Climate Change: Silver City NM Land Use Code

Climate Change: Silver City NM Land Use Code: "December 15, 2010, the Silver City Town Council voted to adopt a revised Land Use Code. This progressive document is a vast improve..."

Silver City NM Land Use Code

December 15, 2010, the Silver City Town Council voted to adopt a revised Land Use Code.  This progressive document is a vast improvement over the previous version and incorporates three years of input from task forces, community organizations and individuals!  The Town also approved recommendations from Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities about farmers’ markets, community gardens, trails, and pedestrian and biking infrastructure.

Some highlights that are now in the Land Use Code that encourage healthy eating and active living in Silver City:

·         Article 5.2.1 was revised to include considerations for pedestrians, bicyclists and other forms of non-motorized transportation in street design and improvements.

·         Traffic impact analysis shall now require infrastructure capacity analysis and flow of vehicular and non-vehicular traffic.

·         A trail is defined as “a marked path used for recreation or transportation purposes.” Trails were not defined in the previous code.

·         Definition for a farmers’ market, farm product, producer and value-added farm product.  These definitions were also not in the previous code, but rather combined with the definition for a flea market.   

·         Farmers’ markets permitted in all zones, except residential zones.

·         Use-specific standards for farmers’ markets , which encourage acceptance of WIC and SNAP benefits and coordination with the Town.  The Silver City Farmers’ Market already accepts these federal benefits and HKHC encourages other markets to do the same to reach out to low-income residents.    

·         Community gardens are a permitted land use in all zones.

·         Community gardens have a formal definition and use-specific standards as well, which encourage ADA accessibility, utilization of sustainable growing practices and coordination with the Town on soil and water quality. 

·         Monies accepted by the Town in-lieu of conveyance for public facilities may be used for the creation of community gardens.  For each single-family housing unit, .01 of an acre may be set aside for a community garden in new subdivisions. 

Please thank your Town Councilor, Mayor James Marshall and Community Development Director Peter Russell for their support of policies that make a difference in our community: