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Briefing on the DP Road Facilitated Land Use and Concept Planning Study and LAC RV Park Feasibility Study
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DP Road Facilitated Land Use and Concept Planning Study
Staff is presenting County Council with an update on the preferred concept land use plan for Parcel A-16, comprising approximately 28.7 acres of County-owned property located along the southern frontage of DP Road. Transferred from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) more than 15 years ago following environmental remediation, the property has lacked a comprehensive land use plan.
In July 2026, the County completed the DP Road Facilitated Land Use and Concept Planning Study, prepared by Bohannan Huston, Inc. and Dekker. The resulting concept establishes a multi-phased framework that provides critical municipal operational needs with community economic opportunities. This update is provided strictly for Council information and awareness; no formal Council action, policy vote, or budget authorization is requested at this time.
Opportunity and Need
The DP Road corridor is undergoing significant transition. In addition to recent County investment in the roadway and utilities, immediately west on Parcel A-8-A, the development of Coyote Mesa introduces 380 units of affordable workforce housing alongside established multi-family neighborhoods, retail/commercial uses, and light industrial properties. This growing residential population increases the urgency to resolve historical corridor conflicts, formalize parking, and introduce compatible neighborhood-serving commercial amenities and support County operational needs.
The County faces substantial unmet operational demands. The Department of Public Works and the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) have operated under constrained, informal storage conditions for years. Parcel A-16 represents an opportunity to establish dedicated, long-term operational yards, consolidate bulk material stockpiles, and support fleet logistics. In addition, the plan addresses unmet private-sector demand by creating developable sites for local retail/commercial businesses, potential long-term storage needs, and contractor-service establishments seeking operational land within the county.
Existing Conditions
The study area is previously used for various light industrial use, and the concept plan responds directly to natural and regulatory parameters. Approximately 47% of the 28.7-acre parcel is characterized by slopes exceeding 10%, falling away steeply toward the canyon rim to the south. This escarpment naturally restricts practically buildable land to the relatively level northern bench fronting DP Road.
The eastern portion of the property contains the former Hot Test Bed Site, a remediated Solid Waste Management Unit / Area of Concern (SWMU/AOC). While previous DOE remediation successfully stabilized the area, existing restrictions limit excavation depth to four feet and prohibit unrestricted, long-term human occupancy. Habitable structures cannot be constructed on this footprint, though it remains fully suitable for surface laydown, equipment staging, and material screening.
A sequence of established sediment ponds and drainage facilities along the southern escarpment plays an indispensable role in capturing runoff and preventing downstream erosion into the canyon. These natural features must be preserved intact within permanent protective easements.
Current access, parking, and equipment staging on the site are largely unorganized and informal. An existing fire access road traversing the southern edge sits at a lower grade elevation than the upper bench, presenting vertical connectivity challenges that require deliberate engineering and separation of traffic streams.
Planning Process
The concept plan was developed through a comprehensive four-stage planning effort that included site analysis, stakeholder input, iterative design, and a preferred concept plan. County staff facilitated stakeholder input with key municipal entities-including the Department of Public Works, Department of Public Utilities, and the County Manager’s Office-alongside targeted outreach to surrounding DP Road business owners.
The project team developed four iterative development scenarios to evaluate differing ratios of commercial acreage, self-storage/light industrial footprints, contractor yards, and municipal staging facilities. Through internal consensus, these alternatives were refined into a preferred conceptual framework that balances core municipal operations with high-value commercial frontage while respecting the parcel’s physical realities.
Development Areas and Concept Land Use Plan
The preferred framework organizes the usable bench of Parcel A-16 into three distinct development areas that step up in operational intensity from west to east.
Development Area A - General Commercial (~1.5 Acres)
Positioned on the western end of the property adjacent to the Coyote Mesa workforce housing community and the Bluffs senior apartments, Area A is planned for subdivision into three parcels of approximately 0.5 acres each. This area is intended for small-scale retail, commercial services, contractor offices, or the relocation of other local social and civic organizations that require accessible ground. Building massing and street-facing orientations will provide an attractive, walkable transition between DP Road and the adjacent residential neighborhood.
Development Area B - Industrial / Contractor-Service (~2.5 Acres)
Occupying the central portion of the bench, Area B is configured as a single flexible 2.5-acre parcel. It accommodates mid-intensity uses that require larger footprints and flexible yard space, which could include commercial self-storage, contractor service hubs, flex-industrial shops, and vehicle or RV storage.
