Neighborhood group expresses concern after Albuquerque housing bill passes city council
Jan 07, 2025
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Some city councilors hope their new change in city code will make it easier for developers to get housing projects going and avoid costly delays. Councilors passed an ordinance Monday night aimed at getting housing projects built faster, but at least one neighborhood coalition president told KRQE News 13 that the change is a devastating blow to people looking to protect their block from rushed projects.
"We felt very unheard, very disrespected," said Peggy Norton, President of the North Valley Coalition.
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A North Valley neighbor, Norton said she and other neighborhood groups felt disillusioned after Monday night's city council decision, which eased restrictions on housing developments along busy corridors like Central Ave. Norton said several neighborhood associations felt blindsided by the change. "This bill should have been deferred to allow for public input," said Norton.
The new change requires neighborhood associations to talk to every single neighbor near a proposed housing project, something councilors say should help eliminate frivolous appeals against much-needed projects. However, some neighbors disagree.
"Appeals take a lot of time and a lot of energy and money... There aren't frivolous appeals. If something is permissive, people don't appeal it," said Peggy Norton, North Valley Coalition.
Strong Towns Albuquerque is one of the organizations supporting the change, saying the new participation requirements are a good thing. "We like that it's encouraging those conversations to happen on the ground. We like that it's encouraging these discussions to happen constructively, and we really like that it's bringing people into the fold that may have been excluded in the past," said Jordon McConnell, Communications Chair, Strong Towns Albuquerque.
While they too think the change happened quickly, they said the new rules are long overdue. "Iterations of this bill have been debated for three years now, we've had a lot of commentary on the ground, neighborhood discussions. This is a bill that's been long in the making and it's a great step forward," said McConnell.
Councilors passed the bill with a veto-proof 7-2 majority. The mayor still has yet to sign the bill, but if he does, it could take effect sometime in the next few weeks.
KRQE News 13 reached out to Councilor Joaquin Baca about some of the concerns neighbors raised. Baca said he believes the bill will help address both low-income and market-rate housing needs in Albuquerque.