CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY-FIRST COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. R-14-69 ENACTMENT NO. ________________________
SPONSORED BY: Dan Lewis, by request
RESOLUTION
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Amending The West Side Strategic Plan To Update The Volcano Mesa Road Network, Recognize The Volcano Heights Major Activity Center, And Designate A Neighborhood Activity Center In Volcano Cliffs (Lewis, by request)
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AMENDING THE WEST SIDE STRATEGIC PLAN TO UPDATE THE VOLCANO MESA ROAD NETWORK, RECOGNIZE THE VOLCANO HEIGHTS MAJOR ACTIVITY CENTER, AND DESIGNATE A NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVITY CENTER IN VOLCANO CLIFFS.
WHEREAS, the City Council, the governing body of the City of Albuquerque, has the authority to adopt and amend plans for the physical development of areas within the planning and platting jurisdiction of the City authorized by Statute, Section 3-19-1 et. Seq., NMSA 1978, and by its home rule powers; and
WHEREAS, the City Council adopted an amendment to the Rank 2 West Side Strategic Plan in February 2011 to create a new community planning area - Volcano Mesa - for an area of approximately 3,532 acres, bounded generally by Paseo del Norte to the north and the Petroglyph National Monument to the west, south, and east; and
WHEREAS, the Rank 2 West Side Strategic Plan's Volcano Mesa Amendment establishes the policies to direct growth within the three Rank 3 Sector Development Plans - Volcano Cliffs, Volcano Trails, and Volcano Heights; and
WHEREAS, the Volcano Mesa Amendment provides opportunities for a variety of housing options and densities surrounding Village Centers or Major Activity Centers to promote a balance of jobs and housing, as well as service and retail opportunities within walking and biking distance of residential neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, the Rank 1 Comprehensive Plan's update in 2013 designated Volcano Heights as a Major Activity Center, as recommended by the Rank 2 West Side Strategic Plan's 2011 Volcano Mesa Amendment; and
WHEREAS, the Rank 2 West Side Strategic Plan's 2011 Volcano Mesa Amendment recommended designating the Village Center in Volcano Cliffs as a Neighborhood Activity Center; and
WHEREAS, the road network set out in the Volcano Mesa Amendment was reviewed, revised, and refined throughout the process of adopting the three Rank 3 plans, which were adopted in succession beginning in May 2011 with Volcano Cliffs and ending in August 2013 with Volcano Heights; and
WHEREAS, an amendment is needed to reconcile the road network within Volcano Mesa to incorporate updated street designations for Volcano Cliffs and Volcano Heights and additional intersections on Paseo del Norte and Unser Boulevard; and
WHEREAS, amendments to the West Side Strategic Plan are consistent with the applicable goals and policies of the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Comprehensive Plan, the Facility Plan for Major Public Open Space, the Facility Plan: Electric System Generation and Transmission, the Northwest Mesa Escarpment Plan, and the Comprehensive Zoning Code.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
Section 1. The City Council adopts the following findings:
1. The Volcano Mesa community planning area comprises 3,532 acres of land surrounding Unser Boulevard and is bounded generally by Paseo del Norte to the north and the Petroglyph National Monument to the west, south, and east.
2. Volcano Mesa is partially developed as single-family residential lots in Volcano Trails and Volcano Cliffs. Some roads and utilities are being developed in Volcano Cliffs as part of the Special Assessment District (SAD) 228, managed by the Volcano Cliffs Property Owners Association.
3. Volcano Mesa includes areas designated as Developing Urban, Established Urban, or Reserve by the Rank 1 Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Comprehensive Plan (Comprehensive Plan). The West Side Strategic Plan amendments implement and further the applicable Goals and Policies of the Comprehensive Plan as follows:
A. Amendments to the transportation standards help protect the livability and safety of residential neighborhoods and match street design to community identity (II.B.5 Policy k and II.C.9 Policies b and e).
B. Amendments pertaining the Volcano Heights Major Activity Center and Volcano Cliffs Neighborhood Activity Center establish the appropriateness and character of activity centers in relation to surrounding development and match these designations with appropriate land uses, building design, road design, and transportation systems to enhance community identity and character (II.B.7 Policy e and II.C.9 Policies c and e).
4. The amendments implement and further the established goals and policies of the Rank 2 West Side Strategic Plan by
A. Amendments pertaining to the Volcano Heights Major Activity Center and Volcano Cliffs Neighborhood Activity Center encourage the designation of activity centers with appropriate land uses, building design, and transportation systems (Policies 1.1, 1.9, 1.14, 1.16, and 1.18)
B. Amendments pertaining to the transportation network help provide adequate access and transportation choices for all users within Volcano Mesa (Policies 3.110, 3.111, and 3.112).
Section 2. Amendments to the West Side Strategic Plan, attached hereto and made a part hereof, are adopted as part of this Rank 2 Plan with land use control pursuant to the Comprehensive City Zoning Code and as a policy guide to the implementation of the Rank 1 Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Comprehensive Plan as cited above.
Section 3. All development activities within the Volcano Mesa boundaries shall be guided by the policies established in the West Side Strategic Plan.
Section 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. This resolution shall take effect five days after publication by title and general summary.
Section 5. 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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