Council packets from last Saturday's budget workshop:

I was able to obtain paper copies of the handouts during the budget workshop, but am still working on getting the latest draft versions of proposed ordinances.  I've scanned and uploaded the budget documents to Drive. 

P&Z YTD agenda summary uploaded:

I've uploaded a detailed summary of Edgewood P&Z activities for January-April, 2014.  

So far this year, the Commission has seen two public hearings on its agendas: 

• One minor subdivision request which was tabled at the meeting by request of the applicant;
• One Conditional Use Permit which was unanimously approved. 

Discussion items:

• Review of proposed changes to the zoning and subdivision ordinances;
• Section 16 Master Plan update. 

Land use in the news 04/24/2014

From the April 24  Mountain View Telegraph:

NB: The MVT has instituted a new feature for the online edition similar to that used by the Journal in which readers are asked to answer 2 survey questions and/or share the page via social media before going on to individual stories.  Therefore, I will no longer be posting links to individual articles, but you may still use the links below to view the selection of stories in each category. 

• Torrance County trash system in a bind;
• Clinic idea raised by school district;
• Letters to the Editor:  Edgewood should work with MESD; EVSWA offers us a pretty good deal.

[The MVT is published weekly in paper form and delivered with The Albuquerque Journal on Thursdays.  You may also read news, sports, opinions and letters to the editor, obituaries, legals, and classifieds online at the website. If you're reading the online version, don't forget to check the links to shorter topics such as the calendar, upcoming events, milestones, news briefs, police reports and this weekend notes which are interspersed in the news headlines.]

ToE Zoning Ordinance revision summary as of 04/23/2014

I have collected a series of fourteen posts on proposed changes to the Town of Edgewood's Zoning Ordinance 2003-04 Amended May 16, 2012 into a single document which has been uploaded to Drive. I've left white space at the end of each section to allow space for additional notes. Because there will probably be more changes proposed at subsequent meetings, the document as well as the posts on which it is based should be regarded as a tentative, interim comparison between the existing ordinance and the changes proposed so far. 

ToE Subdivision Ordinance revision summary as of 04/22/2014

Former P&Z Chairman, John Bassett, has provided a copy of his first run-through at analyzing the changes proposed to date for the town's subdivision ordinance.  Because more changes are almost certain to be proposed both prior to and during public hearings on the matter, he did not see any point to writing a final draft at this time.

I realize that appreciation for development review terminology and procedures is an acquired taste for most, and so if readers have any questions please feel free to leave a comment or email me using the link on the profile page.  I've found that once the somewhat arbitrary definitions are mastered, most of the principles of land use and development review are fairly easy to understand. 

Links to documents:

• John Bassett's analysis of the proposed changes. 
• Current Subdivision Ordinance 2005-14 Amended June 2013
• Proposed Subdivision Ordinance (Redline version)
• Proposed Subdivision Ordinance (Version currently posted at the ToE website)

Land use in the news 04/23/2014

The Independent: April 23-29

• PED reverses position: schools to close (page 1);
• Commissioner has never paid his county trash fee (page 1);
• FORUM Letters on pages 6-7:  School district $ woes decades old (Jerry Ueckert); Red Flag warning on Wednesday, April 23 (John Helmich); Instead of talking trash let's talk facts (Charlene Guffey)
• Legal notices (page 14)  The Town of Edgewood has two notices this week:  Saturday April 26 at 9:00 AM the council and planning commission will hold a joint session for review of changes to the Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances.  At 10:00 the mayor and council will hold a budget preparation workshop.  Both meetings will be held in the Edgewood Community Center at 27 East Frontage Road.)

[The Independent is locally owned and operated.  It is published weekly and appears on Wednesdays; the front page of the current edition appears on its website.  The price for an email subscription is reasonable and the cost will be prorated at the time a subscription is purchased. I've found the service for e-subs reliable and convenient.  The e-version includes ads and legal notices in full color with the added benefit of adjustable print size. You can also purchase a regular mail subscription or pick up a single copy for fifty cents at most local businesses if you prefer the paper and ink version.]

New development on the MESD reorganization plan:

Moriarty-Edgewood Superintendent of Schools, Tom Sullivan, read a statement at last night's board meeting about the status of the reorganization plan.  The Public Education Department and the school district have reached an agreement in principle by which PED has agreed to approve the reorganization plan as submitted by MESD.  The school district will, in turn, drop its lawsuit against PED. However, the agreement to settle the dispute between MESD and PED does not prelude independent action on the part of the Town of Edgewood in support of its resolution calling for the immediate formation of a separate Edgewood School District.  

A change in policy for accepting comments:

All comments at the Portal are moderated and those leaving comments are prompted to type in a word verification.  Since most of the feedback I receive comes via email, phone calls or personal conversations, I believe the change will have minimal impact. 

Do you have questions about any of the links and information posted on the blog or on Google Drive? If so, please leave a comment or contact me via the e-mail address listed in the profile. After some deliberation, I have decided to turn off the Blogger option of posting by anonymous users. I will continue to accept posts made by users signed in with Google or Open ID accounts. If you wish to post anonymously, you may submit your post via email and I will consider posting it with the caveat that I reserve the right to edit for libel or language which I deem offensive.

A reminder about updates to sidebar information for email subscribers:

In response to requests I've received to "pin" links to current/time sensitive information at or near the top of the page, I've added a text box in the upper right sidebar with links to current documents posted at the ToE website.  I've also updated information on upcoming town meetings and public hearings found in the left sidebar. 

Latest P&Z audio:

P&Z audio for April 15, 2014 is now available at the ToE website. This was a routine meeting, but I am posting the link because of the public comment section which begins at about 9 minutes and 38 seconds into the meeting.  Former commission chairman, John Bassett, provided the staff and commission photographs of the Sandia Airpark North subdivision in support of his contention that subdivision improvements agreements should be in place prior to the granting of a final subdivision plat.The photographs shown to the commission were taken in Edgewood at the Sandia Airpark North subdivision about 20 months ago. The appearance of the open trenches is essentially unchanged since that time. 

When the preliminary plat was approved in 2005, the town's policies on development review were still being formed. The commission had discussed optimal timing of subdivision improvement agreements with the town's attorney, David Henderson, prior to hearings on this matter. (See P& Z minutes for May 2, 2005.)  The preliminary plat was approved on October 17, 2005, and a conditional final plat was approved on February 20, 2006. A subdivision improvements agreement was approved on November 20, 2006 pending review of the town's attorney.  Sometime after the November 2006 decision, the applicant encountered problems securing funding. It appears that the conditions placed upon the final plat approval were never met, because the commission voted to extend the preliminary plat on September 10, 2007.  This was done after the Commission was informed that the applicant had secured funding for installation of infrastructure. The subdivision was granted a second final plat by the Town of Edgewood on April 7, 2008 after the commission was told that an agreement had been reached for installation of the required improvements. 

However, the work never progressed further than the digging of trenches for utilities before work stopped on the project. The open trenches remain to this day and are a potential liability to the town. The proposed changes to the subdivision ordinance would drop the requirement that execution of such agreements be undertaken prior to approval of the final plat.

I believe the history of this subdivision provides a useful illustration of problems which may arise from approval of a final plat prior to completion of the development agreement. The history of this subdivision also serves as an illustration of why it is unwise to place substantive conditions on final plat approvals.  (Photos provided by John Bassett)

These open trenches in Sandia Airpark North resulted after the town approved a final plat before securing an adequate subdivision improvements agreement.

A different view of the Sandia Airpark North subdivision in Edgewood which has been sitting idle for a number of years.