THE city of Alamosa will be introducing a mass rezoning process that, if approved, will help it better guide commercial and mixed-use development.
Beginning with a public workshop on March 15, city staff will outline proposed zoning changes that would affect 457 properties across Alamosa. For most of the properties, the proposed rezoning is minor and inconsequential. For others, it would mean a change of going from a zoning classification of industrial to commercial or from commercial to mixed-used.
Rachel Baird, the city’s development services director, said, “97 percent of these changes either fix errors in the city’s zoning map or help property owners bring their properties into compliance with current zoning regulations.
“A small percentage of changes,” she said, “prepare properties for development opportunities as identified in our long-range planning documents such as the city’s Comprehensive Plan, Housing Plan, and Downtown Plan.”
An example of a minor rezoning change would be taking The Bridge at Alamosa, an assisted living facility, and reclassifying it to mixed use from a split zoning of residential high and mixed use. Or, changing Ross Avenue to residential zoning from campus zoning, which is how Ross is currently designated.
Those types of proposed rezoning don’t change anything for the businesses or residences, but instead clean up and fix errors in the city’s zoning designations, Baird said.
Maybe the most contentious on the city’s proposed rezoning list would be changing the zoning along Sixth Street, currently zoned industrial, and moving it into commercial zoning. The proposed change wouldn’t force any current businesses in the industrial zone to move out, but it would prevent any existing businesses that are industrial from expanding and would prevent any new industrial business from locating on Sixth Street.
The city has a focus to re-invigorate Sixth Street with more commercial businesses and the proposed rezoning from industrial would help it do that.
The city sees the mass rezoning as significant enough to send out mailers with utility bills and letters to property owners, alerting them to the upcoming public meeting schedule with both the planning commission and city council.
The relevant meeting dates are below.
- Public workshop on March 15 at 6 p.m.
- Planning Commission hearing on Wednesday, March 23 at 6 p.m.
- City Council ordinance readings on Wednesday, April 27 and Wednesday, May 4, both at 7 p.m.
All of these meetings will be held in person at City Hall at 300 Hunt Ave. The City Council meetings will be held in person and via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82493151121, or by using webinar ID: 824 9315 1121, or by dialing +1 669 900 6833.