Los Alamos Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting - August 12, 2026

The Los Alamos County Planning and Zoning Commission met on August 12, 2026, at 5:30 PM in Council Chambers. The single major agenda item was a public hearing on a site plan adoption for a new Christus Health medical facility. The Commission also approved the previous meeting's minutes and received departmental and council liaison updates. All votes were conducted with a quorum present.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of July 22, 2026, Meeting Minutes: After a minor amendment correcting a commissioner comment from "BPU is great" to "BPU annual presentation was great," the minutes were approved by a roll call vote of 7-0 (Commissioners Easton, Hampton, Chrien, Brown, Best, Bruell, Grimm in favor; Nelson and White absent).

Public Comments & Testimony

• General Public Comment: No comments were offered during the public comment period at the beginning of the meeting.
• Christus Health Public Hearing: Two community members testified in support of the project:
  • Barbara Phelps (705 Caminos Reyesa), member of the Los Alamos County Health Council and Christus Foundation board, spoke in favor, stating the facility will help the community achieve more local healthcare and bring additional resources.
  • Andy Phelps (same address), a homeowner, business owner, and civil engineer, expressed strong support, calling the project "greater impact to our community than about anything I've seen" and urged the Commission to "lean forward" to facilitate approval.

Discussion Items

• Christus Health Site Plan Adoption (SIT-2026-0083): The applicant, Christus Health, requested approval of a site plan for a 37,277-square-foot, two-story medical facility on ±1.64 acres at 401 Trinity Drive (zoned General Commercial). The project includes a 10-bed emergency department, diagnostic imaging, surgical and procedural spaces, inpatient rooms, and laboratory/pharmacy services. The applicant initially calculated 55 required parking spaces (later revised to 57 provided, still meeting the requirement). Staff recommended conditional approval subject to five conditions: (1) revise utility drawings to DPU standards; (2) address Fire Marshal requirements; (3) submit a corrected parking analysis before building permits; (4) submit a drainage assessment with 100-year storm calculations before building permits; (5) obtain all NMDOT and County permits for off-site improvements (including a right-turn deceleration lane, sidewalk, and right-of-way dedication) and submit a final Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) approved by both NMDOT and the County. The applicant's representative, Eric Cornelius (Santa Fe Engineering), confirmed they had already coordinated with the Fire Marshal and changed the bicycle lane to a multi-use path. He also noted the application had previously stated 25,000 square feet in the legal notice, but the agenda and staff report consistently described 37,277 square feet. Commissioners questioned the applicant on transportation route diversity and parking calculations. No other parties spoke against the project.
• Commission/Director Communications:
  • Department Report: Planning Manager Danyelle Valdez noted the Comprehensive Plan presentation is scheduled for August 19, 2026, and the second public survey remains open for a few more weeks.
  • Chair's Report: Chair Easton announced she would be unavailable until August 10, 2026; Vice Chair Hampton to handle inquiries. She welcomed new Commissioner Best.
  • Council Liaison Report: Councilor Suzie Havemann provided updates from the August 4 County Council work session, including a quarterly climate action plan update, an ordinance on utility natural gas rates (technical correction), an economic development project for "The ROC" in White Rock, a $230 million workforce housing revenue bond for Coyote Mesa, and a discussion on a proposed single-use plastic bag ban that failed on a 3-3 vote.
  • Commissioners' Comments: No additional comments.

Key Outcomes

• Conditional Approval of Christus Health Site Plan: Commissioner Easton moved to approve Case SIT-2026-0083 with the five conditions as amended (condition 5 modified to include TIA submission and NMDOT approval before building permits). The motion was seconded and passed unanimously on a roll call vote of 7-0 (Commissioners Easton, Hampton, Chrien, Brown, Best, Bruell, Grimm voting yes; Commissioners Nelson and White absent). The Commission authorized the Chair to sign the Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law.
• Appeal Information: The ruling may be appealed within 15 calendar days by the applicant or affected parties as defined in Section 16-72(g)(5)(a) of the Development Code.