MILAN, N.M. — The Village of Milan Planning and Zoning Commission acknowledged the need for additional housing units in the village. The members held lengthy discussions with Code Enforcer Rodney London during the Nov. 12 meeting.
The code enforcer recalled two recent situations that had been brought to his He the commission not take immediate action on either request.
The owner of one restaurant has inquired about placing a mobile home on his residential property as part of employee housing. London provided the members with a map; he highlighted the possible locations for the proposed doublewide mobile home. London acknowledged that the property owner would be forced to either reroute the driveway or remove one of the existing outbuildings to ensure that the proposed housing follows zoning regulations.
“There is no ordinance about the number of people living in one residence,” said London.
“Quality-of-life and environmental factors are concerns if the conditions become crowded.”
Commission members requested the owner to provide a more detailed business plan and agreed to revisit the request at their December meeting.
The second inquiry about housing came from a different property owner who is considering developing part of his property by installing “tiny” houses. Commission members expressed several reservations about the economic feasibility of such a development.
London pointed out the lot size limits the number of individual units and zoning regulations require that each tiny structure have its own water and sewer service connections, individual driveways, and the owner must provide adequate off-street parking sites. He pointed out that new residential structures must be approved by the state building inspector. The members requested the landowner to provide more detailed information before they consider the request at next month’s meeting.
Commission members discussed the lack of adequate housing in Milan and agreed that there is a need for more rental units. Many houses that have been standing empty for years are not suited to human habitation because of their condition. London pointed out that a lot of these buildings do not meet current residential codes. He theorized that owners are reluctant to spend money to bring the structures up to the current mandated standards.
Code enforcer report
London stated that 302 of the original 326 zoning violations have been corrected. He emphasized that translates into a 92 percent abatement rate, which he described as “outstanding.”
The code enforcer is currently dealing with 23 active violations and mailed out nine letters to property owners in October. He participated in six municipal court cases and four warrants were issued to people who failed to appear on the designated date.
London noted that two properties, one on East Street and the other on Berryhill, are an ongoing concern because of their condition. He said that the village cannot place on a lien on either until the trustees approve the legal action.
Upcoming meetings
• Thursday, Dec. 10, virtual meeting format, 5:30 p.m.
• Ordinance review committee meetings are cancelled until further notice.
Visit villageofmilan.com or call 505-285-6694 for more information.