Doña Ana County Planning Department has scheduled a series of community meetings designed to solicit input on proposed changes to the county’s Land Use Regulations and Zoning Ordinance.

Among the changes in the proposed new document are: 1) reduced building setbacks for low-intensity residential applications; 2) reduced numbers of dwelling units for medium-intensity residential applications; 3) increased dwelling units in high-density residential applications; 4) increased maximum building sizes for accessory buildings; 5) reduced requirement for roadway widths; and 6) new minimum lot-size requirements for the keeping of livestock.

The community meetings will each begin at 7 p.m. and will be held according to the following schedule:

* April 28, Vado/del Cerro Community Center, hosted by District 1 Commissioner Oscar Vásquez-Butler.

* May 4, Cesar Chavez Elementary School, hosted by District 4 Commissioner D. Kent Evans.

* May 16, Radium Springs Community Center, hosted by District 1 Commissioner Oscar Vásquez-Butler.

* May 17, Chaparral Middle School Cafeteria, hosted by District 2 Commissioner Dolores Saldaña-Caviness.

* May 19, Hatch Community Center, hosted by District 1 Commissioner Oscar Vásquez-Butler.

* May 24, South Valley Fire Station on Carver Road, hosted by District 3 Commissioner Paul B. Curry.

For more information about the proposed changes to the ordinance or the meeting schedule, contact the Doña Ana County Planning Department at (505) 647-7237, and ask to speak with Janine Divyak.

You can also see the proposed new ordinances on the county’s website by following this link:

Amendment 1-2005 to Ordinance No. 158-95 (PDF, 492k)