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“The cultural landscape is fashioned from a natural landscape by a cultural group. Culture is the agent, the natural area is the medium, the cultural landscape is the result.”

~ Carl O. Sauer

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PLAN ELEMENT

Chapter 11

HERITAGE CONSERVATION

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Image Credit: City of Albuquerque

PLAN ELEMENT

HERITAGE CONSERVATION

11.1 Background & Analysis

11.1.1 Introduction

Albuquerque and Bernalillo County comprise a tapestry of cultures and histories, cultivated by our Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo American residents over time. Our region is more diverse than ever, with robust African American communities, Asian communities and many others, contributing to our rich history and cultural traditions. Culture is broadly defined to include the values, traditions, and arts of a particular community in a particular place or time.

Throughout the city and county, people enjoy a range of lifestyles from urban to agrarian. In order for these choices to remain viable and sustainable, we must value the ways of life that reflect our heritage and balance the sometimes competing needs and resulting pressures. If we work to preserve and protect our unique cultural resources, we have an opportunity to leverage the area’s distinctive culture and history to strengthen our economy and compete successfully as a region for the growth and development we want.

Heritage conservation refers to a set of actions that keep the cultural resources we have inherited from our predecessors safe from harm, decay, or loss and to preserve those resources from damaging change. It is related to all other Comp Plan elements to the extent that they contribute to ongoing sustainability, identity, and vibrancy of neighborhoods and special places throughout the Albuquerque area and to maintaining a full range of lifestyle choices as viable options. Land use and transportation patterns, discussed in separate chapters of this Plan, may be the predominant factors of the built environment; however, cultural and historic assets lie at the heart of our community.

This chapter addresses our rural and agricultural heritage, historic resources, archaeological and paleontological resources, and public art and cultural events and programming. Together, these elements contribute to the sense of place in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County, and goals and policies guide how these elements should be enhanced and preserved.

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Applying the Guiding Principles

Each element of the Comp Plan uses guiding principles for the basis for its goals, policies, and actions. The six guiding principle themes and their definitions were developed from input received during the public involvement process, detailed in the Vision chapter.

The following guiding principles relate to heritage conservation goals, policies, and actions.

STRONG NEIGHBORHOODS

• Preserving agricultural, historical, archaeological, and cultural assets reinforces our shared heritage and multi-layered identities that contribute to our rich sense of place.
• Cultural events and public art celebrate our special places and diverse cultures.

MOBILITY

• Network planning strengthens connections to historic districts and cultural centers.
• Customized street standards honor historic patterns and provide better options for pedestrians and cyclists.

ECONOMIC VITALITY

• Development that protects and leverages cultural heritage reinforces community values.
• Arts and culture contribute to the local economy and promote tourism.
• Placemaking that leverages unique historic assets and places creates value for property owners and increases revenues for businesses and governments.

EQUITY

• Cultural programming and historic preservation in older, historic, and diverse neighborhoods raise awareness of how these key communities contribute to our cultural and social vitality.

SUSTAINABILITY

• Protecting historic, archaeological and paleontological, and cultural resources helps sustain our built, natural, and cultural environments.
• Renovating historic structures is more socially and environmentally sustainable than replacing them with new development.

COMMUNITY HEALTH

• Rich cultural places contribute to quality of life and the mental and physical health of the community.

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In the future...

Albuquerque and Bernalillo County maintain a unique sense of place. The metropolitan area will provide opportunities for those seeking a range of lifestyles and traditions, from rural and agrarian areas to vibrant, urban districts.

Important remnants of our history are preserved and redeveloped respectfully to enable future generations to appreciate the cultural resources that we ourselves have inherited. Both the public and private sectors value investment in historic preservation to deepen and enrich our sense of place.

Downtown and surrounding neighborhoods will be vibrant, sustainable, pedestrian environments that showcase historic buildings through adaptive use and homeowner investment.

Our key cultural landscapes and resources, including the volcanoes and Northwest Mesa Escarpment, the Bosque, and the Sandias, will be protected from the negative impacts of nearby development and preserved in perpetuity for future generations as priceless community assets and key contributors to our sense of place and identity as a community of diverse cultures and rich heritage.

Local residents and tourists alike enjoy the diverse cultural opportunities that Albuquerque and Bernalillo County have to offer.

The City’s Route 66 heritage is alive and well with historic architecture associated with the Mother Road and a plethora of locally owned businesses offering food, lodging, and shopping.

Public art and cultural programs will continue to provide opportunities to enrich and celebrate local history and culture, including our traditions, food, and festivities.

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11.1.2 Context & Analysis

11.1.2.1 RURAL & AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE

Traditional, rural, and agricultural lifestyles are important features of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County that comprise part of our unique identity and livelihood and require ongoing support and preservation efforts. These lifestyle choices, which represent vital aspects of our collective heritage, face major challenges in light of urban expansion in our region.

Over the past hundred years, not unlike most other metropolitan areas in the country, Albuquerque’s urban footprint has expanded dramatically outward to accommodate its growing population (see Figure 4-2 in the Community Identity chapter). This growth translates into increasing pressures on rural and agricultural areas to convert to additional housing and other uses that serve residents. However, for those neighborhoods that desire to remain suburban or even revert to rural levels of density and intensity, there is sometimes resistance to additional development or redevelopment.

In order for rural and agrarian areas to remain viable and sustainable, efforts to increase density and intensity need to be concentrated in existing urban areas, drawing the gravity of development away from the outlying areas. Additionally, future growth should be respectful of and compatible with the surrounding context, whether urban or rural, to ensure the full range of lifestyle options.

Indigenous Peoples

The Rio Grande valley has been continuously inhabited for thousands of years and is home to several Native American communities. Albuquerque/Bernalillo County is situated between Sandia Pueblo to the north, Isleta Pueblo to the south, and Laguna Pueblo and To’hajiilee Navajo community to the west. Native American heritage has fundamentally shaped the area’s cultural landscape and continues to make our community a unique place to live and visit. Pueblo and Native American cultures deserve to be preserved and perpetuated while advancing understanding by presenting the accomplishments and evolving history of native people with dignity and respect. These cultures are sacred, and history, beliefs, traditions, and legacies are to be respected and celebrated.

To achieve our vision the City and County need to address key challenges and strategies.

CHALLENGES

• Maintaining the economic and cultural viability of rural lifestyles.
• Providing needed management for the diversity and richness of our cultural, historic, architectural, archaeological, and paleontological assets.
• Coordination needed among many agencies/departments.
• Conflict between preserving and providing access to our natural and cultural resource assets.
• Limited awareness of the economic benefits of heritage conservation and the constraints of historic preservation.

STRATEGIES

• Preserving and enhancing farmland and the acequia system and culture.
• Building partnerships with county, state and federal agencies and local organizations to identify and manage historic and archaeological assets.
• Increasing public awareness by providing opportunities to learn about the benefits and constraints of preservation through education and marketing.
• Expanding our information about area history and identifying significant historic and archaeological resources
• Providing staffing and funding to support preservation and management of our assets.
• Encouraging and promoting public art, planning for the arts, art and cultural activities, and community celebrations.

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Land Grants

During Spanish settlement, Spain established land grants, which were later recognized by the U.S. government, including the Town of Albuquerque Grant, the Antonio Sedillo Land Grant, the Town of Atrisco Grant, the Town of Alameda Grant, the Chilili Land Grant, the Elena Gallegos Land Grant, the Los Padillas Land Grant, the Pajarito Land Grant, and the San Pedro Land Grant extending across the Sandia Mountains.

The settlement patterns found in the valley along the river today were established by the land grant communities of the early 17th century. This land grant history and ongoing voice of land grant heirs have defined and shaped development and redevelopment efforts into the present.

Communities in the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County area are distinctive given their rootedness in a land-based identity that has survived over generations and represents the core of these communities. These communities are grounded in a unique landscape shaped by the presence of the people who have occupied it for thousands of years — communities that have come to co-exist as one, yet manage to preserve their cultural heritage, pride, and identities amid great challenges.

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Rural traditions are alive in this community.

Rural & Agrarian Communities

Rural areas are found along the Rio Grande and in the East Mountains and comprise some of the region's oldest settlements, many organized around agriculture with irrigation networks. The Albuquerque area was shaped by its centuries-old acequias, the lifeblood of many of its historic communities and at the heart of their ensuing identities.

