During the formal visioning workshops, the first visioning exercise asked participants to identify guiding principles to shape the updated GMMP and define the values of the community. Participants were provided several examples of guiding principles and vision statements from other communities. The steering committee and members of the City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission’s input is summarized in the following principles to guide Gallup’s future:

• Expanded Mobility: Encourage and expand a safe, connective, multi-modal transportation system.
• Equity: All community members have access to housing, recreational opportunities, and community services, and economic opportunity.
• Economic Vitality and Prosperity: Foster an environment where businesses stay and expand by providing reliable infrastructure. The local economy supports a diverse mix of market activities and promotes financial security for all residents.

• Community Image and Safety: Shape a strong community identity by enhancing the community image. Residents are protected from harm where they live, work, learn and play.

The formal visioning workshops included a mapping exercise where participants identified areas to preserve, areas to evolve, and areas to change. Included in areas to preserve were memorable natural and open space features, built landmarks, areas that are undevelopable due to natural hazards, and important community assets. When considering areas to evolve and to change, the participants considered what development character from a scale of rural to urban would be desirable and any other key features or assets that define a place. From these areas, participants developed big ideas to summarize themes and key takeaways from the mapping exercises.

Areas to preserve identified by participants included:

• Existing suburban neighborhoods
• Open spaces
• Expand industrial development to the northwest of the City, near the Carbon Coal Industrial Park, and near the airport.
• Provide infill housing throughout the community.
• Focus improvements on the west side, including developing a commercial center on the west side near existing truck stop amenities.
• Preserve natural features.
• Provide complete streets along Route 66
• Develop a commercial center near the airport with complementary uses transitioning to a mixed-use area to the south,

Areas to evolve were areas where the existing development or character should be altered or improved, but not totally changed. These areas were identified as the following:

• Continue to develop rural neighborhoods to the south of Gallup and to the east of the UNM Campus
• Redevelop and restore vacant buildings downtown.
• Reestablish neighborhood commercial in the commercial corridor along 2^nd Street to the south of downtown.
• Develop Route 66 as a complete street with a mixed-use walkable environment.

Areas to change were identified as areas where completely new development or total redevelopment is desired. These areas included:

• Develop industrial and business parks surrounding the airport and to the north of I40 in that vicinity.
• Expand regional commercial to the potential annexation area along Highway 491, north of Gallup.
• Redevelop the golf course with housing and neighborhood commercial.

The big ideas generated during the mapping exercise include the following:

• Expand industrial development to the northwest of the City, near the Carbon Coal Industrial Park, and near the airport.
• Provide infill housing throughout the community.
• Focus improvements on the west side, including developing a commercial center on the west side near existing truck stop amenities.
• Preserve natural features.
• Provide complete streets along Route 66
• Develop a commercial center near the airport with complementary uses transitioning to a mixed-use area to the south,

Members of the City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission and steering committee listed the following priorities for housing in Gallup:

• Create opportunities for multigenerational housing.
• Create an inventory of vacant properties that can be developed as affordable housing.
• Create special housing districts.
• Infill housing
• Mixed housing types
• A range of housing prices, particularly medium income housing
• Incentives for builders, particularly small local companies
• Reduce Infrastructure costs.
• Increase allowable housing density downtown by increasing building heights.
• Conversion of vacant hotels

Infrastructure, Public Facilities, and Public Services

Parks and Recreation Facilities

Members of the City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission and steering committee listed the following priorities for the future of transportation in Gallup:

• Increase roadway connectivity.
• Improve system to allow safe multimodal transportation.
• Provide more bike paths and routes.
• Add shuttles and trollies to provide service from hotels to downtown.
• Provide a parking garage downtown.
• Improve road maintenance, particularly fixing potholes.

Land Use

Hazard Mitigation

Economic Development

Community Character

The community provided 115 comments on the “What is your Vision for Gallup?” and “What do you want to change?” boards. The word cloud below indicates the topics that were brought up repetitively and most frequently.

The most frequent topic was regarding road maintenance, specifically fixing potholes. The second most popular topic with the desire to bring specific franchises to Gallup, including Chick-fil-a, Costco, Target, another Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, Red Lobster, Amazon, and Texas Roadhouse. Housing was the third most frequent topic and included affordable housing and an increase housing supply overall. The fourth most frequent topic was the need for more youth activities and kid-friendly facilities.

Another topic to change was the need for increased coordination with the Navajo Nation, particularly the Red Rock and Rocksprings Chapter Houses.

Community members identified the following as items and areas to be preserved.

• The City’s unique culture and history.
• Natural features like the hogbacks in eastern Gallup and open spaces.
• The historic graveyard on the northside.
• Coal Avenue Commons and the commercial businesses Downtown, and the overall character of Downtown.
• Airport services.
• UNM Gallup Campus.
• Existing, established, stable neighborhoods, particularly the historic neighborhoods surrounding Downtown.

