Housing development in Downtown Albuquerque would be accelerated under new legislation introduced at the City Council’s March 4 meeting. The resolution sets a two-year priority for construction projects that produce permanent housing, whether single-family homes, multifamily developments or mixed-use projects — 13 housing categories in all.
The focus is the “Downtown Center” — generally bracketed by Lomas Boulevard to the north, Coal Avenue to the south, First Street to the east and Eighth Street to the west.
“The city has an existing program where anyone filing for a permit can pay a fee and move to the front of the queue,” City Councilor Joaquín Baca said. “This bill says any development in the core can get fees waived and be fast tracked.”
Mayor Tim Keller’s administration designed the resolution and Baca, whose District 2 covers Downtown, is sponsoring it.
Baca said the effort is important because the city’s construction permitting process can be onerous and discourage developers from submitting applications. In addition, fees can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars depending on the project.
The resolution would not only waive certain fees but would speed up site plan reviews at the city’s Planning Department.
“The advantage of this bill is to give a little leverage and spur development,” Baca said.
Baca said the effort is critical to address Albuquerque’s affordable housing crisis and to boost ongoing Downtown revitalization efforts after the corridor took a hard hit from the pandemic. It would attract new investment and align with the city’s existing goals related to Downtown development, he said.
Indeed, development along the Central Avenue corridor is already identified under the Albuquerque/Bernalillo Comprehensive Plan as a priority. It encourages development of high density, affordable and mixed-income housing in Downtown, which is near to job centers and transit options. The plan says such projects are also intended to “relieve development pressure at the edge of the urban footprint and maintain low densities in rural areas.”
Baca said the resolution’s two-year timeframe was set up to serve as a pilot program of sorts. If approved, the Planning Department would update City Council every six months on the number of applications being processed.
“There is a tracking portion to the bill,” Baca said. “Depending on how it goes, it could be expanded to other areas of the city.”
The bill has been referred to the city’s Land Use, Planning, and Zoning Committee for review. Baca said the referral allows the public an opportunity to comment on the resolution before a final decision is made. If approved by the committee, it would go back before the City Council for a vote. The next Land Use, Planning and Zoning Committee meeting is scheduled for March 13.
For the full text of the bill, click here.