Council to discuss money for senior housing project

The Albuquerque City Council will consider putting more money into an affordable housing project at its meeting Monday night.

The $3 million would be used to close the financing gap caused by increasing construction costs for the Farolito Senior Community, which will consist of 82 units at 10501 Central Avenue NE.

The city would extend American Rescue Plan Act dollars for the project. That would go along with $4,187,152 previously provided by the city in the original development agreement with Sol Housing (formerly the Greater Albuquerque Housing Partnership). 

Councilors are being asked to approve a supplemental agreement to the original pact.

The project includes the construction of 72 one-bedroom and 10 two-bedroom rental housing units for seniors aged 55 and older, along with about 76,675 square feet of heated common space, on a parcel owned by the New Mexico State Land Office.

Thirteen of the units are designated for households at or below 80% of the area median income (AMI), 28 units for households at or below 60% of AMI, 16 for households at or below 50% AMI, and 25 for households at or below 30% AMI. 

Farolito is to remain an affordable rental housing project for 20 years. The total development cost is more than $27 million.

Also on the agenda are a pair of professional services agreements related to the Gateway Center. The city in January began seeking operators for Gateway programs, but did not get any responses to requests for proposals for Gateway Family or Gateway Women’s Housing Navigation.

A second attempt drew no bids, according to the agenda.

City Ordinance 5-5-10 B allows the Central Purchasing Office or Capital Improvement Program to purchase goods or services on the open market at the best obtainable price, as long as project specifications are unchanged.

The city Department of Health, Housing, and Homelessness is seeking the council’s approval for an agreement that would pay Youth Development Inc. up to $1,781,365 to provide housing navigation services to 65 households experiencing homelessness between July 1 and June 30, 2026.

The other agreement, with Chicanos Por La Causa, is for an amount not to exceed $1.8 million. The organization would provide housing navigation services to 50 women experiencing homelessness.