Physically, the North Valley was formed by the Rio Grande and its floodplain, which runs through what is otherwise a dry, high desert landscape (see also the Historic Development Era & Patterns in the

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Community Identity chapter). The valley was occupied for hundreds of years, long before the founding of Albuquerque in 1706.

First to use the river lands and to irrigate them were the Pueblo Indians who raised beans, wheat, squash, and native tobacco. The Spaniards, who came in the late 1500s, established small farmsteads and larger haciendas in the area and introduced grapes, fruit orchards, and sheep ranching. They also began the centuries-long process of expanding the irrigation ditches, making our acequia water systems. An acequia is a community-operated irrigation ditch, but the term also refers to a

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system of self-governance of irrigators with water rights and their community. Acequias remain a defining characteristic of the agrarian culture of this region, and are some of the oldest water-management organizations in the United States.

The deep and wide irrigation ditches had their headwaters upstream at points along the river’s curving banks and generally flowed in a southerly direction across the valley floor. Secondary ditches, log bridges, and small channel gates were part of this branching water system, a system that still exists, despite major modifications, today.

An important influence on the valley’s settlement patterns can be traced to the way the land was divided to provide access to the life-giving waters of the irrigation ditches. As landowners passed property on to family members, they created long and narrow fields that shared a common acequia. The villages and isolated farms all related strongly to the irrigation system. Even after the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD) drainage and flood control program was completed in the mid-20th century and much of the swampy land in the area became newly available for agriculture and homes, the ditches continued to be maintained, so that today the acequias meander past fields, older ranchos, and new tract housing alike.

Smaller community managed systems were consolidated into the MRGCD in the 1920s. While the MRGCD manages and regulates over 300 miles of ditches and drains in the North and South Valleys, water rights belong to the landowners and are regulated by a set of state statues (see Figure 11-2)¹.

As an irrigation system, acequias are part of a physical utility providing irrigation and drainage services. These linear ditches also serve as an informal part of the transportation system, providing pedestrian and equestrian connections between properties and neighborhoods along the Rio Grande valley. They have been and continue to be a vital connection in the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County area between land, water, and community. Acequia preservation is integral in maintaining the unique cultural landscape that respects and celebrates our Hispano

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Figure 11-1: Schematic of Canals, Ditches, Drains, and Acequias along the Rio Grande

Source: MRGCD

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Figure 11-2: Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD) Boundaries and Facilities

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Traditional, rural, and agricultural lifestyles require support and preservation efforts.

roots. Acequias make it possible to cultivate locally grown food, contribute to a healthy ecosystem, provide economic benefits, and provide communities with a sense of place.

Historically, communities along the Rio Grande have been land-based, and the valley has developed with rural patterns and traditions that reflect a land-based society. Agricultural families have been able to sustain themselves with limited resources by sharing communal lands and acequias. Albuquerque and Bernalillo County is steeped and rooted in several hundred years of historical agricultural acequia-based heritage and culture, a major and undervalued community asset.

The agricultural character and sparse population gave the Rio Grande Valley a distinctly lush and rural appearance well into the 20th century, although the city has now enveloped most of the formerly rural and agrarian lands. Some rural and agricultural uses and land development patterns remain

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Residents and visitors can explore examples of traditional development patterns throughout the city and county.

in the North and South valleys and the East Mountain area.

An agricultural census of Bernalillo County by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2012 found an increase in the number of farms (1,006) and farm land (350,600 acres) from five years earlier. During the same period, the average size of farms has become smaller, with the majority comprising less than ten acres. Farm products sold in the County were valued at $18.1 million (42 percent crops versus 58 percent livestock). Over 90 percent of farmland is used for livestock pasture. The local food movement has resulted in several dozen small farms producing organic fruits and vegetables. Most of these urban farms regularly sell in the dozen or more local growers markets, at local food festivals, and increasingly, distributed to local schools, grocery stores, and restaurants.

Maintaining the connection of people to the land and the viability of local agricultural traditions is essential to conserving cultural identity and agrarian way of life, preserving rural places, providing healthy lifestyles, contributing to our community's sense of place, progressing toward food security, and providing economic benefits (see also the Resilience & Sustainability chapter).

The Centers and Corridors Vision is a key strategy to pull development toward urban and village centers where additional density is desired and away from rural areas. Providing gravity for infill and redevelopment in centers is intended to help preserve agricultural land (see also the Land Use chapter).

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11.1.2.2 HISTORIC RESOURCES

Historic resources are primarily intact and above-ground features (made by humans) that postdate European contact. Their locations and details are often promoted as expressions of community pride and frequently contribute to heritage tourism and economic development efforts. Historic resources include not only buildings, structures, and districts, but also landscape resources such as tree-lined streets, parks, gardens, cemeteries, plazas, and acequias and objects such as signs. Landscape resources may be composed of natural features (such as the soil and geology of the site) and human-designed, constructed, and placed features (such as introduced plantings, water features, lighting, and small buildings and objects). Landscape resources frequently represent various layers of history, including underground archeology.

The Albuquerque area is a place shaped in large part by the historic buildings and development patterns that continue to provide a connection to the area’s past. These historic resources contribute to the quality of life for residents and visitors and become key assets for defining the character of an area. They can be used to leverage and catalyze community development. Understanding our history and layers of culture can be a rich avenue for education, tourism, and community engagement.

Long-Lasting Impacts of Historic Settlement & Development

Today, there are many historic resources associated with the sequence of the city’s settlement and development eras, including not only residential neighborhoods, but also churches, institutional buildings, and industrial and commercial buildings. Together, these create the city’s fabric.

Historic Neighborhoods & Plazas

Existing neighborhoods near the Rio Grande still show the long, linear platting dating from Spanish settlement starting in the 17th century, as farms and haciendas were established in the floodplain of the Rio Grande and along El Camino Real. These neighborhoods still bear the names of founding families of these small farming villages: Los Duranes, Los Candelarias, and Los Griegos in the North Valley; Los Padillas in the South Valley. Neighborhoods in the South Valley were established as early as 1692 in Atrisco, followed by Armijo (1695), Barelas (1707), and Alameda (1710). Other villages and communities along the historic route include Pajarito and Martineztown.

Following the “Laws of the Indies,” Spanish settlers arranged villages around central plazas anchored by a church, government buildings, and places of commerce. This pattern is still recognizable in Old Town, first established in 1706 as Villa de Alburquerque. Haciendas and villages were located a few miles apart along the 1,600 mile long El Camino Real, the oldest continuously used highway in North America, which runs from Mexico City to Santa Fe. El Camino Real runs along the west side of the Rio Grande in the southern part of the county (west section), until it crosses the river at Bridge Boulevard. It then runs east to 4th Street, then north to Tijeras Avenue, and then north along Edith Boulevard (high road segment). This National Historic Trail has its terminus in Santa Fe, where it connects to another National Historic Trail, the Santa Fe Trail.

The legacy of El Camino Real is also evident in the alignment of the Pan American Highway, which links North and South America from Canada to Argentina. Interstate 25 is the portion of the Pan American Highway that runs through Bernalillo County and Albuquerque. The exchanges between people from many backgrounds, including Native Americans,

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Spaniards and other Europeans, Mexicans, and New Mexicans that began with El Camino Real have profoundly influenced the settlement and development patterns in not only the city and the county, but throughout the southwestern United States.

Early Development of New Town

After Mexico’s independence from Spain in 1821, the Santa Fe Trail contributed to local commerce. Ambitious traders braved rugged journeys to bring goods from the east to the remote settlements in the west. La Villa de Alburquerque developed slowly as a commercial center until the arrival of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad (AT&SF) in 1880. The “new town” that sprung up around the railroad depot quickly surpassed that of Old Town and its outlying villages. In cooperation with the railroad, enterprising businessmen quickly platted adjacent land in a grid pattern. For the first two decades, much of that growth occurred within the three square miles of the original town site, with the earliest residential sections appearing on all sides of a small commercial core located just west of the new town’s depot.

The townsite was divided into four political wards separated by Railroad (now Central) Avenue running east-west and the railroad tracks running north-south. Retail establishments emerged along these corridors, and the railroad was lined with small manufacturing enterprises, such as brickyards, packing houses, wool scrubbing, lumber mills, and warehouses to help distribute shipped goods and products. Address locations in Albuquerque still reflect the political wards of New Town with the use of the quadrant system (NW, NE, SW, and SE).

