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CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
SEVENTEENTH COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. C/S R-07-278 ENACTMENT NO. ________________________
SPONSORED BY: Don Harris
RESOLUTION
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C/S Requiring the City to Develop a Master Plan for a Bio-Zone Preserve within and Adjacent to the Tijeras Arroyo between the Juan Tabo Boulevard Right-Of-Way and the Eastern City Limit; Extending a Moratorium (Harris)
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REQUIRING THE CITY TO DEVELOP A MASTER PLAN FOR A BIO-ZONE PRESERVE WITHIN AND ADJACENT TO THE TIJERAS ARROYO BETWEEN THE JUAN TABO BOULEVARD RIGHT-OF-WAY AND THE EASTERN CITY LIMIT; EXTENDING A MORATORIUM WITHIN CITY BOUNDARIES; INVITING BERNALILLO COUNTY TO CONDUCT A JOINT PLANNING EFFORT.
WHEREAS, in the book "Albuquerque's Environmental Story" the Tijeras Arroyo is described as a perennial stream that becomes subsurface at the Four Hills fault. Rock outcroppings and stands of cottonwoods along the stream bed create an open space experience unique in the City; and
WHEREAS, the United States Geological Service reports that east of the Four Hills Bridge the Tijeras Arroyo drains over 77 square miles of land and percolates a significant amount of that water into the ground just west of the bridge; and
WHEREAS, from where the Arroyo enters the City and where it enters Kirtland Air Force Base the Tijeras Arroyo is a transition/junction area for three bio-zones; the Lowland Mountain Bio-Zone, the Alluvial Fan Bio-Zone and the Short Grass Steppes Bio-Zone. West of Four Hills Road the broad expanse of the Tijeras floodplain is over 1,000 feet. wide. East of Four Hills Road the Arroyo is lined with a mix of cottonwood trees, locust and salt cedar and mounted on grassland slopes are juniper trees; and
WHEREAS, the New Mexico Tourism Department Historic Markers Data Base identifies Tijeras Canyon as a natural route for travel between eastern New Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley since prehistoric times. Singing Arrow Preserve overlooking the Canyon was once part of the Carnuel Genizaro Community, and is on the New Mexico State List of Historical Places; and
WHEREAS, the New Mexico Department of Transportation has completed a project to provide safe passage to wildlife crossing Interstate-40 in Tijeras Canyon. The Tijeras Canyon Safe Passage Coalition reports the wildlife linkage through Tijeras Canyon, which connects the Sandia and the Manzano Mountains, is one of the most important and endangered areas in the nation for wildlife passage. The habitat on either side of Interstate-40 provides homes for species such as cougar, bear, and bighorn sheep, among many others. But, the Interstate-40 severs the two mountain ranges and creates a deadly barrier for animals; and
WHEREAS, to provide for the public's health, welfare and safety, the land use conditions of the Arroyo must be changed. Several subdivisions have developed in the bottom of the Canyon. Abandoned facilities exist in the Tijeras Arroyo Flood Plain and several government agencies have holdings within the Canyon and on the mesas overlooking the Arroyo that are not developable; and
WHEREAS, the City should set aside additional open space to provide for the protection of the riverine environment and maintain the 500 year flood plain required by the Albuquerque Metropolitan Area Flood Control Authority; and
WHEREAS, the Fiscal Year 08 Budget Resolution appropriated one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for a Tijeras Arroyo Management Plan and the 2007 General Obligation Bond Question designates five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) for purchase of open space in the Tijeras Arroyo.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
Section 1. The City with the adoption of this Resolution formally invites Bernalillo County to join with the City to develop a joint City/County Tijeras Bio-Zone Preserve Master Plan.
Section 2. The City of Albuquerque, and Bernalillo County to the extent it chooses to participate, shall commence with a Master Plan to develop a Tijeras Arroyo Bio-Zone Preserve using the funds established for a Tijeras Arroyo Management Plan. The Plan shall identify methods for: 1) acquiring through easements the lands that make up the Tijeras Arroyo, 2) conserving and restoring the bio-zones within the Arroyo, 3) protecting wildlife within the Arroyo, 4) removing pollutants from the storm flows that feed into the Arroyo, 5) providing interpretive services about the Arroyo, 6) recommendations how best to manage and protect the site of the Carnuel Genizaro Community, and developing any other policies deemed necessary by the Administration.
Section 3. In the absence of a joint City/County planning effort the City shall proceed forward with the plan, but recognizes that policies that address lands within the County are recommendations and the City has no regulatory authority over the lands within the County. The City shall, if there is not a joint planning effort, consult with the County in the development of the Master Plan.
Section 4. The City Administration and the County Administration, to the extent the County wishes to participate, are encouraged to develop the plan in concert with the University of New Mexico's Department of Biology, the School of Architecture's Landscape Architecture Program or other graduate programs at the University of New Mexico.
Section 5. A moratorium shall be imposed until October 1st, 2008 upon all subdivision approvals for those lands within the City and set forth in Exhibit A attached to this Resolution.
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