§ 157.003 PURPOSES.

   (A)   This chapter is intended to promote health, safety, morals, and the general welfare, and may regulate and restrict the following:

      (1)   Height, number of stories and size of buildings and other structures;

      (2)   Percentage of a lot that may be occupied;

      (3)   Size of yards, courts and other open space;

      (4)   Density of population; and

      (5)   Location and use of buildings, structures, and land for trade, industry, residence and other purposes.

   (B)   For said purposes, this chapter shall:

      (1)   Divide the territory under Joint Raton-Colfax County Zoning Authority jurisdiction into districts of such number, shape, area and form as is necessary to carry out the purposes of NMSA §§ 3-21-1 through 3-21-14;

      (2)   Regulate or restrict the erection, construction, reconstruction, or use of buildings, structures or land in each district. All such regulations shall be uniform for each class or kinds of buildings within each district, but regulations in one district may differ from regulation in another district;

      (3)   Provide for the administration and interpretation of said regulations; and

      (4)   Provide, subject to the restrictions of NMSA § 3-21-6 for the manner in which zoning regulations, restrictions and boundaries of districts are:

         (a)   Determined, established and enforced; and

         (b)   Amended, supplemented or repealed.

   (C)   Conformance to comprehensive plan.

      (1)   This chapter is in conformance with recommendations of the City of Raton 1974 Master Plan Update and the 1979 Raton Extraterritorial Plan, and is designed to:

         (a)   Lessen congestion in the streets or public ways;

         (b)   Secure safety from fire, flood waters, panic and other dangers;

         (c)   Provide health and general welfare;

         (d)   Provide adequate light and air;

         (e)   Prevent the overcrowding of land;

         (f)   Avoid undue concentrations of population;

         (g)   Facilitate adequate provision for the transportation, water, sewerage, schools, parks and other public requirements; and

         (h)   Control and abate the unsightly or undesirable use of buildings or land.

      (2)   Reasonable consideration shall be given, among other things, to the character of the zoning areas and districts, and their peculiar suitability for particular uses, and to conserving the value of buildings and land, and encouraging the most appropriate use of land throughout the jurisdiction.

(Ord. 81-1, passed 7-10-1981)