CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE
NINETEENTH COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. R-10-177 ENACTMENT NO. ________________________
SPONSORED BY: Dan Lewis by request
RESOLUTION
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Amending The West Side Strategic Plan By Adding A New Section For The "Volcano Mesa Area" To Section 3, "Specific Westside Communities" (Lewis, by request)
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AMENDING THE WEST SIDE STRATEGIC PLAN BY ADDING A NEW SECTION for The “VOLCANO MESA AREA” to section B.3, “specific WestSIDE COMMUNITIES.”
whereas, the City Council has the authority to adopt and amend Rank 2 Area Plans; and
WHEREAS, in 1997 the City of Albuquerque first adopted the West Side Strategic Plan and then republished it in 2005 with a compilation of amendments; and
WHEREAS, the West Side Strategic Plan currently lacks guidance regarding future, comprehensive development of the Volcano Mesa Area, an area of approximately 3,532 acres that is roughly bounded by the Petroglyph National Monument on the east, west, and south and by Paseo del Norte and the grant line on the north; and
WHEREAS, this amendment to the West Side Strategic Plan is intended to provide policy direction for future development in the Volcano Mesa Area, specifically on the issues of development trends, environment and open space, and transportation and transit; and
WHEREAS, the primary goal of this amendment is to establish area-wide policies to inform sector-level land uses and zoning in order to conserve and protect the unique character of the area; and
WHEREAS, this amendment proposes the designation of a new Major Activity Center and a new Neighborhood Activity Center within the Volcano Mesa Area to help concentrate high- and moderate-density mixed land use and social and economic activities to reduce suburban sprawl, reliance on single-occupancy vehicular travel, and service-delivery costs; and
WHEREAS, this amendment supports and furthers the following applicable goals and policies of the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Comprehensive Plan: Section II.B.1, Open Space, Policies c, f, and j; Section II.B.2, Reserve Area; Section II.B.5, Developing and Established Urban Areas, Policies c, e, f, g, i, k, m, and n; Section II.B.7, Activity Centers, Policies c and e; Section II.C.6, Archaeological Resources, Policy c; Section II.C.9., Community Identity and Urban Design, Policies b, c, and e; and Section II.D.6, Economic Development, Policies a and g; and
WHEREAS, this amendment supports the following policies in the West Side Strategic Plan: Policies 1.1 (Distinct Communities), 1.9 (Designation of Neighborhood and Community Activity Centers), 1.14 (Community Activity Center access), 1.16 (Location of Neighborhood Activity Centers), and 1.18 (Mixed-Use Development in Community Activity Centers); and
WHEREAS, this amendment supports the following policies in the Northwest Mesa Escarpment Plan: Policies, 12 (“Structures shall not block views of the escarpment or visually contrast with the natural environment.”), 20 (“The predominant colors used on structures within the view area shall blend with the natural colors of the mesa.”), 21 (“Structures above and below the escarpment shall not dominate views of the escarpment from the east side.”), and 23 (“A system of recreational pedestrian, bicycle, and equestrian trails related to the escarpment shall be provided on the northwest mesa, including linkages to other northwest mesa features.”). These policies are supported through Section B.2 and Policies 3.99, 3.112, and 3.113 of this amendment; and
WHEREAS, this amendment supports the intent of the Rank 2 Trails and Bikeways Facility Plan, including the Proposed Trail Map on page 22 of that plan, through the expansion of the trail network in the Volcano Mesa Area; and
WHEREAS, this amendment supports the Rank 2 Facility Plan for Electric Service Transmission and Subtransmission Facilities through the addition of language to address utility easements, landscaping, and access to public utility facilities; and
WHEREAS, this amendment supports the following policies of the Rank 2 City of Albuquerque Major Public Open Space Facility Plan: Section Two, Policies B.2.G (public access to trails) and B.2.K (coordination of trail access points); Section Three, Figure 4-1 (West Side Major Public Open Space map) and Policy C.3 (consistency with the requirements of the Northwest Mesa Escarpment Plan). These policies are supported through Policies 3.102 through 3.108 of this amendment; and
WHEREAS, this amendment, through Exhibits 2 and 5 and Policy 3.98, supports the Rank II Facility Plan for Arroyos: Multiple Use of Albuquerque's Arroyos and Floodplains, Policies II.B.Drainage 1 (Primacy of Drainage Function), II.B.Multiple Use 1 (Encouraging Multiple Use), and II.E.1 (Urban Recreational Arroyos - Park & Trail Development); and
WHEREAS, the Environmental Planning Commission found that this amendment to the West Side Strategic Plan is not in conflict with any applicable plans, including the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Comprehensive Plan; and
WHEREAS, on November 4, 2010, the Environmental Planning Commission, in its advisory role on land use and planning matters, recommended to the City Council approval of this amendment to the West Side Strategic Plan with conditions.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
Section 1. The West Side Strategic Plan is hereby amended to add a new section for the “Volcano Mesa Area,” attached hereto as Exhibit A, to Section B.3, “Specific Westside Communities.”
Section 2. Severability Clause. If any section, paragraph, sentence, clause, word or phrase of this resolution is for any reason held to be invalid or unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of this resolution. The council hereby declares that it would have passed this resolution and each section, paragraph, sentence, clause, word or phrase thereof irrespective of any provisions being declared unconstitutional or otherwise invalid.
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