Although several small subdivisions were added to this urban nucleus over the next two decades, Albuquerque remained a walkable town until just after the turn of the century. In 1904 an electric streetcar line replaced the horse-drawn trolley that ran from the New Town to the Old Albuquerque Plaza. As automobile ownership became more widespread, private transportation and Albuquerque’s bus system, which replaced the streetcars in 1928, led to the creation of additional suburbs, especially on the East Mesa, the direction of much of the town’s growth.

AT&SF Railroad

Through an aggressive policy of annexation beginning in the mid-1920s, City leaders began to shape a pattern of growth, largely influenced by the AT&SF Railroad, that continued through the 20th century. As the

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The Rail Yards - yesterday and today.

city grew, its boundaries expanded. The City annexed newly formed subdivisions and three previously unincorporated communities into its boundaries: the original Villa de Alburquerque (located two miles west of the railroad town); the seventeenth century Hispanic village of Barelas (situated immediately south of the original townsite); and the once semi-autonomous,

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communities of Martineztown and Santa Barbara (located to the northeast of the historic downtown's commercial center).

Even as the train depot was being finished in 1880, the AT&SF shops and maintenance yards were under construction. By the mid-1880s, the locomotive and car-repair shops and the roundhouse were completed. Within twenty years, 52,000 freight cars were passing through the city annually, and its shops and passenger facilities represented an investment by the company of more than $3.5 million. As a result, AT&SF quickly became the town’s largest employer. In addition to employment, the railway company opened up numerous economic opportunities for other businesses to flourish.

During World War I, the locomotive repair shop complex in Barelas directly west of San Jose expanded to include the historic buildings we see today. Eventually, after World War II, diesel engines replaced the steam locomotives, and the locomotive shops were phased out of use. The shops complex built between 1914 and 1956 is now on the State and National Registers as the "Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad Historic District." The preservation and redevelopment of the beautiful utilitarian buildings and significant history for surrounding neighborhoods is now a high priority for the City.

Historic Route 66

U.S. Route 66, a collection of roadways connecting automobile travel from Chicago to Santa Monica, was designated in 1926. From the 1930s through the 1950s, Albuquerque, like many other cities along the route, experienced increased tourism, as dozens of filling stations, cafes, tourist courts, and curio shops lined Central Avenue, 4th Street, and Isleta Boulevard. These buildings were often designed in the regionally influenced Spanish Pueblo Revival style of architecture. The railroad also brought tourists to the region to stay at Harvey accommodations, such as the Alvarado Hotel, while touring nearby Pueblos and scenic sites.

Historic Resource Preservation Strategies

As one of the oldest and most diverse cities in the United States, Albuquerque faces the challenge of preserving significant historic resources. Past failures, such as the demolition of the Alvarado and Franciscan Hotels, underline the importance of ongoing assessment, identification, and preservation of historic assets in the future. Preservation efforts are often challenging, requiring significant financial resources and coordination across multiple public entities and departments, property owners, and developers.

There are three primary historic preservation strategies: 1) local incentives, 2) ordinances and regulations, including historic designations and design standards, and 3) programs and efforts to increase public and interagency awareness of historic resources and preservation efforts.

Preservation Incentives

Preservation incentives include state and federal tax credits. These programs encourage the preservation of significant local properties that would not otherwise qualify for investment tax credits.

Preservation Ordinances & Regulations

The City has two main historic preservation ordinances from 1978. One established the Landmarks and Urban Conservation Commission; the second enacted the Historic and Urban Conservation Overlay zone. The Landmarks Commission recommends mapping overlay zones and recommending landmarks to be designated to the Mayor and the City Council. The Landmarks Commission also reviews and approves major alterations, demolitions, and new construction in overlay zones and upon landmark structures.

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Since the adoption of the Landmarks and Conservation Ordinance in 1978, 20 historic districts in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County have been listed on the State Register of Cultural Properties and the National Register of Historic Places – the state and nation’s list of places deemed to be worthy of preservation. The majority of these historic districts are residential neighborhoods but also include institutional properties such as Menaul School and Veterans Hospital Administrative Complex. Hundreds of individual historic buildings have also been listed. See Appendix M for more about historic sites and districts.

Although recognized on these lists of the State and the Country’s cultural resources, there are no regulatory controls associated with the listing. Only local historic zoning can protect neighborhoods and historic buildings from unwarranted destruction and detrimental changes. There are five historic districts protected by historic overlay zoning in the city. The City also has 22 locally designated landmarks protected by historic overlays.

Additional zoning protection through historic overlays in the existing historic districts would provide more control over changes and unwarranted demolition in these neighborhoods. Historic Overlays are the most effective when supported by property owners in the district, since they add regulatory controls over development. They also require sufficient professional staff to review an increased number of properties and to work with the neighborhoods to raise awareness of the value of regulatory review, as well as associated procedures.

Given the quantity and variety of historic resources in Albuquerque, historic overlay zoning is a cumbersome approach to addressing all of our neighborhoods and resources. Policies and regulations that support heritage conservation can be integrated with development regulations that ensure high-quality development citywide.

While the County currently does not have a historic preservation ordinance, there are several communities in the unincorporated area that have historic properties worthy of protection. In the North Valley, a number of historic buildings and properties are located along North Edith Boulevard between Osuna Rd. and the Sandia Indian Reservation part of the original El Camino Real route and the road from Albuquerque to Bernalillo. Several of these are on the National Register of Historic Places. Likewise in the South Valley, historic properties are clustered in the

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Image credit: City of Albuquerque

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Albuquerque’s historic buildings are important resources for the community.

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original villages such as Los Padillas, Pajarito, and Armijo along Isleta Boulevard and La Vega Road that comprised El Camino Real. In the East Mountains, historic properties, such as churches and farmhouses, are located in the old villages of Carnuel, San Antonito, Tijeras, and Chilili.

Education & Awareness Programs

There are many planning and educational opportunities to increase public and inter-agency awareness of historic resources and preservation efforts and deepen the understanding of how Albuquerque developed as a city. Public awareness of the area’s heritage and the policies and regulations that preserve and protect important districts and buildings are crucial to both public appreciation and preservation actions. Measures to provide information about historic resources and regulations would enhance public and private preservation efforts.

11.1.2.3 CULTURAL LANDSCAPES

Cultural landscapes, as defined by the World Heritage Committee, are cultural properties that represent the combined works of nature and man. Cultural landscapes exhibit the interaction between human activity and natural habitat. Such human activity has been interpreted by extension to include religious significance and cultural activities. The Albuquerque area is rich in cultural landscapes, where we can see and experience the stories of the meaning of these places to Native Americans, early colonists, and today’s residents.

The volcanoes, escarpment, and volcanic rock outcroppings on the Northwest Mesa have been used for thousands of years – and continue to be used – for sacred pilgrimages by Native American pueblos. Arroyo corridors through this area provide the historic spine of trails connecting sacred sites from the Rio Grande, up the escarpment, past petroglyphs and other shrines, to the volcanic cones.

The acequia system, constructed and used by Spanish Colonists to irrigate their farmland, and the Rio Grande Bosque, with its system of levees that tamed the once unpredictable flood plain in the valley are also important examples of this living interface between humans and nature (see Section 11.1.2.1 above for more about the acequia system).

Cultural landscapes can also include views to important natural or built features. Along many corridors, views to the Sandia Mountains, the Bosque, the volcanoes, and the valley become cultural corridors to those walking, driving, or biking. Views into and from Open Space can

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Image credit: Bernalillo County

Agriculture and traditional food production practices help make up the cultural landscape of the area.

also become cultural landscapes. Open Space inherently operates as a cultural landscape, since it includes natural areas used by humans, while also serving as a home to wildlife and plants. The feel of a street and adjacent development as you move through it can be described as a cultural landscape in areas with distinctive character, including Rio Grande and Alameda Boulevards in the North Valley, Tramway Boulevard in the foothills, and Route 66/Central Avenue.

Preserving, enhancing, and leveraging these cultural landscapes can be accomplished through zoning and regulatory standards for development within or adjacent to

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these areas. Controls related to the built environment often regulate access; sensitive edge treatments; materials; building height, massing, and placement; walls and fences; signs; and utilities (see also Section 13.1.3.4 of the Resilience & Sustainability chapter for a discussion of potential environmental impacts of development).