Development Area C - County Operations and Industrial (~3.2-Acre Parcel Envelope)
Anchoring the eastern boundary adjacent to secure Los Alamos National Laboratory and DOE holdings, Area C consolidates the County’s municipal infrastructure and contractor-support functions. The parcel encompasses the restricted Hot Test Bed, dedicating that ground to non-habitable, low-occupancy surface material and equipment storage.
Within this zone, the concept delineates a net operational yard footprint of 3.2 acres divided into two functionally dedicated facilities:
County-Contractor Yard (1.0 Acre): Designed to support capital project contractors with 5,000 to 12,000 cubic yards of material pad capacity.
County Operational Yard (2.2 Acres): Dedicated permanently to Public Works and DPU operations, providing 10,000 to 26,000 cubic yards of bulk capacity. The yard is internally engineered with separate bays for basecourse, sand, and fill dirt, alongside a dedicated bar screen, mud dump containment area, equipment service bays, and a lockable storage building.
Southern Slopes and Drainage Preservation
The remaining southern acreage of the parcel, constrained by slopes exceeding 10% and active stormwater flows, could be placed into open space. A dedicated easement would formally establish the southern fire access lane, secure maintenance corridors for existing sediment basins, and define a permanent boundary for the upper developable bench.
Proposed Zoning Framework
To provide land use clarity, staff recommends establishing zoning designations that match the specific operational reality of each development area rather than applying a single catch-all classification across the 28.7-acre tract.
Development Area A (Western Edge): General Commercial (GC)
Covering approximately 1.5 acres subdivided into three half-acre parcels, Area A is recommended for General Commercial zoning. This designation will accommodate neighborhood-serving businesses, commercial retail and services, contractor offices, and potential local civic or social clubs, ensuring building scales and commercial uses remain compatible with the neighboring Coyote Mesa residential community.
Development Area B (Central Section): Industrial (IND)
Encompassing approximately 2.5 acres within a single parcel footprint, Area B is recommended for Industrial zoning. This classification provides appropriate land use and site flexibility for commercial self-storage facilities, contractor service hubs, flex-industrial uses, and outdoor vehicle or RV storage operations.
Development Area C (Eastern Section): Industrial (IND)
Area C is recommended for Industrial zoning. This allows the County to establish a municipal laydown and storage yards for Public Works and DPU operations, accommodate bulk construction material stockpiles and equipment, operate screening facilities, and support contractor staging.
Southern Slopes and Drainage Buffer: Open Space
The unbuildable southern terrain, comprising the remainder of the 28.7-acre parcel with slopes exceeding 10%, is recommended for an open space zoning accompanied by appropriate easements. This designation permanently preserves the corridor's stormwater network, protects existing sediment retention basins, provides a buffer, and secures long-term maintenance access for the southern emergency fire road.
Parking, Logistics, and Multimodal Integration
The plan addresses corridor parking shortages caused by past DP Road reconstructions by formalizing the unpaved central lot into a 28-space paved facility for adjacent business traffic. It also reserves space on the western edge for a future 33-space shared parking lot, strategically positioned to support an eventual Atomic City Transit bus stop.
The layout coordinates with the approved Coyote Mesa site plan and the regional Canyon Rim Trail network, utilizing the DP Road utility corridor as an activated linear buffer that could include pedestrian paths, native landscaping and wayfinding, and outdoors spaces for adjacent businesses.
Next Steps
The study establishes an adaptable framework that enables the County to move forward incrementally as resources and private interest align. Staff will return to the Planning and Zoning Commission and County Council as formal zoning amendments, subdivision plats, and development agreements reach appropriate milestones.
Los Alamos County RV Park Feasibility Study
Development of a County-owned RV Park on the 502 Parcel (1405 East Road) is physically and conceptually feasible based on the RV Park Feasibility Study completed by Bohannan Huston in September 2026. The feasibility study confirms that a 10-acre parcel could accommodate up to 103 RV sites while integrating supporting amenities as well as public trailhead parking and 3 connections to the Canyon Rim Trail. The remaining land should be considered for open space.
Location, Project Overview, and Feasibility Study
The 19.5-acre parcel at 1405 East Road (502) is a Department of Energy transfer parcel with approximately 10 developable acres which were evaluated for this project. It is bounded by NM 502 and Los Alamos County Airport to the north, Fire Station No. 6 is to the west, and open space and the Canyon Rim Trail to the south and east.
