The North Valley is a unique and cherished part of Bernalillo County. The North Valley Area Plan (NVAP), adopted in 1993, seeks to protect and enhance the unique qualities of the valley while simultaneously enriching the metropolitan area.  The key goal of the 1993 North Valley Area Plan  was to preserve and enhance the environmental quality of the North Valley Area by:

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• Maintaining the rural flavor of the North Valley;

• Controlling growth and maintaining low density development; and

• Providing a variety of housing opportunities and life styles including differing socioeconomic types.

Over the past thirty years, many things have changed while others remain the same.  Bernalillo County Planning and Development Services (PDS) has engaged Bohannan Huston and Anthropopulus to facilitate a community-led process to review and update (as needed) the North Valley Area Plan based on community values and goals.  The planning process will include rigorous land use and existing conditions analysis that will inform a robust community engagement process.The updated North Valley Area Plan will serve as a policy framework to guide future planning efforts and development in the unincorporated North Valley.

The team will be conducting the following analysis to inform the update: 

• What is the land use landscape of the North Valley? How does allowable zoning compare to active uses?

• Where are there active agricultural uses in the North Valley? How has agricultural land use changed over time?

• Are cluster housing developments meeting the intended goals of the North Valley Area Plan?

• How are Special Use Permits impacting land use patterns?  Where are their concentrations and compatibility concerns with surrounding uses?

• What progress has been made on the goals and policies in the 1993 NVAP?