Petroglyph National Monument

The Petroglyph National Monument, authorized by the U.S. Congress on June 27, 1990, is a unit of the national park system and comprises 7,236 acres, jointly managed by the City Open Space Division and the National Park Service. Cultural properties conserved by the Monument include more than 300 archaeological sites and more than 15,000 prehistoric and historic petroglyphs. The Monument preserves in perpetuity the Northwest Mesa Escarpment (a 17-mile narrow band of escarpment formed by lava flows), the Las Imagines National Archaeological District, a portion of the Atrisco Land Grant, five dormant volcanoes, and other significant natural and cultural resources and will facilitate research associated with these important resources.

Part of the petroglyph-rich area was acquired by the City in 1973 and improved with state funds as Indian Petroglyph State Park. After the 1988 update of the Comp Plan recognized the national importance of these cultural properties, the City worked to establish the area as the Petroglyph National Monument.

Petroglyphs, rock etchings on above ground rock, are not only an artistic expression of prehistoric peoples, but also a record of their culture and history. Petroglyphs are considered archaeological sites with the same significance and value as sub-surface sites. Found in abundance along the Northwest Mesa Escarpment, they are directly associated with other sub-surface archaeological sites and are one of the most significant and extensive examples of this kind of cultural artifact located within an American city.

Most petroglyphs were etched between 1330 and 1650 AD, although some may be closer to 3,000 years old. Native American petroglyphs are powerful cultural symbols that reflect the complex society of Pueblo people. Themes include Pueblo sacred images. Not just realistic representations of specific animals or people, the images are used to transmit thought, energy, and learning across space and time into other dimensions within a defined and bounded world. They appear in clusters across the Escarpment. There are four areas with relatively concentrated petroglyphs: Piedras

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Marcadas Canyon, Boca Negra Canyon, Rinconada Canyon, and Mesa Prieta.

For Native American Pueblos, the site encompasses the entire lava bed, the volcanoes' caves and shafts, the petroglyphs, and additional features of importance in meaning and use. In many native cultural and spiritual beliefs, places where underground forces erupt above ground hold tremendous spiritual power. Pilgrimages to and through these sacred sites provide opportunities to

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direct prayers where they can pass through multiple dimensions. The volcanoes, petroglyphs, escarpment, rock outcrops of basalt (especially those containing petroglyphs), lava tubes and caves, the Sandia Mountains, and other locations are sacred places for many Native Americans, functioning together as an interlocking system of spiritual communication connected to ceremonial practices. Evidence of ceremonial practices, including shell beads, pendants, turquoise, hematite, selenite, mica, colored pebbles, prayer sticks, feathers, arrangements of stones, boulders with pecked and ground facets, and stone piles have been found near prominent boulders, recesses in the Escarpment, and rock spires.

Piedras Marcadas Archaeological Site

A non-contiguous part of the national monument is the Piedras Marcadas archaeological site, the largest unexcavated pueblo in the middle Rio Grande Valley. The ruins are what remains of a two- and three-story pueblo that is thought to have contained 1,000 rooms. At least a dozen ancient pueblo sites have been discovered throughout the county.

Volcano Mesa

Volcano Mesa refers to privately held land that lies between the publicly owned lands

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Figure 11-3: Petroglyph National Monument, Northwest Mesa Escarpment, and Volcano Mesa Areas

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that preserve the escarpment and protect the volcanoes and geologic windows. The 3,532 acres-area is surrounded on three sides by the Petroglyph National Monument and Major Public Open Space (MPOS) and includes a small portion of the Petroglyph National Monument. From east to west, the Volcano Mesa area extends from the Northwest Mesa escarpment to the City's MPOS surrounding five dormant volcanoes.

Volcano Mesa is part of the cultural landscape connected to the volcanoes and petroglyphs that provides a unique portal into the rich interplay of cultures in New Mexico with the area's geological past.

Arroyos

Historically, arroyos played an important cultural role for Native American communities, connecting ceremonial sites to former Pueblo villages along the Rio Grande.

Arroyos still provide natural connective tissue in natural ecosystems in the Albuquerque area. On the Northwest Mesa, arroyos were used as east-west pathways connecting ceremonial sites on the western mesa across the Northwest Escarpment to Pueblo villages along the Rio Grande. At the heart of this ecosystem are the Boca Negra/ Mariposa arroyos, making up a 21 square-mile watershed. The watershed is generally bounded by the Calabacillas Arroyo basin on the north and the San Antonio arroyo basin on the south. The Bear Canyon and other arroyos east of the Rio Grande also form natural and cultural corridors through the city from the foothills to the river.

While key geologic and cultural features have been set aside as national park and MPOS, urbanization around these wilderness areas will dramatically change them. Urbanization that disconnects or destroys the interconnected network of arroyos and rivers reduces the viability of plant and animal species. Preserving the arroyos not only maintains the richest habitat, but also the very features that ecologically link the largest expanses of open space to each other and all the way west to the Rio Puerco wilderness. The City's Facility Plan for Arroyos provides detailed policy guidance to preserve and protect arroyo corridors throughout the Albuquerque area.

Sandia Mountains

One of the most distinctive natural features in the Albuquerque area are the dramatic Sandia Mountains, which frame the eastern edge of the urban area.

Beyond their natural beauty, the Sandias are important cultural features for some Native American cultures. According to pueblo belief, the Sandia Mountains form one edge of the bowl that represents the Pueblo World. The Sandias include important shrines connected to ceremonial prayers to the highest earth spirits, who protect Pueblo communities below and who visit the volcanoes and nearby volcanic lava bed on the Northwest Mesa.

Visual connection between the Sandias and other areas is therefore an important part of the cultural landscape for many Albuquerque-area residents. The City has adopted overlay regulations to preserve views along key corridors, including Coors and Unser Boulevards.

Bosque

The Bosque – which includes the Rio Grande, its surrounding cottonwood forest, state park land, trails, and natural habitat – is a unique cultural landscape that serves as a natural and recreational spine of the Albuquerque area. Pueblo people have lived on the Rio Grande for thousands of years.

The Bosque is the longest forest corridor in a City in all of the United States. Sloping land on the east and west sides of the river creates spectacular views into and from the Bosque from many areas of our community.

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The Rio Grande Valley State Park preserves, in perpetuity, the integrity of this cultural and natural ecosystem. The City’s Bosque Action Plan, MPOS Facility Plan, and the Rio Grande Valley State Park Management Plan provide policy guidance for publicly managed land (see Section 10.1.2.2 of the Parks & Open Space chapter for discussion of the Rio Grande Valley State Park and City and County Open Space policies).

Policies and regulations guiding contextual and respectful development adjacent to the Bosque, are needed to protect and enhance this cultural landscape as our region continues to grow.

Route 66/Central Avenue

Historic Route 66 is a collection of cultural landscapes traversing the country from Chicago to Los Angeles. In Albuquerque and Bernalillo County, historic Route 66 includes Central Avenue, North and South 4th Streets, and the Isleta and Laguna Pueblos.

The flavor of Route 66, and how people use it, changes within these areas as it relates to the surrounding built and natural environment. In some segments, the “Main Street” feel encourages strolling pedestrians and outdoor dining. In other segments, drive-ups, drive-throughs, and auto-related shopping predominate. Low-riders cruise downtown and on West Central weekend nights. In all the ways we use, remember, and celebrate Route 66, it continues to contribute to Albuquerque’s heritage. The City’s Route 66 Action Plan provides policy guidance to protect and enhance this cultural landscape.

Downtown Skyline

The v-shape of the city’s valley sets up spectacular views from the east westward to the Downtown skyline, with the Northwest Mesa, volcanoes, and – on clear days – Mt. Taylor beyond. Similar vistas are visible from the west looking east across the valley toward Downtown, with the Sandia and Manzano Mountains beyond (see Figure 2-6.)

The Sandia and Manzano Mountains, Northwest Mesa, volcanoes, escarpment, and Mt. Taylor are all part of a sacred landscape for Pueblo and Native American people. The volcanic landscape on the Northwest Mesa, in particular, has been used for thousands of years as part of the rituals and pilgrimages related to the spiritual power of these places where the underworld meets the earth and sky. The visual integrity of the Northwest Mesa has been preserved in perpetuity by acquiring MPOS and designating the Petroglyph National Monument.

Downtown, in addition to being a center for arts and cultural activities, is a key part of the urban history of Albuquerque. As discussed earlier, New Town grew up between the AT&SF Railroad tracks and Old Town.

