City Demolishes One of ABQ’s Worst Problem Properties
ALBUQUERQUE – On Wednesday, October 27, the City of Albuquerque demolished one of the most problematic properties in the city, a decaying set of apartment buildings at 400/404 Mesilla SE that has become a hotspot for criminal activity. The property is a part of the Problematic Properties Program, a website that tracks Albuquerque’s commitment to identify and act on the 15 worst problematic properties in the city.
For years, the Planning Department worked to get owners to bring this property into compliance.
The property continued to pose a public safety challenge, so the city went to court and filed the necessary paperwork to take the next step in cleaning it up. This property has produced 100 calls for service in the last year.
“We’re doing all we can to make a safer, healthier city and we’re putting negligent owners on notice to step up and do the right thing,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “Our built environment can help make us safer, or it can drive crime. That’s why we’re tackling properties like this one that became a hotspot for crime with over 100 calls for service in the last year. This is one part of our efforts to make our neighborhoods feel safer for everyone.”
The process of condemning these properties and tearing them down can often take months, which is part of why the city is using the Problematic Properties website to reach out to property owners to give them a chance to restore properties in a timely manner. Any owners who do not come into compliance risk having their property cleaned up by the City and having a lien placed on their property to pay for the services.
“The City provides this online list to give neighbors easy access to updates and information about these problem properties,” said Alan Varela, Interim Planning Director. “Ultimately, our city’s goal is to put these properties back into productive use and get qualified families into them.”
“It seems like it happened fast all of a sudden…I know it didn’t. But all of a sudden, we’re like ‘WE’RE TEARING IT DOWN!” Which is great,” said neighbor Joanna Harden.
A list of 34 resolved properties can be found here.