Doa Ana commissioners approve new county development code

After more than 200 meetings and five hours of debate Tuesday, Doña Ana County Commissioners approved a Unified Development Code that will rezone the entire county and streamline the process for new neighborhood developments.

Commissioners Ben Rawson and Leticia Benavidez voted against approval.

In 2012, the county and other entities, started the Viva Dona Ana Initiative after receiving a $2.8 million grant. Within that initiative, commissioners voted to update the county’s comprehensive plan for new developments.

County leaders argued the old plan was out of date and difficult to integrate. Some pointed to examples, like businesses being built in residential areas. The UDC would provide the legal framework for a new plan. It would rezone the entire county and add zoning requirements to parts of the county for the first time.

In October, commissioners voted not to publish the UDC, and instead send it back to the Planning and Zoning Committee for revision, after outcry from residents in the Talavera community. Residents argued the UDC, as it stood, would allow manufactured homes and mobile homes to be built near their land, which was not allowed before.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Planning and Zoning said they made those changes. They also made 11 other amendments to the document after consulting with residents.

The majority of people who spoke during Tuesday’s meeting were in support of approving the UDC.

A Las Cruces resident said it would be “cruel and unusual punishment” to stretch out the process any longer.

Some farmers and ranchers said they were concerned about the new code possibly affecting where their cattle graze. Others asked if the new zoning plan would affect affordable housing.

“For a lot of people, it’s not going to have an immediate impact. This is going to guide development and it’s a decision about where to put a utility line, where to build a school,” Commissioner Billy Garrett said, “It has to do with decisions by businesses on where to locate or where to expand.”