Today, views of the Downtown skyline, with the mountains, Northwest Mesa, volcanoes, escarpment, and Mt. Taylor beyond, form an important cultural landscape that connects our unique geography with our urban history and ongoing cultural center. Views from public rights-of-way from eastern slopes westward to Downtown deserve protection for their importance as a cultural landscape. These views are an anchoring image for placemaking, with their focal point on our region’s metropolitan center, connecting the east and west sides of the river, and its historical center connecting our Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo American cultures.

11.1.2.4 ARCHAEOLOGICAL & PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES

In general, archaeological resources are at or below ground level and are usually partial rather than intact features. Although they are most often prehistoric Native American sites, there are also historic-period archaeological resources. Paleontological

resources are the fossilized or unfossilized remains of organisms or animals and provide a link to our pre-human history and deep place-based roots.

The Albuquerque area has a rich and lengthy history as evidenced by archaeological remains in and around the modern city and the historical oral traditions and written documentation. Ancestors of today’s Pueblo people are thought to have migrated from the Four Corners area to the Jemez and Rio Grande Valley around 1200 AD. Nomadic Athabascan people, from whom the Navajos (Diné) and Apaches are descended, settled in the region around 1300 AD. More remote parts of the West Mesa have yielded several Paleo-Indian sites dating back 12,000 years (or more).

It is important to continue to acknowledge, respect, and celebrate the diverse cultures and history of all the people who have inhabited this area over time. Native American petroglyphs, evidence of prehistoric settlement, and other artifacts still have active religious and cultural value. Preserving the remaining artifacts and archaeological resources will remain a high priority as the city and county continue to develop, change, and grow over time.

Preserving Archaeological & Paleontological Resources

There is an inherent tension between the need to preserve and protect these resources, which may require limiting access or use, and the desire to use these resources to educate residents and deepen their understanding of and connection to our past and current mix of cultures. Archaeological resources are often tied to sacred cultural practices, so access for education and scientific purposes must be carefully balanced with acknowledging and respecting religious traditions.

Preserving historic, archaeological, paleontological, and cultural resources includes protecting irreplaceable assets and leveraging them in responsible ways to enhance neighborhoods, distinct districts, and cultural landscapes. Ongoing efforts to provide educational, interpretive, and cultural programming helps broaden and deepen historic and cultural awareness and understanding. Successful preservation and programming efforts rely on a unified effort by governmental and outside agencies and partnerships with nonprofits and private individuals and organizations to plan, set policy, and coordinate actions.

Archaeological sites differ from historic resources (i.e. buildings) in certain fundamental

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ways. These differences require specialized planning and site management techniques.

• They may be partly or entirely below the ground’s surface and invisible to the untrained eye.
• Their value may lie wholly or in part in the information they contain and not in their aesthetic qualities or in their capacity for adaptive reuse.
• They require the involvement of professionals more than historic properties.
• The confidentiality of site locations is required except where protective measures have occurred.

Archaeological sites can be compromised by unintentional removal, unintentional damage, looting, and vandalism. Many of these priceless and invaluable resources can be protected through policies that encourage avoidance as development sites are planned. In some cases, these resources can be removed with careful coordination and oversight of qualified archaeologists and other experts.

The City has adopted an Archaeological Ordinance that is administered through the Planning Department in coordination with the

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City Archaeologist as development occurs on sites where archaeological resources are discovered. The County may consider adopting a similar ordinance, or even adopting the same ordinance that could be jointly administered for land in the city or unincorporated county areas. Given the significance and extent of sites in and around the city, the Comp Plan proposes policies and site conservation programs to retain this cultural heritage at the end of this chapter.

11.1.2.5 CULTURAL TRADITIONS & THE ARTS

The city and county have rich and extensive traditions to celebrate and enhance through community programs and activities. Respectful art, events, and education programs enhance our understanding and deepen our connection to our history, diverse cultures, and multi-faceted identity layered throughout our community. Cultural activities, crafts, events, and the fine and performing arts offer participation and enjoyment for residents and visitors. These artistic and cultural activities impact quality of life, the local economy, our sense of place and heritage, and educational opportunities and success.

To showcase our region’s cultural traditions, the City and County own and manage many

⬚ figure

Traditional music and dance are a striking representation of Albuquerque’s rich cultural history.

cultural facilities, including museums, historic sites, performing arts facilities, and cultural centers. The City and County can also help support cultural expression through public art, planning for the arts, art activities, and community celebrations. However, cultural programming can be challenging, requiring significant funds and public/private coordination. Public outreach and input are key to understanding the self-identification of different groups and their preferences for public art, events, and other programs.

Cultural Facilities

Bernalillo County owns a number of cultural facilities that are managed by others. These include the Hiland Theater in the Nob Hill neighborhood used by the National Dance Institute of New Mexico for classes and performances. The Gutierrez-Hubbell House museum and farm in the South Valley is listed on the National Historic Register and was once the residence of a prominent territorial ranching family as well as a trading post and stage coach stop on El Camino Real.

The City provides a wide range of rich cultural opportunities that sustain Albuquerque’s quality of life at a high level for residents and visitors alike, due in large part to the efforts of the City’s Cultural Services Department. As of 2015, Cultural Services manages 17 libraries, two museums, three performance theaters, a zoo, an aquarium, a botanic garden, popular

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fishing ponds, the historic plaza of Old Town, and government television. The Department hosts numerous large- and small-scale family-friendly events and activities and provides a vast array of public art. Cultural Services works to cultivate public-private partnerships to plan, fund, and program new facilities, events, and art.

Within a convenient 15-minute bike ride of each other, Albuquerque is also home to the National Hispanic Cultural Center, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, and Old Town, with its historic plaza, the Albuquerque Art Museum, and nearby Explora and Natural History museums.

Public Art

Public art in this Comp Plan refers to City- and/or County-owned art. The City and County have increased their commitment to public art since the 1990s. Excellence in public spaces and site design contribute greatly toward the identity, quality, vitality, and enjoyment of places and districts throughout the Albuquerque area.

Public art is directly associated with sites in, or immediately adjacent to, new or redeveloped municipal facilities across the entire city. There is a large concentration of public art Downtown, in the University/Nob Hill area, and Old Town. The Braden Memorial sculpture (1896) in Robinson Park and McClellan Park’s Madonna of the Trail sculpture represent the oldest public art in the city.

The Bernalillo County Public Art Program currently holds about 300 works of art within and outside County buildings, parks, and community centers and along public roadways throughout the unincorporated area. These holdings celebrate the works of dozens of local artists and contribute toward the local creative economy.

Table 11-1: City and County Public Art Holdings

Supporting Arts & Cultural Traditions

Residents and businesses value the Sandias, Bosque, Open Space, and farmlands. These cultural resources should be preserved but can also be leveraged to enrich our understanding of connection to heritage. Local traditions, religious festivals, and observances provide opportunities to share and celebrate our heritage and diverse cultures.

Creative activity and the arts contribute to the vibrancy of the economy through the creative sector. Albuquerque has a strong arts sector, with many participants, yet overall its economic impact is smaller than similar regions.

The City and County have an opportunity to contribute to the creative sector through cultural facilities and programming and public art programs. Local governments must also partner with businesses and non-profits to enhance the creative sector and position the arts as a key contributor to our identity as a place and a community (see also the Economic Development chapter).

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11.2 Goals, Policies & Actions

for Heritage Conservation

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Goal 11.1 Traditional, Rural & Agricultural Heritage

Preserve and enhance farmland, the acequia system, and traditional communities.

Goal 11.2 Historic Assets

Preserve and enhance significant historic districts and buildings to reflect our past as we move into the future and to strengthen our sense of identity.

Goal 11.3 Cultural Landscapes

Protect, reuse, and/or enhance significant cultural landscapes as important contributors to our heritage and rich and complex identities.

Goal 11.4 Archaeological & Paleontological Resources

Identify, acquire and manage significant archaeological and paleontological sites for research, education, tourism, and recreational use.

Goal 11.5 Cultural Traditions & the Arts

Emphasize and support cultural traditions and arts as vital components of the community’s identities and well-being.

Policies are organized to support each Goal. Many Policies have supporting Sub-polices, cross-references to other relevant policies, and implementing Actions to more clearly guide decision making.

