
Community compromises and unwritten deals struck during development of
the 1988 revision to the Corrales Comprehensive Plan are still playing
out today, if only in the minds of some of the most ardent participants.
Community goals and policies written into the 1974, 1988 and 1996 plans
are largely responsible for Corrales’ character and quality of life as
it is in 2007. The successive plans (mostly revisions of the original
1973-74 document) are the underpinnings of the community’s basic
laws… the one-acre density rule, restrictions on the location of
businesses other than those operating as home occupations, roadway
requirements… and the basis for the community’s desirable quality of
life.
It’s not a stretch to say that Corrales homeowners’ property values
today stem from intense public involvement in, and commitment to, past
comprehensive plans.
In theory and mostly in practice, Corrales’ laws are drawn up to
implement the community’s goals and policies as set forth in the
comprehensive plan.
When villagers rise up to defend or oppose a particular proposal, such
as a new office building, a subdivision or the surfacing material to be
used for a parking lot, more often than not they quote from the
comprehensive plan to support their position.
In the most recent version of the plan, members of the committee
appointed to oversee the process “identified preservation of existing
village character and growth management as the primary themes,”
according to the plan’s introduction.
“The committees felt that the core of the planning problem facing
Corrales was how to effectively and efficiently meet the pressures of
growth from outside the community and the dynamic impacts of growth
within the village.
“To ensure wise growth management, the following have been established. The governing body should:
• “encourage, preserve and enhance the rural, agricultural, historical and cultural character of the village;
• “protect the environment, including open space, the Rio Grande
bosque, the sand dunes, arroyos, acequias, Main Canal and escarpment;
• “Manage development of appropriate commercial activities within the
village which preserve and enhance its semi-rural agricultural
character, and its economic diversity;
• “foster sound planning of residential development, including
designing a system of roads and streets which is environmentally sound
and appropriately scaled to the needs and lifestyles of residents.”
As the 1996 plan evolved and was presented to the Village Council for
adoption, the very first goal stated was to “preserve the
heritage and rural character of Corrales, and preserve specific
prehistoric and historic places of significance to the Village and the
State of New Mexico.”
The plan set out seven policies to achieve that.
The second section, on residential development, also focuses on maintaining the community’s rural character and low density.
The third section, on commercial development, states the goal to “allow
for appropriate commercial development within the designated commercial
zone.” Portions of this section also stress the importance of
commercial development which does not jeopardize rural and historic
character.
Just two policies are stated for commercial development. The first has
several parts, but emphasizes restrictions on businesses, such as
carefully designating where future commercial development should occur.
It also endorses the idea of a new commercial district in the then-mostly vacant Northwest Sector.
The second policy calls for a plan for a future “Village Center,” that would include a public plaza and a public parking area.
Other sections of the plan address farmland preservation, bosque
preservation, open space, trails, parks and recreation, transportation
and water and waste water management.
Since the plan was adopted by the Village Council in 1996, considerable
citizen effort has been devoted to historic preservation efforts and
saving farmland.
But as the new comprehensive plan revision process begins, attention is
increasingly turning toward the somewhat neglected section on
commercial development.
In the months ahead, as the planning process gets under way again,
villagers will be challenged to find ways to promote economic
development that is compatible with Corrales’ rural character and
quality of life.
The mayor’s nominations for appointment to the Comprehensive Plan
committee were approved at the January 9 Village Council meeting.
Appointed were:
• Phillip Sapien, an attorney who served on the Town of Bernalillo’s Charter Commission in the 1980s;
• Bill Douglass, information technologies manager and president of Los Compadres de Corrales;
• Patricia Windisch, owner of Ambiente de Corrales shop and committee member for Corrales MainStreet, Inc.
• Will Steadman, real estate lawyer now working on a 56,000-acre development west of Albuquerque;
• Maxine Velasquez, attorney for San Felipe Pueblo;
• Tom Keleher, investment manager and member of Corrales Bicycle-Pedestrian Advisory Commission; and
• Mary Davis, historic preservation specialist for the City of Albuquerque, and for the Village of Corrales since the 1980s.
The new Comprehensive Plan Review Committee is being convened under a
resolution passed January 9 which reads as follows in part:
“Whereas it is the desire of the governing body that the Comprehensive
Plan be reviewed and updated to reflect changing conditions within the
Village of Corrales and receive guidance on changes which may support
the quality of life valued by residents, now and in the future; and
“Whereas planning professionals from the Economic Development
Department, the Mid Region Council of Governments, the New Mexico
Municipal League and others recommend that municipalities review and
update comprehensive plans periodically; and
“Whereas land use ordinances are to be in accordance with a comprehensive plan (3-19-5 NMSA 1987); and
“Whereas the governing body desires that a Comprehensive Plan Review
Committee of seven members, appointed by the mayor with the advice and
consent of the governing body, shall serve until the committee can
review and identify goals and objectives, and recommend policies, on
subjects such as residential and commercial development, preservation
of agricultural land uses, preservation of historic structures, public
facilities, parks and recreational opportunities, and transportation,
and complete their task within nine months of adoption of this
resolution;
“Now therefore be it resolved that the governing body of the Village of
Corrales establishes a Comprehensive Plan Review committee consisting
of seven members, to update and review the existing Comprehensive Plan
for the Village of Corrales dated February 29, 1996, and complete its
assignment no later than nine months from this date of adoption.
“Be it further resolved that the Comprehensive Plan Review Committee
will conduct open meetings at scheduled times and locations to be
posted in conformity with the Open Meetings Act (Section 10-15-1 NMSA
1978).”
Councillors said at their January 9 meeting they would like the
Comprehensive Plan Review Committee’s first meeting to be a work-study
session with the mayor and council.
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