Plans for the building out of a new subdivision that would go up near the Petroglyphs National Monument, some 10 miles northwest of downtown Albuquerque, have overcome an initial hurdle.
Members of the city’s Environmental Planning Commission have approved a variance request submitted by the Consensus Planning that will allow for the construction of two-story homes on smaller lots.
The project, encompassing just over 20 acres, will be comprised of “an interior system of open space, trails, preserved rock outcroppings, and parks,” according to correspondence submitted by the Albuquerque-based Consensus Planning firm to the commission.
The project, located off of Woodmont Avenue between Paseo del Norte NE and the Petroglyphs, has sparked the opposition of area residents, including the Westside Coalition of Neighborhood Associations, which has expressed concerns that upon completion the project will obstruct views of the Petroglyphs.
While normally the decision of the Environmental Planning Commission is the final stop in most variance matters, opponents are asking for a repeal of the commission action in this instance.
That appeal will be reviewed by a land-use hearing officer. If that officer agrees that the variance decision should be appealed, the matter will ultimately be decided by the Albuquerque City Council.
The Petroglyphs National Monument stretches just over 17 miles and contains an estimated 24,000 images carved by early Spanish settlers and ancestral Pueblo people. It is additionally an area made up of hundreds of archeological sites, and is governed by the National Park Service.
By Garry Boulard