During the formal visioning workshops, the first visioning exercise asked participants to identify guiding principles to shape the updated GMMP and define the values of the community. Participants were provided several examples of guiding principles and vision statements from other communities. The steering committee and members of the public listed the following principles to guide Gallup’s future:

• Cultural Resources: Cultural, historic, and natural resources are protected and preserved.
• Community Health and Safety: Improve opportunities for residents to lead healthy, active lives with access to quality and affordable healthcare, parks and open spaces, healthy food, and community services. Residents are protected from harm where they live, work, learn and play.
• Economic Vitality and Prosperity: Foster an environment where businesses stay and expand. The local economy supports a diverse mix of market activities and promotes financial security for all residents.
• Community Image: Shaping a strong community identity and branding
• Expanded Mobility: Encourage and expand a safe, connective, multi-modal transportation system
• Equity: All community members have access to housing options, recreational and community services, and economic opportunity. Intentionally engage citizens in decisions that affect them.
• Cultural integration and inclusivity: All residents have opportunity to participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. Recognize, address, and prevent repetition of injustices.

The formal visioning workshops included a mapping exercise where participants identified areas to preserve, areas to evolve, and areas to change. Included in areas to preserve were memorable natural and open space features, built landmarks, area that are undevelopable due to natural hazards, and important community assets. When considering areas to evolve and to change, the participants considered what development character from a scale of rural to urban would be desirable and any other key features or assets that define a place. From these areas, participants developed big ideas to summarize themes and key takeaways from the mapping exercises.

Areas to preserve identified by participants included:

• The Mentmore bike trails
• The character of existing neighborhoods, particularly those historic neighborhoods near Downtown
• Junker Bike Park
• The UNM Gallup Campus
• Coal Ave Commons and commercial businesses Downtown
• Green spaces and open spaces
• The historic cemetery to the north of Gallup

Areas to evolve were areas where the existing development or character should be altered or improved, but not totally changed. These areas were identified as the following:

• Redevelop the areas to the east of Downtown, along Route 66, to allow housing. Many businesses have closed in this area.
• Encourage new business development along Route 66, west of Downtown.
• Expand mixed-use development Downtown.
• Near Highway 491, north of I-40, maintain retail uses and improve access and connectivity between sites.
• Expand industrial and commercial development near the Airport. Expand airport services.
• Designate a new Central 66 MRA, in the vicinity of S Ford Drive and Route 66.
• ­­Expand development along the Allison Corridor.
• Expand commercial development east of the airport, near Stagecoach.
• Improve Ford Canyon recreation facilities and surrounding area.
• Update and improve Sports Complex
• Redevelop 2nd Street Corridor
• Adaptive reuse along Route 66 west of Downtown to allow mixed-use and housing development.
• Infill development Downtown.
• Land exchange north of the Loves truck stop on the west side of Gallup.
• Re-establish Gallup Indian Center/Community Center on 3rd St Downtown.
• Use vacant casino buildings to the northeast of the City.

Areas to change were identified as areas where completely new development or total redevelopment is desired. These areas included:

• West side has the greatest potential and need for change, provide more housing and commercial uses.
• Encourage redevelopment north of tracks downtown
• Develop housing along Mendoza Rd
• Revitalize and redevelop Highway 602 corridor
• Potential Interchange in the Allison Rd area
• Potential connection to Red Rock on the east side
• Potential problem with spot zoning in the Stagecoach area. There is a waterline by cannot tap directly to it.

The big ideas generated during the mapping exercise include the following:

• Expand housing options and stock throughout the community
• Expand opportunities for mixed-use development along the Route 66 Corridor, Downtown, and along Second Street.
• Improve and expand infrastructure
• Develop a “311” info hot-line
• Distribute amenities more equitably.
• Consolidate parks, focusing more on regional and community parks, moving away from small pocket parks.
• Target new development on the western end of the City
• Preserve open space, natural amenities, the UNM campus, and strong neighborhoods
• Evolve - Downtown, Route 66, 491, Allison corridor, airport, Ford Canyon, Sports complexes, 2nd Street, Maloney by expanding mixed-use development and commercial corridors
• Change - Westside, N. Downtown, Mendoza, NM 602 corridor
• Improve connection of West Side the rest of Gallup
• Sector planning
• Adaptive reuse

Public and steering committee input listed the following priorities for housing in Gallup:

• Provide more housing stock and more diverse housing, including missing middle housing, high density, multi-family housing development, affording housing, market rate, high-end, mixed-income developments, patio homes, cluster homes, more rentals, and housing in the 135-165K range for sale, and workforce housing
• Conduct a housing feasibility study – identify vacant sites where housing can be infilled.
• Expand opportunities for infill and mixed-use development in commercial areas and for suburban yard infill and rental opportunities in existing residential neighborhoods
• Focus on providing high quality developments
• Provide expanded housing services for the homeless, particularly families
• Increase HUD programs

In response to the question “What type of residential development and growth would you like to see in Gallup?” the top three housing types chosen by community members were duplexes and townhouses; emergency, transitional housing, and temporary housing for vulnerable populations; and apartments.

