By Elizabeth McCall, City Desk ABQ
About a month after Albuquerque city councilors grilled Mayor Tim Keller’s office for asking some residents to move out of a city-owned, low-income apartment complex due to the building’s deterioration, maintenance upgrades are still on hold.
The City Council questioned the Keller administration during a Jan. 23 meeting after residents living on the third floor of The Beach — a city-owned apartment complex — were given a 90-day notice to move out because of safety concerns with some run-down staircases.
Connor Woods, a spokesperson for the Department of Health, Housing and Homelessness, told City Desk ABQ the city gave residents 90 days to move out in November 2024, but the city is still working on moving the residents out of their apartments.
”Twenty-three residents are in the process of moving out of their apartments, after which, the first phase of staircases can begin to be replaced,” Woods said. “I know we’re getting to the end of the month, if we get to that point, it does not mean that they will be kicked out or anything like that. We’re still providing that assistance to get everyone moved out steadily.”
Woods said the city has installed lifts that are being used to move out furniture and other items.
“We wanted to ensure safety, so they had to basically take out a chunk of railing and install the lifts so that they could get residents’ belongings,” Woods said. “Their moving is being done through that method, as opposed to going up and down the stairs…we just don’t want to risk anything.”
Photo by Roberto E. Rosales / City Desk ABQ Credit: Roberto E. Rosales
Residents received one month of free rent, free moving services and $2,000 in financial assistance. Woods said the city will continue the contract with the property’s management company — Monarch Properties. He said not all residents are moving to the same place because they have the option to move to “a property of their choosing, including another Monarch property.”
During the Jan. 23 City Council meeting, Councilor Nichole Rogers raised concerns about the apartment complex not having an elevator, which she said is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines outlined in the contract with Monarch Properties.
However, Woods told City Desk ABQ the city is not considering adding an elevator because the building’s unique design would make it “costly” and “extremely difficult.”
“This apartment complex is extremely intricate,” Woods said. “It’s unique. It was at one time like a very luxury apartment complex. It still is very, very nice and beautiful architecture, beautiful design. But of course, with that comes complications with those staircases, and wear and tear over time is very unique because of that. It’s not like a regular apartment complex where you have the basic staircases and landing that separate very easily. It’s completely different because of the design of it.”
Woods said it is still unclear how long the replacements will take and when residents can return, but he said once construction starts, there may be a better timeline for completion.
“The first step is making sure that the people are taken care of and making sure that people have a home that they’re happy with,” Woods said. “That is right now the priority and as soon as that’s done, then the work on the stairs will begin immediately.”