Want to challenge a development project in your neighborhood? It just got more expensive

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Burqueños looking to challenge neighborhood development will face steeper costs after the Albuquerque City Council narrowly approved higher fees to appeal project decisions.

The Council voted 5-4 at its Monday night meeting to approve Ordinance O-26-60, sponsored by Councilor Dan Lewis, which creates a new fee schedule for development appeals. Council President Klarissa Peña and Councilors Joaquín Baca, Brook Bassan and Nicole Rogers voted against the measure. Appealing an approved application will now cost $1,000, including a $925 filing fee and a $75 notice fee, while appealing a denied application will cost $300 ($225 filing fee plus the $75 notice fee). Previously, appeal fees ranged from $190 to $265 depending on the application, according to city staff. Lewis said approved projects have already undergone city review and met municipal requirements, justifying higher challenge fees.

Opponents raised concerns that the higher fees could make it harder for residents and neighborhood groups to challenge development decisions. Loretta Naranjo Lopez, president of the Santa Barbara Martineztown Neighborhood Association, said the $1,000 fee imposes an unfair barrier on volunteer-run neighborhood groups. To ease that financial burden, the ordinance permits the Planning Department to reduce or waive fees for qualifying low-income, indigent or hardship cases, with some organizations qualifying under the city’s Social Vulnerability Index.

The fee increase is part of Lewis’ package of bills addressing neighborhood representation and development disputes. It also aligns with Mayor Tim Keller’s “Abundance Agenda,” outlined in his State of the City address, which aims to streamline development. Keller signed another ordinance restricting the ability of neighborhood coalitions to weigh in on development, O-26-61, just before Monday’s meeting. His office said the ordinance supports efforts to “remove red tape and streamline processes” while preserving public input.

Unless Keller vetoes the legislation, the new fees take effect five days after publication. The Planning Department must report annually on appeal costs and outcomes, and the city council must review the fee schedule within two years.

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