Community members and the steering committee listed the following priorities for infrastructure and public facilities in Gallup:

• Clean up trash and graffiti
• Provide recycling and composting services
• Maintain and update utilities to provide more reliable service
• Expand staffing and funding to maintain services at a higher level of quality
• Unify and define services

When rating whether services are adequate, community members expressed the most concern about road maintenance being inadequate. Internet services, ambulance, police, and schools also had several individuals rank as being extremely concerned about their adequacy. Road maintenance concerns were specific to pothole repair and inadequate striping. Police service concerns included the shortage of police officers and slow response times. Concerns about the schools included low teacher retention and the need to bring students back to schools following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Members of the public and steering committee listed the following priorities for the future of parks and recreation facilities in Gallup:

• Focus on quality over quantity, move away from pocket parks towards community parks
• Establish Gallup as a regional multi-agency hub for recreation.
• Improve accessibility, safety features, maintenance, and cleanliness of existing parks.
• Provide more aquatic facilities, including a splash pad and better pool access.
• Develop a manmade lake/fishing pond.
• Aquatics facilities and programs, including a splashpad, waterpark, and expanded swimming lessons.
• Ballfields.
• Dog parks.
• More playgrounds
• Minigolf.
• More sports fields and courts.
• Expanded youth programs that are year-round.
• Expanded library hours, particularly on Saturdays.

In response to the question “What recreation facilities, programs, and amenities are most needed in Gallup?”, members of the public stated:

Members of the public and steering committee listed the following priorities for the future of transportation in Gallup:

• Update the transportation system to provide multi-modal transportation that is safe and bike and pedestrian friendly.
• Provide transit improvements, including a Route 66 bus, a 2^nd Street bus, expanded service to the north side, and service to recreation sites and Downtown on the evenings and weekends.
• Improve road maintenance, particularly fixing pot holes.
• Improve pedestrian safety, particularly crossing I-40.
• Expand transportation options to access rural areas.
• Improve network connectivity – particularly across I-40 and the railroad.
• Focus on transportation improvements to increase and support commerce.

Members of the public and steering committee listed the following priorities for land use in Gallup:

• Focus on expanding mixed-use development in commercial centers and corridors
• Prioritize specific developments such as brew pubs, retail, and restaurants
• Prioritize Route 66 revitalization
• Develop a strategy to address vacant or abandoned buildings

Members of the public and steering committee listed the following priorities for hazard mitigation in Gallup:

• Develop a City hazard response plan for natural and manmade hazards. hazards
• Mitigate flooding, specifically on the north side of Downtown along Maloney

Public input listed the following priorities for economic development in Gallup:

• Embrace new methods and ideas
• Expand Public-Private partnerships
• Diversify businesses, particularly retail downtown
• Provide opportunities for more jobs, particularly industrial and manufacturing jobs
• Encourage film industry expansion by providing tax breaks and incentives
• Support small businesses and existing businesses
• Continue programs like Arts Crawl
• Prioritize and support Workforce Development programs
• Focus on employee retention
• Consolidate and coordinate Downtown development efforts

Community Character

Public input listed the following priorities for community character in Gallup:

• Historic preservation
• Inclusivity
• More art
• Expand business hours beyond 6pm and extend hours to be open on Sundays.
• Downtown improvements
• Connectivity
• Pride in community “ownership”
• Embrace cultural diversity

The Planning & Development Department and its consultant Dekker Perich Sabatini hosted a series of focus groups March 6-7^th, 2023 to introduce and initiate the Growth Management Master Plan (GMMP) 2023 Update Project.

The purpose of focus groups is to gain insights of various stakeholders into various GMMP topic areas. The first phase held in March 2023 is intended to identify issues, challenges and goals for the updates to relevant topic areas. The second, anticipated to occur mid-summer of 2023, will correlate to updates to the GMMP vision, future land use map, goals and policies. These pieces are the key elements of the Growth Management Master Plan utilized by City departments and governing bodies such as the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council to guide future land use decisions and funding priorities for capital improvements.

The following sections outline the feedback received from the first round of focus groups.

Parks, Recreation and Open Space Focus Group

The parks, recreation, and open space element will provide an analysis of parks, recreation facilities and open spaces as well as establish priorities for the improvement of recreation facilities based on community needs. The first Parks and Recreation Focus Group was held on March 6th. The below table summarizes the issues, challenges and opportunities that were heard during the park, recreation and open space session.

