Albuquerque - Official City Website

Silver Hill Neighborhood Residential Design Guidelines

Contact: Ed Boles – (505)924-3342

Consultant Team: Sites Southwest LLC and Cherry See Reames Architects

Project Timeline:

Introduced at a Silver Hill Neighborhood Association meeting in January 2007, the project has been informed by a series of task force meetings held during 2007.

Moratorium:
In November 2006 the City Council passed Resolution 06-135,enacting a six-month moratorium on issuing building permits for dwelling units in Silver Hill. The moratorium was related to the residential design guidelines project but expired in May 2007.

Project Area:
The area’s northern boundary is the public alley between Central Avenue and Gold Avenue. Its eastern and western boundaries are Yale Boulevard and Sycamore Street, respectively. Its southern boundary runs along Hazeldine Street from Sycamore to Buena Vista Drive, then south along Buena Vista to St. Cyr Avenue, then east to Yale.

Project Description:
The project is defined to produce an amendment of Silver Hill-specific policies in the University Neighborhoods Sector Development Plan, which the City adopted in 1986. Topics of study include neighborhood pattern and streetscape, architectural form, and architectural features and details. The setback and height restrictions of the Sector Plan’s residential zones are also at issue because they allow the construction of much more massive buildings than the small ones that characterize Silver Hill.

The project area includes most of the Silver Hill Historic District, which is listed in the State Register of Cultural Properties and National Register of Historic Places. The historic district is less than half the size of the project area, so the project is intended to protect both residential and historic character. Within and outside the historic district, the goal is to conserve existing character and ensure appropriate new development. Within the historic district (see attached map at the bottom of this page), meeting this goal depends on preventing the unnecessary demolition of historic buildings.

Task Force:
The City and consultant team met occasionally during 2007 with a task force of Silver Hill and university neighborhoods stakeholders. These meetings took up project issues and alternatives in more detail than the public meetings -- see the attached Options for Regulations document and task force meeting notes.

Public Meetings: The City and the consultant team held a public meeting February 28, 2007 to describe the project, present an analysis of Silver Hill’s residential and historic character, and gather public opinion on project issues. A second public meeting was scheduled for March 4, 2009 to present and discuss the Planning Department’s recommendations. This meeting was postponed at the request of the Silver Hill Neighborhood Association. All property owners will be invited by mail, when it is rescheduled.

January 20, 2007 Notes