By Rodd Cayton
More Bernalillo County residents can now build casitas on their properties, after county commissioners Tuesday approved zoning changes.
Zoning administrator Maggie Gould said the measure will simplify the approval process for owners of one-acre or larger lots, and allow owners of smaller lots to seek special permits to erect casitas.
She said the new rules include relaxed requirements for some property owners, including those in the East Mountains whose land is limited by topography — changes in elevation around the property.
“Maybe the primary house is here on a flat spot, and the secondary house is going to be over here on another flat spot, but they are farther apart [than previous code allowed],” Gould explained.
Gould said the new rules will not permit manufactured homes as casitas.
“The idea is that you’re building kind of a long-term quality residential unit,” Gould said. “They have to be a conventional stick-built home or a modular home.”