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[ABC] indicates a policy or action for both the City and County [BC] indicates a policy or action for Bernalillo County [A] indicates a policy or action for the City of Albuquerque

Goal 11.1 Traditional, Rural & Agricultural Heritage

Preserve and enhance farmland, the acequia system, and traditional communities.

POLICY 11.1.1

Agricultural Preservation: Promote and assist the viability of agricultural heritage, including the conservation and use of irrigated agricultural land, small-scale agriculture, and open space in the valley and other areas. [ABC]

a) Conserve natural resources that are vital to agricultural economic activities.

b) Promote the acequia system as a vital component in the life of the community and support its living tradition and active use.

c) Recognize and support inheritance traditions and coordinate with traditional community organizations.

d) See Policy 11.1.3 below for acequia protection.

e) See Policy 11.1.4 below for local heritage protection.

f) See Community Identity Goals 4.2 and 4.3 for policies that promote community participation and protection of character-defining elements.

g) See Land Use Policy 5.2.1 for desired land uses.

h) See Land Use Policies 5.3.3 and 5.3.4 for conservation development.

i) See Economic Development Policies 8.1.1 and 8.2.1 for promotion of agriculture and local business.

j) See Parks & Open Space Policy 10.1.3 for agriculture on public lands

k) See Parks & Open Space Policy 10.4.4 for preservation of arroyos and drainage systems.

l) See Infrastructure, Community Facilities & Services Policies 12.1.4 and 12.1.5 for drainage infrastructure.

m) See Resilience & Sustainability Goal 13.2 for policies on water supply and quality.

ACTIONS

11.1.1.1 Promote incentives to preserve farmland and open space and to maintain ditches and acequias for agricultural and low-impact recreational purposes. [ABC]

11.1.1.2 Create incentives and promote community and family gardens, farms, locally grown produce, and continued livestock raising. [ABC]

11.1.1.3 Support farmers markets for local growers. [ABC]

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11.1.1.4 Foster educational and recreational programs and signs highlighting rural and agricultural heritage. [ABC]

POLICY 11.1.2

Rural Character: Protect the character of rural areas and ensure that development is sensitive to historic and cultural patterns. [ABC]

a) Recognize the Valley as a unique and fragile resource and as an inestimable and irreplaceable part of the entire metropolitan community.

b) Protect and preserve historic properties, special places, and important aspects of rural character such as irrigated fields, acequias, narrow roadways, and tree-lined streets.

c) See Community Identity Goals 4.2 and 4.3 for policies that promote community participation and protection of character-defining elements.

d) See Land Use Policy 5.5.3 for Rural Areas in the county.

e) See Transportation Goal 6.8 for context-sensitive road design.

f) See Urban Design Goal 7.3 for policies that protect an area's sense of place through design.

g) See Resilience & Sustainability Policy 13.4.4 for protecting unique landforms and habitats.

POLICY 11.1.3

Acequia Preservation: Support efforts to protect and preserve the acequia system for agricultural and low-impact recreation purposes and strengthen connections with adjacent neighborhoods and development. [ABC]

a) See Land Use Policies 5.5.1 and 5.6.1 for development adjacent to acequias.

b) See Urban Design Policy 7.6.1 for design treatments on stormwater infrastructure.

c) See Parks & Open Space Policy 10.4.4 for preservation of arroyos and drainage systems.

d) See Infrastructure, Community Facilities and Services Policies 12.1.4 and 12.1.5 for drainage infrastructure.

POLICY 11.1.4

Local Heritage: Keep local traditions and heritage alive and cultivate neighborhoods and rural areas as safe and excellent places to live and raise families. [ABC]

a) Encourage efforts and programs that respond to local needs and revitalize neighborhood traditions.

b) Encourage collaboration among jurisdictions, businesses, and residents along El Camino Real to acknowledge and preserve the trail's importance to local heritage.

c) See Community Identity Goal 4.3 for character-defining elements of each Community Planning Area.

d) See Land Use Policy 5.5.3 for Rural Areas in the county.

e) See Transportation Goal 6.8 for context-sensitive road design.

f) See Urban Design Goal 7.3 for policies that protect an area's sense of place through design.

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Goal 11.2 Historic Assets

Preserve and enhance significant historic districts and buildings to reflect our past as we move into the future and to strengthen our sense of identity.

POLICY 11.2.1

Gentrification: Balance the objectives of historic preservation and conservation of affordable housing. [ABC]

a) Work to maintain a range of housing options and affordability levels to ameliorate the displacement of low income households.

b) Encourage renovation and rehabilitation to preserve and enhance the existing housing stock.

POLICY 11.2.2

Historic Registration: Promote the preservation of historic buildings and districts determined to be of significant local, State, and/or National historical interest. [ABC]

a) Preserve and maintain historically significant buildings and spaces.

b) Recognize historic buildings and districts as vital elements of the community.

c) Encourage the adaptive reuse of historic structures as a strategy to preserve character and encourage reinvestment.

d) See Community Identity Goal 4.3 for character-defining elements of each Community Planning Area.

ACTIONS

11.2.2.1 Research, evaluate, and protect historical and cultural properties. [ABC]

11.2.2.2 Promote incentives for the protection of significant districts and buildings. [ABC]

11.2.2.3 Increase public and inter-agency awareness of historic resources and preservation concerns. [ABC]

11.2.2.4 Support property owners in pursuing designation for buildings with potential for historic registration. [A]

11.2.2.5 Support the efforts of residents to pursue historic district designations for areas with potential for historic registration. [A]

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POLICY 11.2.3

Distinct Built Environments: Preserve and enhance the social, cultural, and historical features that contribute to the identities of distinct communities, neighborhoods, and districts. [ABC]

a) Consider local history and the visual environment, particularly features unique to Albuquerque, as significant determinants in development and redevelopment decisions in light of their relationship to and effect upon the following: i. Architectural styles and traditions; ii. Current and historic significance to Albuquerque; iii. Historic plazas and Centers; iv. Culture, traditions, celebrations, and events

b) Encourage development that strengthens the identity and cohesiveness of the surrounding community and enhances distinct historic and cultural features.

c) Design streets and streetscapes that match the distinctive character of historic areas.

d) See Community Identity Goals 4.1 and 4.3 for character protections and character-defining elements of each Community Planning Area.

f) See Urban Design Goal 7.3 for policies related to sense of place.

ACTIONS

11.2.3.1 Identify areas having a distinctive historic character for potential historic district designation. [ABC]

11.2.3.2 Encourage collaboration among jurisdictions, businesses, and residents along El Camino Real to provide neighborhood gateways, interpretive signage, public art, and educational opportunities for residents and visitors. [ABC]

11.2.3.3 Investigate methods of funding revitalization of rural settlements. [BC]

11.2.3.4 Encourage programs to develop building skills and use local materials as part of economic revitalization of historic villages in mountain and valley areas. [BC]

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Goal 11.3 Cultural Landscapes

Protect, reuse, and/or enhance significant cultural landscapes as important contributors to our heritage and rich and complex identities.

POLICY 11.3.1

Natural and Cultural Features: Preserve and enhance the natural and cultural characteristics and features that contribute to the distinct identity of communities, neighborhoods, and cultural landscapes. [ABC]

a) Minimize negative impacts and maximize enhancements and design that complement the natural environment, particularly features unique to Albuquerque, in development and redevelopment in light of the relationship to and effect upon the following: i. Indigenous vegetation and other materials appropriate to landscapes; ii. Topography and landscape features such as arroyos, the Rio Grande and Bosque, the foothills, and escarpments; iii. Soils and erosion potential; iv. Colors and textures of the natural environment; and v. Scenic views from the public right-of-way

b) Minimize the visibility of structures in highly scenic areas and on the western horizon as seen throughout the city through building design and materials that blend with the natural colors of the landscape and limit reflectivity.

c) Protect important views from public rights-of-way through regulations on street orientation, site layout, building height, and signs.

d) Encourage site design that enhances and leverages views to cultural landscapes.

e) Encourage appropriate edge treatments, transitions, and buffers through site design and development standards for development adjacent to Open Space.

f) Plat single-loaded streets to maintain scenic edges next to Open Space.

g) Encourage reconstruction and revegetation to a natural setting.

h) See Policies 11.3.2 through 11.3.6 below for more about specific cultural landscapes.

i) See Community Identity Goals 4.1 and 4.3 for character protections and character-defining elements of each Community Planning Area.

i) See Land Use Policies 5.1.1, 5.3.3, and 5.3.4 for desired development patterns that help preserve natural and cultural features.

j) See Transportation Goal 6.8 for policies on environmental and cultural considerations in roadway planning, design, and construction.

