Community Development

Contact Info

505-662-8120

505-662-8363

cdd@lacnm.us

1000 Central Ave Suite 150

Monday - Friday:

8:00am - 5:00pm

Paul Andrus - Community Development Director

The Community Development Department is made up of four divisions: Planning, Building Safety, Housing, and Administration, with each having a vital role in the Department's mission to ensure well-planned development and high-quality construction practices in order to promote economic vitality and achieve the highest possible quality of life for the residents of Los Alamos.

The Department’s main goal is to provide consistent, timely, and solution-oriented land use planning, building permitting and inspection processes and housing policy and program development with the highest level of customer service in mind. Although many of the primary functions of the Community Development Department are essentially regulatory in nature, staff work with our customer base in a proactive manner, encouraging homeowners, businesses, developers, design professionals, and contractors to engage with them on their projects as early in the process as needed in an effort to provide the necessary education and technical expertise that will help to expedite the review process and ultimately result in a better overall experience for the customer and outcomes for the Community.

Check out our FaceBook page for current news from CDD!

Community Development Advisory Board Seeks Public Input

The Los Alamos Community Development Advisory Board (CDAB) will be at information booths during the Secret City Summer Concert Series and at the Los Alamos Farmers Market to gain public input. “The CDAB hopes to gather public input from a broad cross-section of the community to support its efforts to improve the County’s nuisance ordinance and code enforcement activities,” said Catherine Ozment, CDAB chair.

The schedule for the CDAB outreach booths at the Summer Concerts is May 24, June 7, July 19, and August 9. The schedule for booths at the Farmers Market is June 6, July 18, August 22, September 26, and October 10.

The CDAB is now actively seeking community input so that it can make informed recommendations to the County Council. Other planned outreach activities include
an Open Forum online survey and a community open house.

The CDAB meets on the third Monday of each month at 5:30 pm in the Municipal Building,
Room 110. The board can be reached by email at cdab.cdd@lacnm.us.

Original Building Permit Records are Now Being Offered to Residential Property Owners

Original residential permit applications kept on file by the County can now be turned over to the current property owners -- rather than be destroyed after their record retention period is reached -- in compliance with the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act. Permits since 2008 have not yet met their 10-year retention requirement and are not yet eligible for disposition.

Building permits from the 1960's up to 2007 may now be requested by completing the request form for Building Permit Records Offered to Homeowners online, printing it out and then turning it into the Community Development at the County Municipal Building. Click here to download this request form as a PDF file. Alternatively, email the completed form to: cdd@lacnm.us.

Residential building permits are filed by street address, so you do not need to know the year of the permit nor the permit number to request available documents on file for your address.
Please be aware that not all addresses within Los Alamos County have permits available. Some homes were built for the Atomic Energy Commission prior to the incorporation of Los Alamos County. Apartments and certain townhomes are permitted under commercial building codes and are not part of this program.

Homes classified as manufactured housing or modular construction are permitted by the State, rather than the County, though it is possible there are permits on file for foundation only, fences, or the placement of small structures accessory to the dwelling.

Administration

The Administration Division ensures quality customer service for permits, planning cases, business licenses, and code enforcement. Administration staff work with stakeholders, residents, design professionals, licensed contractors, and project managers engaged in the permitting process. Administration provides general support to internal and external customers. Administrative staff also oversee the system administration of the department's EnerGov permitting software, a responsibility currently shared with the Information Management Department.

Administration Staff:

Name	Job Title	Email	Phone
Paul Andrus	Community Development Director	paul.andrus@lacnm.us	(505) 662-8120
Barbara Lai	Senior Management Analyst	barbara.lai@lacnm.us	(505) 663-3436
Adrienne Lovato	Management Analyst	adrienne.lovato@lacnm.us	(505) 662-8293
Andrea Salazar	Senior Office Specialist	andrea.salazar@lacnm.us	(505) 662-8349
Community Development Advisory Board		CDAB.CDD@Lacnm.us

Code Compliance

Code Compliance Page

Name	Job Title	Email	Direct Line
Andrew Harnden	Housing and Special Projects	andrew.harnden@lacnm.us	(505) 662-8122
Vacant	Code Compliance Officer
Nathan Ortiz	Code Compliance Officer	nathan.ortiz@lacnm.us	(505) 662-8989

Planning

Ryan Foster (505) 662-8055

Planning Division Page

Planning acts in an advisory role to appointed and elected officials in providing professional review, analysis, and recommendations regarding all land use related matters including the following development applications: Site Plans, Re-zoning, Waivers, Special Use Permits, Subdivisions, Comprehensive Plan amendments, and Development Code (Municipal Code Chapter 16) amendments.

With support from the Inter-Departmental Review Committee (IDRC), Planning staff acts as case managers for all land use applications.

Planning Staff:

Name	Job Title	Email	Direct Line
Ryan Foster	Principal Planner	Ryan.foster@lacnm.us	(505) 662-8055
Anita Barela	Associate Planner	anita.barela@lacnm.us	(505) 662-8006
Desirae J. Lujan	Associate Planner	Desiraej.lujan@lacnm.us	(505) 662-8097
Margaret Ambrosino	Senior Planner	margaret.ambrosino@lacnm.us	(505) 662-8116

Building Safety

Michael Arellano (505) 662-8114

Building Safety Division Page

Building Safety Division reviews building permits,provides plan reviews (residential & commercial), conducts Inspections, and performs Code Enforcement of the Nuisance Code (Municipal Code Chapter 18) with support from the Fire, Police, Public Works, and Public Utilities Departments.

Building Safety Staff:

Name	Job Title	Email	Direct Line
Michael Arellano	Building Safety Manager and Chief Building	michael.arellano@lacnm.us	(505) 662-8114
Larry Valdez	Building Inspector	Larry.Valdez@lacnm.us	(505) 662-8129
David Martinez	Senior Building Inspector	david.martinez@lacnm.us	(505) 663-3447
Lenora Maes	Senior Permit Technician	lenora.maes@lacnm.us	(505) 662-8120

Housing and Special Projects

Andrew Harnden (505) 662-8122

Housing and Special Projects Division Page

The Housing and Special Projects Division provides oversight on all County housing-related initiatives. The Division develops and implements programs to improve and increase amount and variety of housing in the County to attract workers and students and give more options for seniors to stay in the community. Division staff also provide project management oversight on special projects as required by the Community Development Department, such as the A-19 Site Development.

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