Planning Division

The Planning Division works with communities throughout the County to build trust and relationships to meet community needs and realize the County's goals and vision of creating safe, healthy and sustainable communities. 

The Planning Division practices an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to sustainable growth management and planning with a specific focus on the following topics:

• accessibility planning
• agriculture, ranching, and food system development 
• capital planning
• community and district planning
• cultural and natural resource management, interpretation and education
• GIS planning
• open space, trails and parks planning
• transportation planning
• transfer of development rights program
• water and wastewater planning

Rules and Regulations

• To view the Sustainable Growth Management Plan (SGMP), please click here.
• To view the Sustainable Land Development Code (SLDC), please click here. 
• To view MapLink, the Interactive Zoning Map, please click here.

AgriGate of Santa Fe County - This online platform supports connections between food producers, food buyers and resource providers in the Santa Fe County regional food community. Through the creation of profiles, a searchable map on the website allows individuals to search for specific products, or growing practices, to locate businesses in the area and expand the food community network. 

Capital Planning – The capital planner performs long-range planning and project development for the County's 5-Year Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan (ICIP), 5-Year Capital Improvement Plan (5-Year CIP), and 20-Year Capital Improvement Plan (20-Year CIP). Staff also serves as liaison to the Capital Improvements Advisory Committee (CIAC).

Community Planning – The community planners work on a variety of activities and issues including community planning, public participation through the establishment and coordination of Community Organizations (COs) and Registered Organizations (ROs). Planning staff also coordinate with communities and organizations in the implementation of the Agriculture and Ranching Implementation Plan. Planning staff also offers expertise related to environmental and natural resource planning, historic and cultural resource/preservation planning, food systems planning and land use related issues. 

Community Organizations and Registered Organizations (CO/RO program) - The Sustainable Land Development Code created a mechanism for communities to become established COs and ROs in order to receive notifications about development proposals. Find out if your community is eligible to apply.

GIS Planning – The GIS planner supports the planning team through the utilization of the Geographic Information Systems as a tool to conduct spatial analysis, maintain, interpret and present data for community development,  district planning, and resource management. Mapping products reflect planning, zoning, transportation, existing land use, and resources through coordination with staff and county constituents.

Open Space and Trails Planning – The open space and trails planner performs long-range planning, development review and project development for the Open Space and Trails Program, which includes approximately 6,600 acres of County-owned property (26 Open Space properties) and approximately 46 miles of trails.  Staff also serves as liaison to the County Open Lands, Trails and Parks Advisory Committee (COLTPAC). The vision of the Open Space and Trails Program is to create a network of cultural, historical, recreational and natural open spaces and trails throughout Santa Fe County.

Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) Program - The Santa Fe County TDR Program is a voluntary, incentive-based, market-driven approach to preserving agricultural land, open space and other critical resources while encouraging development in designated growth areas. The goal of the TDR program is to provide public benefit through the permanent protection of areas in Santa Fe County with high conservation values. 

Transportation Planning  - The transportation planner assists in the development, interpretation, presentation, and coordination of County transportation goals, policies, and strategies. This position also serves as the staff liaison with the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) and its subcommittees.

Water and Wastewater Planning - The water and wastewater planner assists in developing and coordinating County activities for effective and sustainable water management, wastewater management, and regional water sector collaboration. The position also serves as staff liaison for the Water Policy Advisory Committee (WPAC). This includes working closely with sub-committees to identify and implement strategies for effective stormwater management, protecting the natural water cycle, waste reclamation, and supporting County Departments and stakeholders in developing the circular economy.