BY STEPHANIE NAKHLEH
Los Alamos
Director Thom Mason’s recent letter on the proposed gross receipts tax increase demonstrates that LANL is willing to weigh in publicly on county policy matters that affect the Laboratory. I appreciate that willingness to engage. Now I’d like to see that same level of public leadership applied to issues that are much more mission-critical for LANL and important to the town’s vitality: housing policy and road safety.
Los Alamos faces a housing crisis that directly affects workforce retention. LANL has grown from 11,743 employees in 2017 to approximately 18,000 today, with two-thirds commuting from outside the county. Housing prices have nearly doubled in that time. The resulting commuter traffic has contributed to rising crash rates—Director Mason himself has said that driving to work is “the most dangerous thing that employees of Los Alamos Lab do.”
These problems stem primarily from Los Alamos County’s highly restrictive zoning and land-use policies. Employment at the Laboratory has made Los Alamos a very desirable place to live. Most Laboratory employees, particularly those with children, want to live here in the town where they work. Commuter surveys, for example, show that a decisive majority of commuters express a clear desire to live in Los Alamos.
The constant refrain from County leaders is “we are out of land.” But this response misses the point. We are out of land if the only type of housing we countenance is detached single-family homes on large lots. We have also heard time and again that land transfers from the DOE are a thing of the past. I believe Director Mason when he says this! But if the County were to adopt land-use policies that emphasize compact forms of housing and legalize “missing middle” housing (duplexes, triplexes, quads, ADUs, etc.) by right, the town could accommodate another 5,000 or more residents without any new land transfers.
Communities across the country are successfully reforming land-use barriers to address similar affordability challenges. Los Alamos can too—but it requires political will. To that end, LANL could really help the Los Alamos County Council by providing them some much-needed encouragement. If housing is critical to the mission—to our nation’s security—then please say so. Do not let the county off the hook: we can do better. Say that.
We always hear how the town exists to serve the Lab, but the Lab has been unwilling to speak up about one of its most fundamental needs from the town.
I hope in the near future to hear Director Mason send as clear a message to the county about land use reform as he did about the GRT increase: “County, we need you to address these land barriers and house our workers. Here’s what needs to happen, and here’s how critical this is to our mission.” That kind of public support would give county leaders the support they need to make difficult but necessary changes to its land-use policies.
Battelle’s philosophy emphasizes “simultaneous excellence” in science, operations, and corporate citizenship. Outstanding corporate citizenship means engaging on the issues that matter most to community sustainability and mission success. Housing and transportation safety fit that description. LANL’s public voice on these challenges would make a real difference. I’d like to hear it.