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k) See Urban Design Goal 7.6 for policies on context-sensitive site design.

l) See also Resilience & Sustainability Policy 13.4.4 for protection of unique landforms and habitats.

ACTIONS

11.3.1.1 Adopt site development standards and/or view protection overlays for orientation of new streets, building and wall height and placement, massing, frontage, color, signs, utilities, and/or tree preservation as needed to protect cultural landscapes and significant views from the public right-of-way along key corridors. [ABC]

11.3.1.2 Create standardized signage in the unincorporated areas of Bernalillo County to identify cultural assets, including historic buildings and properties, cultural and historic corridors, and historic infrastructure such as acequias and bridges. [BC]

11.3.1.3 Adopt design guidelines with color and reflectivity restrictions to minimize the visual impact of development on the West Mesa. [A]

11.3.1.4 Establish regulations for sensitive edge treatment and transition from development to MPOS and Petroglyph National Monument to address shared usable open space, scenic corridors, single-loaded streets, and rainwater mitigation. [A]

POLICY 11.3.2

Arroyos: Preserve and enhance arroyos identified in the Rank 2 Facility Plan for Arroyos as important cultural landscapes. [ABC]

a) See Urban Design Policy 7.6.1 for design considerations for drainage systems.

b) See Parks & Open Space Policy 10.4.4 on linear Open Space, trails, and acequias.

c) See Infrastructure, Community Facilities & Services Policies 12.1.4 and 12.1.5 for additional policies on drainage systems.

d) See Infrastructure, Community Facilities & Services Policy 12.4.5 for Rank 2 Facility Plans.

POLICY 11.3.3

Bosque: Regulate development on adjacent lands to preserve and enhance the Bosque as an important cultural landscape that contributes to the history and distinct identity of the region, as well as nearby neighborhoods. [ABC]

a) Minimize grading, changes to natural topography, and land disturbance to preserve natural features.

b) Encourage reconstruction and revegetation to a natural setting on lands adjacent to the Bosque.

c) Assure compatible land uses and promote cluster development on lands adjacent to the Bosque.

d) Ensure appropriate edge treatments, transitions, and buffers through site design and development standards.

e) Encourage links to established public access points to the Bosque from adjacent development.

f) See Policy 11.3.1 above for view preservation.

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g) See Transportation Goal 6.8 for policies on environmental and cultural considerations in roadway planning, design, and construction.

h) See Parks & Open Space Policy 10.3.4 for policies related to protecting Open Space lands within the Bosque.

i) See also Resilience & Sustainability Policy 13.4.4 for protection of unique landforms and habitats.

ACTIONS

11.3.3.1 Encourage dedication or secure easements or leases to ensure public access on private lands adjacent to the Bosque. [ABC]

11.3.3.2 Develop and implement design standards for edge treatments to ensure contextual development adjacent to the Rio Grande Valley State Park. [ABC]

POLICY 11.3.4

Petroglyph National Monument: Regulate adjacent development to protect and preserve the Petroglyph National Monument – its volcanoes, petroglyphs, and Northwest Mesa Escarpment – as a priceless cultural landscape and community resource that provides physical, cultural, and economic benefits. [A]

a) Protect the archaeological and historical resources of the Monument.

b) Preserve and protect the Monument from growth and development pressures on the West Side.

c) Conserve and protect the Monument and surrounding lands through regulations associated with the Volcano Mesa and Northwest Mesa Escarpment Areas.

d) Minimize and mitigate negative impacts, including fugitive dust; stormwater runoff; and damage to vegetation, slopes, or boulders.

e) Follow best practices for blasting to minimize negative impacts and fugitive dust on the Monument.

f) Minimize visual impact of adjacent development through design standards related to color, reflectivity, building materials, and screening.

g) Protect views to and from the black Escarpment face, which gives physical order to the community and acts as a visual reference point.

h) Buffer MPOS and the Monument from adjacent development, preferably with a single-loaded street (i.e. a street with development only on the side not abutting the Monument) and/or landscaped areas.

i) Prioritize dedication and acquisition of land abutting multi-use trails, rock outcroppings, and the Monument for parks and/or MPOS.

j) Provide public access at points least sensitive to use and least disruptive to adjacent neighborhoods.

k) Encourage appropriate edge treatments, transitions, and buffers through site design and development.

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l) See Policy 11.3.1 above for view protection and development that blends with the landscape.

m) See Policy 11.3.2 above for arroyos.

n) See Policy 11.3.6 below for policies related to private development within Volcano Mesa.

o) See Goal 11.4 below for protection of archaeological and paleontological resources.

p) See Transportation Goal 6.8 for policies on environmental and cultural considerations in roadway planning, design, and construction.

q) See Parks & Open Space Policy 10.3.5 for protection of land adjacent to the Monument as Open Space.

ACTIONS

11.3.4.1 Confirm that all property identified for acquisition abutting the Monument or Escarpment has been purchased by City Open Space or protect the remainder through development standards. [A]

11.3.4.2 Work with NPS to provide educational, research, and recreational opportunities that leverage the physical and historical connection from the mesa to the valley through the MPOS network. [A]

11.3.4.3 Create a procedure and submittal requirements for development projects within a quarter mile of the Monument, abutting archaeological sites, or adjacent to MPOS to ensure that project applicants provide information to demonstrate compliance with design regulations and enable effective monitoring, implementation, and oversight of construction activities. [A]

11.3.4.4 Establish permit parking systems for neighborhoods adjacent to the Monument as necessary to control non-resident parking. [A]

11.3.4.5 Work with AMAFCA and NPS to develop standards to mitigate the impact of stormwater run-off onto the Monument and limit and control flows from development onto the Monument. [A]

POLICY 11.3.5

Sandia Mountains: Protect views of the Sandia Mountains from key vantages within public rights-of-way, along corridors, and from strategic locations as an important cultural feature of the region. [ABC]

a) See Policy 11.3.1 above for view protection and development that blends with the landscape.

b) See Transportation Goal 6.8 for policies on environmental and cultural considerations in roadway planning, design, and construction.

ACTION

11.3.5.1 Develop standards to protect views from strategic locations used by the public, such as open space, parks, and City facilities. [A]

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POLICY 11.3.6

Volcano Mesa: Preserve open space, natural and cultural landscapes, and other features of the natural environment within Volcano Mesa. [A]

a) Respect Albuquerque’s culture and history, including Hispanic and Native American, through context-sensitive development. b) Encourage development that is sensitive to the open, natural character of the area and geological and cultural conditions. c) Protect important views, vistas, and view corridors from within Volcano Mesa to the Rio Grande basin, across the city of Albuquerque, and to the Sandia Mountains. d) Protect the area’s natural and archaeological resources, including the Monument and significant rock outcroppings, while encouraging urban development in the Volcano Heights Urban Center to create a vibrant, walkable district with an identity, character, and sense of place inextricably linked to the volcanic landscape. e) Limit impermeable surfaces and avoid concentrating stormwater, except through the use of naturalized swales. f) Encourage cluster development to preserve undeveloped areas to be used for recreation and/or open space or to protect sensitive land and significant cultural or natural features. g) Encourage development that blends with the surrounding landscape including building colors in harmony with the desert palette, stucco walls or coyote fencing, and native vegetation wherever landscaping is visible to the public from the public right-of-way. h) Encourage shared usable open space and park development to be accessible to the public and to connect to adjacent MPOS or the Monument, preserving wildlife corridors and encouraging active living. i) See Policy 11.3.1 above for view protection and development that blends with the landscape. j) See Policy 11.3.4 above about minimizing physical impacts of development on the Monument. k) See Land Use Policies 5.1.1, 5.3.3, and 5.3.4 for desired development patterns that help preserve natural and cultural features. l) See Transportation Goal 6.8 for policies on environmental and cultural considerations in roadway planning, design, and construction.

ACTIONS

11.3.6.1 Trade City-owned land for private properties abutting the Monument or bordering MPOS as single-loaded streets are platted. [A] 11.3.6.2 Encourage public access to rock outcroppings via nearby sidewalks and pedestrian walkways, granted in perpetuity through a public access easement that remains with the property. [A]

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Goal 11.4 Archaeological & Paleontological Resources

Identify, acquire, and manage significant archaeological and paleontological sites for research, education, tourism, and recreational use.

