By Rodd Cayton for the Route 66 Independent — A controversial proposal to rezone commercial property for bigger uses divided village residents but found consensus among village councilors on one point: Tijeras needs to make some changes to its zoning ordinance.
At Monday evening’s meeting, a proposed zoning change stalled when councilors declined to vote on it. Councilor Ernest Barnes moved to approve the change requested by property owner Charlotte Rode. She wanted to rezone the 58-acre property near I-40 and State Route 14 from CB-1 (neighborhood commercial) to CB-2 (large commercial/general business).
“I see no legitimate reason why this council should not go forward with approval,” he said. “We have other CB-2 designated properties directly across from this applicant’s property.”
But after a public hearing at which more than a dozen East Mountains residents asked that the application be denied, he received no support from his colleagues. The motion died for lack of a second.
The speakers’ concerns included water scarcity, redundancy with existing businesses and possible traffic pollution and crime from a gas station, identified in the application as a potential use being contemplated.
Others said they were concerned about the zoning possibly allowing a building as large as 20,000 square feet, which they felt would be out of character with the village’s rural nature.
As it turns out, the parties were working from a previous version of the ordinance, and the current rules limit buildings in the CB-2 zone to 10,000 square feet. Mayor Jake Bruton and Village Attorney Jessica Nixon confirmed the application would be reviewed under current rules, updated in 2023.
Bruton said the plan is now in place for the council to host two or three “zoning workshops” in the coming weeks to gather public input before making broader changes to the zoning ordinance text itself. That public hearing has been tentatively set for May 28.
Councilor Jonathan Ortiz said the governing body isn’t permanently rejecting Rode’s plans to develop her land.
“We definitely have to work with this landowner,” he said. “There is going to be a decision made for her to develop that property, no doubt about it. “I hear people saying, well, ‘leave the property alone. Don’t do nothing with it.’ Well, that property was for sale for many, many years … and now this property owner has interest in it, and now we’re trying to tie her hands.”
Bruton said earlier that CB-2 zoning requires a conditional use permit for each project built there.
Rode told the Route 66 Independent she’s going to pause her plans and see what new rules the council sets. She previously said she wants to build her family home on the property and limit business uses to the highway frontage along State Route 14.
“I just want to be treated the same as nearby properties,” Rode said.