LAS CRUCES CITY COUNCIL

JULY 25, 2005

 The meeting was called to order by Mayor Mattiace. Councilor Archuleta was absent but came in later. This City Council meeting was solely for land use issues. There was no consent agenda.

 The first item to be discussed had to do with a small parcel of land on East Lohman at Indian Hollow Rd. The ordinance was to approve a zoning change from office-conditional to high intensity conditional. Residents nearby were opposed to the change and clearly felt that there was already too much intensity of building on that parcel. The ordinance failed.

 The next ordinance, which was for an annexation of a subdivision on the East Mesa, also failed. Then came a master plan for a subdivision called Desert View Estates, also on the East Mesa, and it failed, too.

 An ordinance approving an initial zoning request for certain lands within the proposed annexation just referred to, also failed.

 Next was an ordinance approving a zone conversion on property located on Perkins Street South of Wyatt and east of Medpark Drive. That is part of a congested area behind the K-Mart on El Paseo. City Councilors were concerned about an access road, and passed an amendment regarding that before approving the zone change.

 Finally, there was a discussion regarding z zone change that would make it possible to build an apartment complex on the corner of Stern Drive and Union. The City Council passed this unanimously.

 An appeal followed. The former owner of a town house on Majestic Shadow Loop had closed in a patio at some point in time, apparently without getting a permit. This made the town house non-compliant with zoning regulations. The current owner was left with the responsibility of having an unapproved addition. The City Council voted unanimously to reverse the denial decision of the board of adjustment.

Marnie Leverett

LWV of Greater Las Cruces