Posted inHousing & Homelessness

Opt-In Zoning proposal suffers decisive defeat in committee

Albuquerque’s opt-in zoning proposal suffered a decisive defeat on Wednesday when the City Council’s Land Use, Planning and Zoning Committee voted 4-1 against it after many people spoke in public testimony, most of them neighbors opposed to the plan. The resolution, sponsored by City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn for Mayor Tim Keller, would have let property […]

Posted inHousing & Homelessness

Neighborhood groups clash with City Hall over voluntary zoning changes in Albuquerque

Albuquerque property owners could soon choose to increase housing density on their lots under a proposed resolution heading to committee review this week. Resolution 25-167, the Opt-In Zoning Ordinance, sponsored by City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn for Mayor Tim Keller, would let property owners choose to rezone for higher-density or mixed-use development. The measure goes before […]

Less than 90 days until election day, challengers post weak fundraising numbers in bid to oust Keller

Donations large and small from family members, real estate developers and cannabis companies helped the leading challengers to incumbent Mayor Tim Keller raise a combined $170,000 in just under 30 days, but all of that effort was dwarfed by Keller’s single contribution: a $733,000 contribution from the city’s public financing account. Candidates for all city […]

Posted innm.news

Albuquerque Police: Man “picked out the Uber driver he wanted” before killing driver to let off steam

An 18-year-old Albuquerque man told police he deliberately chose his victim from available Uber drivers before fatally shooting the driver and stealing his car early Thursday morning. According to court documents reviewed by nm.news, police tracked the Uber driver’s vehicle to a home near off of Dennis Chavez Blvd. SW where they located Sheliky Sanchez […]

Posted inHousing & Homelessness

City study reveals housing crisis for Albuquerque’s Native American residents

Nearly three-quarters of Albuquerque’s 25,400 Native American residents cannot afford monthly housing payments of $1,500 or more, according to a groundbreaking three-year city study released Friday that marks the first comprehensive urban Native housing analysis led by a municipal government. The finding creates a stark affordability gap in a city where median home prices currently […]

Sanchez calls for APD to cooperate with federal agents after voting to preserve anti-cooperation law

City Councilor Louie Sanchez says he will require Albuquerque police to cooperate with federal immigration officers if he is elected mayor, despite casting the deciding vote last year on legislation prohibiting police from doing just that. In May of last year, the former Albuquerque police officer turned city councilor surprised many city politics watchers when […]

Posted inNew Mexico, NM State Gov.

Governor plans special session to shield New Mexicans from federal budget cuts

More than 760,000 New Mexicans who rely on Medicaid and food assistance could face benefit cuts or stricter requirements under federal legislation, prompting Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to consider calling lawmakers back to Santa Fe as early as late August. The governor is “likely to call a special session, possibly in late summer or early […]

Posted inHousing & Homelessness

Albuquerque mayoral candidates split on Trump homelessness order threatening $167M in federal funding

Albuquerque mayoral candidates are sharply divided over President Trump’s executive order threatening to cut off federal funding to cities that don’t enforce civil commitment laws for homeless individuals. Signed July 24, the order requires cities to prioritize involuntary treatment for people with mental illness or substance use issues and penalizes those that allow urban camping, […]