The parcel is currently zoned Industrial (IND) with a Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Map designation of Mixed-Use. Because the parcel is currently zoned IND, developing an RV Park will require a Zone Map Amendment to a suitable zone district like Mixed-Use or General Commercial.
Los Alamos County commissioned Bohannan Huston to evaluate the feasibility of developing an RV park on the County-owned property. While the original study contemplated two locations (the 502 Parcel and Camp May), the County directed the team during the initial phase to discontinue evaluation of Camp May to focus planning on the 502 Parcel.
The study evaluates the feasibility of developing an RV park on the county owned 502 Parcel. Additionally, the study presents a proof-of-concept site plan and provides a rough-order-of-magnitude (ROM) phased cost estimate for a planning-level indication of development expenses.
Conceptual Site Plan
The conceptual plan accommodates 103 total RV sites on 10-acres across four distinct configurations: 17 camper van/tent sites (45-ft), 27 standard RV sites (64-ft), 30 mid-size RV sites (70-ft), and 29 large RV sites (84-ft). The conceptual site plan is configured as back-in RV pads to maximize the total number individual spaces. The RV sites include a paved parking pad, utilities hook-ups (water/sewer/electric), and could include picnic tables, shelters, and other amenities at each site.
Vehicular access is designed as an unsignalized right-in/right-out configuration off State Highway 502, supported by dedicated acceleration and deceleration lanes. Internal circulation consists of a 20-foot-wide, counterclockwise, one-way asphalt loop road.
The site includes a central bathroom/laundry facility, two RV dump stations, waste dumpsters, three direct pedestrian trail connections to the Canyon Rim Trail, and a dedicated 10-12 vehicle public parking lot supporting community trail access.
Preliminary Cost Estimate and Potential Phasing
Rough order-of-magnitude (ROM) cost estimates were developed using 2025 NMDOT unit pricing and preliminary site quantities. To provide flexibility, the project is structured into two sequential phases. Total project costs include allowances for design/permitting, mobilization, construction surveying, contingency, and New Mexico Gross Receipts Tax.
Phase I includes highway acceleration and deceleration lanes, internal grading and paving, 103 paved RV pad sites, site electrical service, trail connections and parking, and dumpsters, with estimated hard construction costs of $3,301,027 and a total project cost of $4,755,315.
If Phase I is implemented, conduit sleeves and utility corridors should be installed to avoid future excavation and repaving during Phase II utility buildout.
Phase II covers the 4,000-foot off-site water and sewer main extensions, on-site water distribution, the bathroom and laundry building, and dump stations, totaling $2,798,046 in hard construction costs and $4,030,743 in total project costs.
Combined, the total RV park development encompassing the complete buildout of both Phase I and Phase II improvements reflect $6,099,073 in hard construction costs and a total project cost of $8,786,058.
Additionally, a separate access alternative evaluated an optional roundabout at NM 502 and Camino Entrada to facilitate westbound turnaround movements, estimated at $2,370,000 in hard construction costs and $3,414,118 in total project costs.
Technical and Permitting Considerations
The existing water line adjacent to the site on NM 502 are transmission-only and unavailable for direct service. Both water distribution and sanitary sewer lines terminate approximately 4,000 feet east of the site in the Entrada Business Park. The feasibility model assumes gravity conveyance for wastewater and adequate system water pressure; however, if field elevations require a sewage lift station or booster pumps, capital and ongoing lifecycle costs will increase.
State Highway 502 is an NMDOT jurisdiction roadway. The right-in/right-out configuration restricts direct westbound ingress/egress into the RV Park site. Westbound travelers must reverse direction at the 4th Street roundabout prior to entry, and westbound departures must head east before finding an appropriate turnaround. Formal NMDOT traffic impact analysis and highway utility-crossing permits will be required and were not completed as part of this feasibility study.
The park could utilize the County's established online reservation system and operational support currently in place at Main Gate RV Park, White Rock Visitor Center RV Park, and Camp May. However, managing 103 full-service sites will require expanded staffing, routine maintenance capacity (bathrooms, dump stations, groundskeeping), and clear policy on short-, medium-, and long-term stays and operations.
Attachments
A - DP Road Council Briefing
B - DP Road Facilitated Land Use and Concept Planning Study
C - RV Park Feasibility Council Briefing
D - RV Park Feasibility Study