POLICY 11.4.1

Archaeological Setting: Consider archaeological and historical resources in relationship to their setting and to each other in terms of determining their significance, appropriate treatment and preservation, appropriate management, and appropriate access and educational opportunities. [A]

ACTIONS

11.4.1.1 Allocate adequate funds for management and maintenance to protect archaeological resources in perpetuity and meet our stewardship responsibilities. [A]

11.4.1.2 Determine areas and sites appropriate for encouraging public access and interpretation; prioritize areas within these sites that should be preserved. [A]

11.4.1.3 Identify areas and sites where public access should be discouraged for protection and to minimize negative impact. [A]

POLICY 11.4.2

Proactive Protection: Identify, evaluate, and protect archaeological and paleontological sites and items on a proactive, ongoing basis. [ABC]

a) See Policy 11.3.4 above related to the Petroglyph National Monument.

b) See Policy 11.3.6 above for protections within Volcano Mesa.

c) See Policy 11.4.5 below for protecting archaeological resources on private land.

c) See Parks & Open Space Goal 10.3 for policies related to Open Space acquisition.

ACTIONS

11.4.2.1 Determine appropriate treatment of significant sites and remedies for those that cannot be preserved on a case-by-case basis. [ABC]

11.4.2.2 Coordinate with the State Historic Preservation Office to obtain clearance and guidance prior to developing any project within an identified archaeological site. [A]

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POLICY 11.4.3

Archaeological Education: Promote public understanding of and appreciation for the area’s vast archaeological and paleontological resources. [ABC]

ACTIONS

11.4.3.1 Provide interpretive signage and guided tours in appropriate significant sites. [ABC]

11.4.3.2 Provide digital access and interpretive information online for education, tourism, and scientific purposes. [ABC]

POLICY 11.4.4

Archaeological Ordinance: Protect archaeological resources in the City and the County with regulations for both public and private projects without imposing an undue burden on private property rights. [ABC]

ACTIONS

11.4.4.1 Coordinate to adopt a jointly-administered Archaeological Ordinance. [ABC]

11.4.4.2 Develop a process requiring survey and mitigation of damage to archaeological sites before development is initiated. [BC]

11.4.4.3 Create a County landmarks commission to designate and protect historic and prehistoric features. [BC]

11.4.4.4 Consider creating a public-private task force or advisory group to administer the Archaeological Ordinance. [BC]

POLICY 11.4.5

Private Protections: Encourage the private protection of sensitive lands, such as rock outcrops or significant cultural, archaeological, volcanic, or geologic land through private conservation easements, or replatting as private open space. [A]

a) Protect archaeological resources and rock outcroppings on the Northwest Mesa through in-place avoidance, if possible, or mitigation.

b) Prioritize the conservation of rock art on the Northwest Mesa Escarpment and related archaeological sites to allow further research and discoveries of the people who inhabited the Middle Rio Grande Valley.

c) See Policy 11.3.4 above for policies related to land adjacent to the Petroglyph National Monument.

d) See Policy 11.3.6 above for land development in Volcano Mesa.

e) See Land Use Policy 5.7.2 for regulatory frameworks that protect sensitive lands,

ACTIONS

11.4.5.1 Adopt a private open space zone to allow permanent designation of private open space. [A]

11.4.5.2 Support state tax benefits associated with conservation easements and share information about them with property owners. [A]

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11.4.5.3 Identify incentives, such as height and/or density bonuses, as well as regulations, such as allowing rock outcroppings to count as double their square footage to satisfy usable or detached open space requirements, to help protect and preserve rock outcroppings and archaeological resources. [A]

11.4.5.4 Work with private owners of properties with archaeological and/or historic resources to obtain access rights or easements to allow for interpretation of those properties. [A]

Goal 11.5 Cultural Traditions & the Arts

Emphasize and support cultural traditions and arts as vital components of the community’s identities and well-being.

POLICY 11.5.1

Arts Promotion: Coordinate and promote the arts and the cultural sector as key assets in a vital economy; major contributors to quality of life and healthy communities; and the heart of high-quality, special places that contribute to the identity of distinct communities. [ABC]

a) See Community Identity Goal 4.3 for arts and culture assets in each Community Planning Area.

b) See Land Use Policy 5.1.3 for Downtown as an arts destination.

ACTIONS

11.5.1.1 Partner with non-profit organizations and working artists to identify and prioritize strategic initiatives to leverage resources, coordinate activities, and raise the profile of the communities’ vast arts assets into the mainstream of community identity and economic development efforts. [ABC]

11.5.1.2 Encourage art and farmers markets and dedicated spaces for local artists to promote their work. [ABC]

11.5.1.3 Maintain a mapped inventory of public art and other cultural assets and work with residents, communities, and non-profit

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organizations to develop promotional materials, walking tours, etc. [A]

11.5.1.4 Explore opportunities to protect cultural and historic resources through partnerships with Arts and Culture, the City's Historic Preservation planners, and the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency. [A]

11.5.1.5 Consider a Quality of Life sales tax to provide ongoing, sustainable funding for the arts. [A]

11.5.1.6 Provide incentives and organizational support to create and promote arts districts and live/work areas. [A]

11.5.1.7 Add culturally and historically relevant artwork in and near public facilities, civic spaces, and neighborhoods. [A]

POLICY 11.5.2

Cultural Facilities: Provide and maintain high-quality public, cultural, and arts facilities to best serve the public. [ABC]

a) Locate new public, cultural, and arts facilities in Centers to best provide access to residents.

b) Provide arts and cultural facilities equitably throughout the community.

c) See Infrastructure, Community Facilities & Services Goal 12.2 for policies on community facilities and services.

ACTIONS

11.5.2.1 Establish level of service standards to ensure an equitable distribution of public arts and cultural facilities throughout the community. [ABC]

11.5.2.2 Promote existing and new arts, entertainment, and cultural facilities in the Downtown Arts and Culture District, including the KiMo Theatre, Kiva Auditorium, Civic Plaza, and Main Library Auditorium. [A]

POLICY 11.5.3

Cultural Programs: Promote programs that encourage greater understanding of area history and cultural traditions. [ABC]

a) See Goal 11.1 above for policies related to local traditions and heritage.

b) See Goal 11.2 above for policies about historic assets.

c) See Policy 11.3.4 above related to programming for Petroglyph National Monument.

ACTIONS

11.5.3.1 Promote museum exhibits in community facilities, such as local community centers and libraries. [ABC]

11.5.3.2 Develop programs and interpretive information in significant historical sites and buildings. [ABC]

11.5.3.3 Coordinate tours in historic and cultural districts. [ABC]

11.5.3.4 Assess the annual calendar of events and programs to help ensure robust representation of cultures and histories. [ABC]

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11.5.3.5 Promote cultural events in communities, such as festivals, parades, markets, and traditional community observances, throughout the City and County. [ABC]

11.5.3.6 Work with communities to develop a detailed list of cultural assets and strategies to protect and leverage them for placemaking and appropriate, desirable development. [A]

11.5.3.7 Coordinate with arts and cultural organizations on events that highlight our rich and diverse cultural heritage, including the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, National Hispanic Cultural Center, Flamenco Institute, Creative Places, International District Healthy Communities Coalition, etc. [A]

11.5.3.8 Determine the needs and criteria for portable, performing arts staging that can be used throughout the community, coordinate with arts organizations to fund the purchase, and provide a rental program. [A]

POLICY 11.5.4

Connecting Cultural Centers: Foster better connections among cultural centers and districts, including the National Hispanic Cultural Center, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, Downtown, and Old Town. [A]

a) See Policy 11.1.4 above for local traditions and heritage.

b) See Policy 11.2.3 above for elements of the built environment that promote historic assets.

ACTIONS

11.5.4.1 Explore the feasibility of a para-transit-type circulator that would allow tickets to be purchased online and at the Sunport, perhaps as a week-long pass. [A]

11.5.4.2 Coordinate bike share stations with the cultural centers and districts. [A]

11.5.4.3 Coordinate transportation and passes with the New Mexico Rail Runner Express [A]

11.5.4.4 Encourage collaboration among jurisdictions, businesses, and residents along El Camino Real to create a common theme and shared designs for markers, signage, landscaping, and connections between the cultural centers. [A]

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