ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Some residents at an affordable rental housing complex owned by the City of Albuquerque are being asked to move out due to concerns with the building. The city's Office of Health, Housing, and Homelessness (HHH) told KRQE News 13 that portions of The Beach apartment complex on Route 66 near Tingley Beach have deteriorated and are in need of more repairs. Story continues below Weather: How long will the snow last in New Mexico? Community: Albuquerque Fire Rescue crews heading out to fight California wildfires National: Jimmy Carter honored with state funeral in DC before Georgia burial The Beach apartments on Jan. 8, 2025. (Credit: Matthew Tórrez) "Some of the stairways have deteriorated, and this has been a long-term process. So, we've been repairing them, and shoring them up, and putting new cladding on for a while, and new surfacing on the tops, and things of that nature. However, because of the design, it looks like there has been kind of interior deterioration under the stairways," said Joseph Montoya, deputy director of HHH, adding that some of the staircases have been blocked off. People living in 26 units on the third floor of the 1986-era building were asked to leave for safety reasons and so the city could make repairs to the stairs and landings. One of those residents, Matthew Tórrez, has lived at the complex since 2015 and watched how some of the stairs started to deteriorate within the last four or five years. "They just haven't been kept up with that. So the rust ate away at the stairwells, and pretty soon you started having these big holes in the stairwells," Tórrez explained. Caution sign at The Beach apartments. Jan. 8, 2025. (Credit: Matthew Tórrez) Tórrez said he received a letter on Nov. 30 from the property management company Monarch that stated he had to move due to the damage and had 90 days to do so. "So, that was kind of a shock and a little bit more stress than we needed," Tórrez explained. The city and Monarch are providing residents with assistance to move, including one month of free rent at The Beach, free moving services, $2,000 in financial aid, and an option to move to another property managed by Monarch, which is contracted by the city to manage the city's more than 600 housing units. "We hope to have the [moving] process completed by the end of March, but they do have a longer period of time," Montoya explained. For now, Tórrez, who already has a new apartment lined up, has to wait until the city brings in a lift to hoist his furniture and other belongings from the third floor, as tenants were advised in a letter to not use the staircases for "moving any belongings and/or furniture." Montoya explained that structural engineers are assessing the property for any signs of issues. As of now, the goal is to repair the damage to the stairs and allow people to once again live on the top floor. "The city of Albuquerque wants to have an abundance of caution and moving forward with what we have to do to be able to make sure that our residents are safe and sound and they have a place to live," he added. The city did not provide a timeline for the repairs; however, in a letter to Tórrez, Monarch stated they and the city were told that a reasonable estimate of time is one to two years. Monarch also said tenants who had to vacate would be given first priority to move back in. The Beach apartments. Jan. 9, 2024. (KRQE) The Beach is known for its colorful and intricate design accented by neon lights and was constructed by the late Antoine Predock. Tórrez said it's upsetting to see that the building has gotten to the state it is in. "It's kind of sad that they let it get this bad here. I mean, it's a unique building, it really is, and it's beautiful on the outside, from afar. But once you start getting close to it, you start noticing, well, the building's integrity is going," Tórrez explained.