San Juan County is currently updating two key long-range initiatives: the Growth Management Plan (GMP) and the Affordable Housing Plan (AHP). These plans serve as critical roadmaps that will guide future policy decisions regarding land use, infrastructure, economic development, and housing availability across our region.
Get involved, and particpate in our upcoming planning meetings!
The Plan's History Up To Now
San Juan County's growth management planning traces back nearly two decades. The Board of County Commissioners contracted with the Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments (NWNMCOG) in 2006 to develop the county's first general plan, partnering with Architectural Research Consultants, Incorporated (ARC) to guide the process. The resulting Growth Management Plan (GMP) was then adopted in 2007.
The county updated the plan in 2012, focusing on the Land Use Element, and again in 2018, when the effort began with county staff, regional planners, and a citizens' focus group.
The current iteration—a full Growth Management Plan update—launched in 2025 when the county again engaged ARC. The update covers a comprehensive refresh of data and analysis across land use, economic development, housing, transportation, utilities, facilities, hazard mitigation, and natural resources, paired with public engagement and formal adoption.
The scheduled target for completion for the Affordable Housing Plan is set for August 2026 in tandem with the Growth Management Plan, set for completion in May of 2027.
County Land Status Map
Map of San Juan County showing Land Status
About the Plan
The San Juan County Growth Management Plan has served as an official policy guide for decisions regarding physical development of the unincorporated county adopted by the San Juan County Board of Commissioners. It provides long-range guidance—looking 20 to 30 years ahead—and integrates all functional elements bearing on physical development, including land use, environment, water and wastewater, county facilities, transportation, housing, economic development, and hazards mitigation.
Currently, San Juan County and ARC are undertaking the 2025–2026 update of the plan, which was initiated through funding by the New Mexico Finance Authority.
The plan covers all geographic parts of the private unincorporated county with encouragement for continued cooperation with the municipalities of Aztec, Bloomfield, Kirtland, and Farmington; the Navajo Nation; the Bureau of Land Management; and other agencies.
The plan is intended to:
About the Plan
The San Juan County Affordable Housing Plan (AHP) is a concurrent planning effort designed to identify affordable housing needs and barriers within the County to establish an evidence-based foundation for unlocking state and federal funding for housing. The plan is structured to pave the way for allowing public entities to donate land and resources toward affordable housing projects upon its adoption. The process emphasizes broad stakeholder collaboration, evidence-based analysis to allow for state and federal funding, and a culminating Implementation Plan that prioritizes goals by achievability and impact.
Its core deliverables include:
Learn some information about the project.
Provided are some reviewable PDF documents, topically categorized, that can help you learn about factors worth consideration in the drafting of this plan.
A key resource for Farmington’s planning is available at the City of Farmington Long-Range Planning website.
Click on a category name below to view its associated documents, or click here to view or hide all documents.
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Housing New Mexico: Call to Action (2022) - Housing New Mexico (12 MB) |
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New Mexico 2045 Statewide Transportation Plan (3 MB) |
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State of New Mexico Hazard Mitigation Plan, September 2023 (43 MB) |
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Farmington Metropolitan Transportation Plan 2050 (2025) (92 MB) |
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Lower Animas River Watershed Based Plan (2016) (14 MB) |
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Updated Strategic Plan - 4CED (2024) (13 MB) |
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2023 Annual Action Plan DRAFT - City of Farmington (2023) (315 KB) |
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Annual Action Plan DRAFT - City of Farmington (2025) (2 MB) |
We appreciate your feedback!
As we strive to clarify our vision for the Growth Management Plan and the Affordable Housing Plan, your input is critical in helping us to focus on the upgrades that are most important.
Please take a few minutes to share with us your thoughts by completing our San Juan County Community Planning Survey, which is available at Survey Monkey by clicking here.
Notable press about our project.
Questions? Please Contact:
Deputy County Manager
San Juan County
(505) 334-4266
ARC Community Planner
Architectural Research Consultants, Inc.
(505) 617-3711
ARC Planner
505-842-1254 Ext 11
Lead Land Use Planner, Community Planning Consultation, Certified Planner
Senior certified planner and demographer with 31 years of experience in regional, community and urban design-related planning.
(505) 842-1254
ARC Community Planner
Project organizer and ongoing consultant.
(505) 617-3711
ARC Planner