Town councilors in Bernalillo have moved plans for a new animal shelter to the next phase.
The introduction of a rezoning of land at 400 S. Hill Road sets the request from Sandoval County for final approval of the zoning change, from rural residential to special use.
The property contains four lots, with the animal shelter planned for one. The county has indicated it will use two of the others and the last would house a light industrial operation.
No use for any of the other lots has been identified.
After councilors expressed concern about not knowing the future uses, planning and zoning director Rebecca Bolen said that once county officials determine how they want to use those lots, they’ll submit new requests to update the development plan.
“The public use is kind of a general umbrella that will cover that lot for now,” she said. “Before it’s developed, it will come before this governing body again for approval for an update.”
Councilors also mentioned that recent rains have caused flooding at the site that impacted neighboring properties. The county has since done some grading work to direct rainwater into the retention pond at the site, project manager Charles Martinez said.
He said more in-depth drainage construction will happen as the shelter is built.
The planning and zoning commission last month voted to recommend approval of the project. The proposed shelter site is slightly south of Eldridge Lane and west of I-25.