Albuquerque Overhauls its Zoning Code for the First Time Since the 1970s

Albuquerque approved a "massive rewrite" of its zoning code earlier this month, when outgoing Mayor Richard Berry signed the new code into law.

Martin Salazar reports on the signing ceremony, noting that Mayor Berry touted the new zoning code for its benefits in predictability for development and protection for neighborhoods. The final steps of approval did meet some opposition from representatives of neighborhood groups "who argued that their rights to weigh in on land-use decisions were being diminished under the new rules."

"But officials have said the rewrite is needed, because much of what is currently in place dates back to the 1970s, and is out of date, confusing and at times contradictory," reports Salazar.

As for some of the nitty gritty of how Albuquerque's Integrated Development Ordinance reforms the city's zoning code, Salazar adds the following:

Once the IDO goes into effect, the 1,200 zones that currently exist in the city will be converted to 20 zoning categories and 20 overlay zones, according to city staff. Leading the city’s IDO effort has been Clarion Associates, a Denver firm that specializes in writing zoning codes for municipalities.

For more background on the project, which started out as the AMC-Z project and took over three years to complete, see the city website that promotes the project.