Mayor Fred Hashimoto is among the Corraleños pleased by the defeat of Senate Bill 131 in the New Mexico Legislature.
In his weekly message to the community, Hashimoto said the bill (officially titled “Residential Apartments in Commercial Zones”), could have overridden local zoning ordinances, with its goal of producing more housing availability, could have overridden local zoning ordinances.
He wrote that the outcome would include increased housing density and taller buildings, both generally seen as anathema to the rural character of the village.
“It was proposed by two senators from a large municipality who felt that ruling more and bigger buildings on property lots in all of the 106 state municipalities was a way to relieve the state housing shortage,” Hashimoto wrote.
The bill was effectively “killed” when the Senate Committees’ Committee determined it did not qualify for inclusion in a 30-day session. Short sessions are typically restricted to budgetary matters and items specifically authorized by the governor.
At the Feb. 10 Village Council meeting, Hashimoto noted, a conceptual sketch for restrooms at the Gonzales Property was approved. That sketch now goes into the site development plan process; the project which will later go before the planning and zoning commission. The council will take public input before final approval.
The message also says the mayor and Village Administrator Melanie Romero met this week with Sandia Pueblo Gov. Stuart Paisano to discuss strong relationships and effective communications.
Hashimoto wrote that representatives of the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will give updates on their projects — the Corrales siphon replacement and the Mile 199 project, respectively — at the Feb. 24 council meeting.
According to the mayor’s message, here have been no reported cases of measles in New Mexico in 2026 as of Feb. 5, with 733 cases reported across the U.S.