Council debates land development standard committee changes
By Molly Ann Howell
Managing Editor
As the conversation continues over whether Convalt Manufacturing should build a solar energy manufacturing plant in Gallup, the city is also re-evaluating its Land Development Standards Working Group.
In late 2024, the City of Gallup and Gallup Land Partners, LLC (GLP) entered into an annexation agreement for roughly 4,800 acres along Carbon Coal Road. This space includes a 2,500-acre rail-served Energy Logistics Park designed to turn the region into an advanced manufacturing, logistics, and inland trade port hub. The agreements address post-annexation zoning, municipal utility extensions, emergency services, and the creation of the LDS Working Group to update local zoning rules.
During the Aug. 25 city council meeting, City Manager Frank Chiapetti Jr. proposed a resolution to restructure the LDS Working Group—a committee that oversees land development standards citywide, not just for the trade port area.
Chiapetti recommended shrinking the committee from 11 members to seven to make quorum requirements easier to meet.
The board has met only six times in its first year because frequent attendance conflicts left the group without a quorum, preventing it from advancing standards to the Planning and Zoning Commission or the city council.
Under the proposal, any member who misses three or more meetings within 12 months automatically forfeits their seat.
Because the group qualifies as a public body under the New Mexico Open Meetings Act, it will continue holding monthly public sessions with opportunities for input from local stakeholders, state agencies, and the Navajo Nation.
The mayor will maintain authority to recommend committee members, subject to a final city council vote. Because Mayor Marc DePauli missed the meeting, Chiapetti noted the mayor could submit recommendations at the next regular session.
Several citizens urged the council to add more public representation to the board, which currently consists of five GLP representatives and six mayoral appointees.
Councilor Sierra Yazzie Asamoa-Tutu, Dist. 2, spoke up, agreeing with the public and advocating for resident representation and someone with an environmental background on the board.
After the brief discussion, Councilor Ron Molina, Dist. 4, moved to approve Chiapetti’s original resolution as written. He argued that citizens already have three opportunities to voice concerns during public meetings: at the LDS Working Group, the Planning and Zoning Commission, and the city council.
Yazzie said this clarification from Chiapetti affected her decision.
Councilor Ron Molina, Dist. 4, made a motion to approve the resolution as it was written. He argued that citizens have three opportunities to voice their concerns on land development issues—at the LDS Working Group meetings, at the Planning and Zoning Commission meetings, and at city council meetings, which are all open to the public.
Molina’s motion died on the floor for lack of a second.
Yazzie then offered an alternative motion to create an eight-member committee with a five-member quorum. Her proposal required specific seats for an individual involved in environmental and natural resource concerns; a resident of Gallup and/or McKinley County, and a member of the Gallup arts community.
“Arts are an essential part of our culture and economy, and so I think that can come into play in land development standards,” Yazzie later told the Sun. “Artists value different things than business owners. I think that’s important in shaping the future of our community.”
Councilor Sarah Piano, Dist. 3, seconded Yazzie’s motion. However, Molina and Mayor Pro-Tem Linda Garcia, Dist. 1, voted against it.
Molina later said he voted “no” because he preferred Chiapetti’s original draft, though he supported adding a public representative. Garcia explained she voted “no” because she prefers an odd number of committee members to prevent tied votes.
Following the split vote, Piano recommended tabling the issue to give city staff time to refine the resolution draft. The council unanimously agreed, postponing the final decision to the next regular meeting, which is scheduled for Sept. 8.
