Santa Fe County Planning Commission Meeting - Aug 20 2026

The Santa Fe County Planning Commission held a meeting on August 20, 2026, primarily discussing two key land use cases. The first was a zoning map amendment request by Kohiba LLC for approximately 297 acres known as Trace Rios Ranch, aiming to rezone the property to a traditional community district to facilitate the transfer of development rights (TDR) and preserve the land for agricultural and historic purposes. The commission discussed the voluntary nature of the TDR program, potential conditions to limit physical development to current entitlements if TDRs are not successfully transferred, and the feasibility and intent of preserving the property through layered conservation easements. A motion was made and passed recommending approval of the zoning map amendment with a condition capping physical development at existing entitlement levels. The second case involved a conditional use permit for an accessory dwelling unit on a rural residential parcel, which staff recommended for approval as it met all code requirements and had no opposition. The commission approved the permit with staff conditions. Additional discussions included procedural questions about code amendments, wildfire preparedness presentations, and the quality of meeting minutes. Overall, the meeting focused on land use planning, zoning amendments, and development rights transfer mechanisms with an emphasis on preservation and community impact.