Airport Road Ordinance Picks Up Support

City Councilors Rebecca Wurzburger and Chris Rivera have joined compatriot Councilor Carmichael Dominguez in endorsing an ordinance aimed at creating a healthier and more attractive Airport Road.

Wurzburger and Rivera – Rivera, like Dominguez, represents the Airport Road area – asked to be named as co-sponsors of the proposal at today’s Business and Quality of Life Committee meeting. The committee unanimously passed the ordinance with little discussion.

Founding sponsor Dominguez said the measure is just one of several ideas he plans to introduce in the coming year to improve the quality of life in the Airport Road area.

Describing his general vision, Dominguez said, “The overarching theme to that is really just helping the community.”

It’s “making sure people have adequate places to walk, to shop, to live, to recreate,” he said.

The ordinance would create an overlay zone around Airport Road that, among other things, imposes regulations on alcohol sales by regulating the density of liquor stores and alcohol advertisements to ensure the area isn’t “oversaturated,” restricting the sale of miniature liquor bottles and requiring stores to segregate alcohol sales.

The ordinance also creates a healthier “food zone” by, in part, banning new restaurant drive-throughs.

The ordinance also establishes architectural and zoning guidelines aimed at making the area more attractive and walkable, and waives or reduces permit fees to entice new businesses to build in the area.

Separately, the Business and Quality of Life Committee approved a companion resolution that directs city staff to introduce future legislation to help create a healthy food zone along Airport Road. That could mean limiting fast food restaurants from opening near schools or providing incentives to supermarkets, farmers markets and healthy restaurants to set up shop.

Dominguez said the point of the resolution is to ensure Airport Road isn’t oversatured with bad food and that residents are provided with healthier options.

UPDATE: The Santa Fe County Commission has unanimously approved a resolution supporting the city in its efforts to adopt an Airport Road overlay zone with “healthy food zones.”