During the focus group session, participants were asked to rank the city’s existing park and recreation system in regard to biggest strengths or weaknesses for the community.

• Open space and natural areas ranked 1^st as the biggest strength.
• Environmental features such as canyons or unique topography
• Proximity and access to regional open spaces (Preserves, State Parks, etc.)
• Community Parks and Playgrounds tied ranking at 4^th
• Recreational programs and facilities ranked 5^th
• Sports fields and courts were ranked 6^th
• Neighborhood Parks and the Maintenance of existing parks and/or recreation facilities tied at 7th
• ADA accessibility of parks and recreation facilities ranked 8^th
• Expansion of new parks and/or recreation facilities ranked 9^th

Participants were asked to rank their overall satisfaction with the physical condition and maintenance of parks and recreational facilities in the city. 78% of respondents stated they were somewhat satisfied, 22% stated they were not at all satisfied and 0 participants stated they where very satisfied. Similarly participants were asked to rank their overall satisfaction with the availability of the same parks and recreational facilities within the city. To which 89% of respondents stated they were somewhat satisfied and 11% stated they were very satisfied.

Goals and Priorities identified within the Focus Group as follows:

• Maintaining and repairing existing facilities.
• Enhance safety features within parks, particularly lighting, to heighten sense of security for park users.
• Add accessible access to existing parks to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act
• Continued coordination and potential sharing of facilities with entities in the region including the County and Gallup Schools.
• Identify alternative funding sources for park maintenance and improvements.
• Identifying parties responsible to implement GMMP goals and policies.

Land Use and Housing

The housing element addresses the number and condition of the existing housing stock, vacancy rates, and owner-occupied housing versus renter occupied as a percentage of the total housing stock. This element will assess future housing needs based on demographic projections. The land use element outlines current land development conditions, including the distribution and extent of existing land use categories including residential, commercial, industrial, and public uses. This element will assess future land development based on City goals and priorities. The below table summarizes the issues, challenges and opportunities that were heard during the land use and housing focus group.

Goals and Priorities identified within the Focus Group as follows:

• Establish a unified vision for growth with growth strategies tailored to specific neighborhoods or districts.
• Enhance the quality of housing.
• Provide expanded housing options including student housing, workforce housing, middle-income housing, and low-income housing.
• Identify strategies and funding mechanisms for neighborhood revitalization.
• Identify resources for renters’ rights and maintenance for rental properties.
• Identify parties responsible for plan implementation.
• Expand facilities and services for unhoused and other vulnerable members of the community.
• Consider zoning reform incentivize infill and housing opportunities across the city
• Enhance the great work that is already being done around Route 66 and to Continue the work being done to capitalize tourism of regional amenities and events
• Improve strategies for workforce retention
• Strategically target improvements that increase the city’s visual appeal to visitors and tourists
• Support the diversification of the economy by building on existing assets such as outdoor recreation opportunities and cultural and art facilities and events.
• Improve branding coordination between local jurisdictions.
• Evaluate annexation related policies
• Identify alternative funding sources such as federal infrastructure grants and impact fees for infrastructure improvements
• Continue coordination with regional entities.
• Invest in employee retention and development.

Economic Development

The economic development element provides an analysis of the current economic conditions of the community including workforce characteristics, unemployment rates, places of employment, prominent industries, and per capita income. The city recently completed an update to its Economic Development Plan, which can be reviewed here. This update will coordinate and expand upon the goals and policies identified within the adopted Economic Development Plan.

Goals and Priorities identified within the Focus Group as follows:

• Enhance the great work that is already being done around Route 66 and to Continue the work being done to capitalize tourism of regional amenities and events
• Improve strategies for workforce retention
• Strategically target improvements that increase the city’s visual appeal to visitors and tourists
• Support the diversification of the economy by building on existing assets such as outdoor recreation opportunities and cultural and art facilities and events.
• Improve branding coordination between local jurisdictions.

Infrastructure

The infrastructure and public facilities element will inventory and assess the water and wastewater facilities, police and fire services, and other buildings and facilities owned and operated by the city. This section will establish priorities for the continued operation of these essential community services. The below table summarizes the issues, challenges and opportunities that were heard during the infrastructure and public facilities focus group.

Goals and Priorities identified within the infrastructure and public facilities focus group are as follows:

• Evaluate annexation related policies
• Identify alternative funding sources such as federal infrastructure grants and impact fees for infrastructure improvements
• Continue coordination with regional entities.
• Invest in employee retention and development.
• Identify funding for the many public facilities that are at capacity or in need of expansion or replacement
• Invest in staffing for public facilities.

The project team would like to thank all of those that participated within the first round of focus group for their invaluable insights. The information gathered will be incorporated into a Technical GMMP Review that will provide a high-level assessment of the changes within the community since the adoption of the GMMP amendment in 2016 and preliminary findings for the resulting updates necessary to the GMMP.