By Rodd Cayton
A meandering discussion about parking availability in Corrales ended with a compromise that saved the village thousands of dollars in grants.
The Village Council has for months been engaged in an effort to craft a parking ordinance update that would curtail illegal parking by patrons of local businesses while not penalizing Corraleños who want to visit one another. A central issue of that debate has been a village-wide parking shortage, with some councilors arguing in favor of providing more parking before introducing tickets and towing into the mix.
Councilor Stuart Murray said two properties the village already owns, known as the Anderson and Gonzales properties, could be part of the solution. He said he favored allocating two-thirds of the Anderson property for public parking and preserving one-third for future development. Murray would use the opposite split for the Gonzales property, with two-thirds kept in reserve for future projects such as an agricultural incubator or an expanded band shell area.
Councilor Zach Burkett sought to add parking to an active site development plan, arguing that delays put off parking relief and create greater cost for the village as materials prices continue to rise. “I do think that this can be done quickly, and I do think it’ll be helpful,” he said. “I’m hopeful it’s helpful enough to resolve the problem to some degree.” Burkett said he’s spoken to many residents who don’t like the original idea of putting “no parking” signs along some residential streets and ticketing or towing vehicles in violation.
Village Administrator Melanie Romero told councilors the grant for the site development plan on the Gonzales property restrooms faces a strict late-July deadline and will expire if it’s delayed for modification. The current restroom plan is expected to go before the Planning and Zoning Commission in August.
Mayor Fred Hashimoto urged the panel to be more deliberate and pledged to introduce a resolution at the next regular meeting to establish a resident-led architectural committee to evaluate long-term planning possibilities for both properties.
Also at the meeting, councilors approved first reading of ordinances granting a 15-year non-exclusive franchise agreement to the Public Service Company of New Mexico to manage utility rights-of-way and establishing that pets (but not service animals) are banned from indoor areas at indoor recreation sites in the village. Each will be brought back for final approval next month.
Also approved was a resolution extending an emergency, based on, recognition of severe drought conditions in the village; it prohibits the sale or use of fireworks within the village for the next 30 days.
Councilors removed from the agenda a review of the uniform traffic code, citing a desire to give councilors and the public adequate time to go over the 174-page document. Romero said the document would be posted on the village website.
The council, which normally meets on Tuesdays, will convene on two Thursdays in July: a special meeting on the 16th, dedicated entirely to reviewing the village’s 40-year water plan and gathering public input, and the next regular council meeting on the 23rd, to address the final year-end budget, the uniform traffic ordinance and a draft noise ordinance.