The Albuquerque City Council on Monday also unanimously upheld the approval by the Development Review Board of an apartment project at Paseo del Norte and Kimmick NW. The neighbors and various other groups, including Laguna Pueblo, were appealing the approval based upon all the usual NIMBY reasons. Below is KRQE's report about the project and the city council's vote on Monday night. Hopefully this doesn't end up in the courts. The good news is that it looks like work is already underway for the project. Hopefully the developer continues to move quickly!
https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerqu...w-development/
Quote:
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – It’s the end of the road for neighbors fighting the plans to build a huge apartment complex just off Paseo del Norte near the Petroglyphs. Monday night, Mar. 6, the Albuquerque City Council rejected their appeals saying the proposal for the development didn’t violate any rules.
With the three-story and 238-unit apartment complex on the way, neighbors worry both their views of the city and the petroglyphs will soon be gone. “I know development is inevitable but it’s sad,” said Cathy Cable.
The series of appeals started after the city’s Development Review Board (DRB) approved the site plan for the three-story complex near Paseo and Kimmick that would house 238 units. After the city’s planning rules for height and density changed for that neighborhood in 2019, so did the developer’s plans to bump up the building height to 38 feet. That led to more appeals from neighbors, some of which included the Laguna Pueblo and the Westside Coalition of Neighborhood Associations. “Even the open land is pretty, the flatlands are pretty, the deserts are pretty but we won’t see it anymore if I’m contemplating to move,” added Cable.
Neighbors argue the city’s planning department handled the approval improperly saying it needs to review the height and view impacts. But the city says the land use hearing officer was right to recommend denial on their appeals. The LUHO concluded that the appellants did not meet their burden of proof on their claims and did not identify any errors in the DRB’s review of this application.
After a unanimous vote during last night’s city council meeting, the plans to build the apartment complex were approved. Neighbors say they are also concerned about the increased traffic the new development would bring. KRQE reached out to the developer for comment on the neighbors’ concerns but did not hear back.
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These people are really ridiculous. I absolutely detest NIMBYs. Never mind that their own homes have already spoiled the land and ruined the views. They are such hypocrites and selfish pigs. They can move in and live somewhere, but nobody else can.
Here's the layout and renderings for the project. I had posted them a few months ago over at SSC but never got around to posting them here.
Another large apartment project by a national company in this same area was recently revealed in filings before the Development Hearing Officer. Thompson Thrift will enter the New Mexico market and is proposing to build a 300-unit project along Avenida de Jaimito NW between Unser and Paseo del Norte.
Here are a couple of renderings for recently announced projects by Thompson Thrift in Kansas City and Colorado Springs. They are practically indistinguishable, but they give an idea of what we might see proposed here in Albuquerque. Of course, we may see a more Southwestern design here. The Kansas City project will also have 300 units. The Colorado Springs project will have 265 units.
I'm sure the local NIMBYs are gonna come out against this project as well. They're gonna have their plates full, because there are even more projects proposed for the area.
The Universe View Subdivision will have 196 apartments, 162 townhome lots, and over 29,000 sq ft of commercial space. It will be located at Universe and Rosa Parks NW. I'm unsure of whether the townhomes will be for sale or rentals.
Another project in this area that I know will be rental townhomes is the MX at Petroglyph. It will be located at Kimmick and Rosa Parks NW and will have 28 units.
Finally, a 325-unit rental townhome community is planned at Paseo del Norte and Woodmont NW. The project was before the Development Review Board last year.