Keeps the signatures coming. 

We scored a big win with the 6-3 vote in favor of the moratorium, but the fight is not over just yet. Bethlehem Baptist has until next Wednesday to appeal the decision, the mayor has until next Thursday to veto the moratorium. Below is information from our planning director about LUHO and the appeals process.

Information on LUHO hearings get posted on this webpage: https://www.cabq.gov/council/appeals-of-land-use-decisions-to-the-city-council

When the appeal is scheduled, it will be titled on this page and a hearing date and time will be listed as a bullet point. Folks will be able to attend the hearing, and the LUHO will have discretion to allow new testimony into the record. In my experience, the LUHO is pretty generous with allowing folks to speak to appeals before him.

If the mayor is to veto the bill, it would go before council on September 7th. We would need the vote to hold at 6-3 to override the veto. Councilor Jones was the surprise vote in our favor and I do worry about her staying on our side on this issue. KOBs story that ran last night said that the public is 84-16 in favor of the moratorium.

I will post the permitting department email that is in charge of looking at these appeals information soon. I am creating a online newsletter called West Mesa news and I will need your name email address and phone number so that I can start updating people on this process of the appeal and any other news that would affect homeowners. It will take me a couple of weeks to get this small website together but it will give people ideas of what’s happening in our city Council. I did go to the meeting last night and I did speak on the behalf of the West Mesa residents were not in favor of the safe outdoor space. A few other West Mesa residence did speak also. If you’ve never been to a city Council meeting it is an eye-opening experience. In fact one of the legal team members for the city try to keep us from expressing our opinion about the safe space within our neighborhood because he said that it was going to influence the city Council members decision. Louie Sanchez stated that this is the residents  constitutional right to express what is going on in their neighborhood and how it affects them. The legal team for the city gave some strange reason in regard to the fifth amendment and the first amendment it really made no sense to me so I’m going to have to research this further. As far as I know it was open forum for us to express why we were not in favor of something in our neighborhood. I’m going to find the email for the zoning department because they are the ones that are looking at these appeals in regards to the area and if the area fits the requirements of an outdoor safe space. We can all email and write that department, along with the Mayors Office email and along with your district city counselors email.

thank you- Julia

if you like to be on my email list please email me at juliabfong@gmail.com.