Addressing Albuquerque’s Housing Through Smart Policy Reform

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Albuquerque faces significant challenges, including rising housing costs, a growing homelessness crisis, the need for more jobs, and access to adequate medical services. To address these issues, Councilors Dan Lewis and Joaquín Baca sponsored ordinance O-24-69 to enable responsible, long-term growth and support those most affected.  The bill passed 7 to 2.

Impact of the Bill on Housing

To address these issues, the legislative changes to the City of Albuquerque IDO aim to streamline the process and ensure appeals reflect the genuine concerns of directly affected residents. Key changes include:

• Makes duplexes, townhouses and multifamily housing permissive in Main Street and Major Transit Corridors.
• Eliminates administrative appeals for projects on City property
• Requires petitions for Neighborhood Association appeals: A majority of property owners or tenants within 660 feet of the application site must sign a petition supporting the appeal.
• Makes the losing appellant responsible for the appellee's legal fees to reduce frivolous appeals.
  

“I am very excited for the passage of O-24-69,” said District 5 Councilor Dan Lewis. “For too long, attempts to address the most pressing needs of our City have been held up by red tape and unnecessary appeals.  By passing this bill, the City is encouraging building housing along main streets and the ART corridor.  It will also streamline the City’s own projects making for a more nimble government that can move faster on desperately needed public works projects.”

The legislation makes multifamily housing permissive in several residential zones within ¼ mile of Premium Transit Station (ART) and Main Street areas. It encourages the construction of new housing in these central areas.

“I’m proud to have sponsored and helped pass O-24-69 tonight,” said the ordinance’s co-sponsor and District 2 Councilor Joaquín Baca. “This valuable legislation will help speed up the construction of desperately needed housing in our City.  Lack of affordable housing is the most pressing need in our City and this bill incentivizes the creation of more housing in a big way.  It does so by allowing duplexes, townhouses and other multifamily housing units along the ART corridor.  This transformative legislation makes housing more available, affordable, and will allow our City to grow.” 

Empowering Communities and Moving Albuquerque Forward

These reforms aim to create a quicker, more transparent approval process that reflects the needs of directly impacted residents. By requiring broad support for appeals and streamlining the process, the City aims to build more housing to address the shortage and reduce homelessness; prioritize job creation to benefit the local economy; deliver essential medical and public services efficiently. These changes will help Albuquerque create a better future for all residents by addressing current inefficiencies.