CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY SIXTH COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. R-25-135 ENACTMENT NO. ________________________
SPONSORED BY: Nichole Rogers, by request
RESOLUTION
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Approving An Amendment To The Boundary Of The Sycamore Metropolitan Redevelopment Area To Include Approximately 5 Additional Adjacent Lots Totaling 0.80+/- Acres (Rogers, by request)
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WHEREAS, the City of Albuquerque (the "City") is a legally and regularly created, established, organized and existing municipal corporation of the State of New Mexico (the "State"); and
WHEREAS, the City desires to promote redevelopment in areas designated as blighted so as to promote neighborhood stabilization by providing affordable housing, convenient services, creating new jobs, upgrading buildings, infrastructure, and housing for such areas and to promote public health, welfare, safety, convenience, and prosperity; and
WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Redevelopment Code, Sections 3-60A-1 through 3-60A-48, New Mexico Statutes Annotated, 1978 Compilation, as amended (the "Act"), states “A municipality shall not prepare a metropolitan redevelopment plan for an area unless the governing body by resolution determined the area to be a slum or a blighted area, or a combination thereof, and designated the area as appropriate for a metropolitan redevelopment project;” and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 30-60A-8 NMSA 1978 of the Metropolitan Redevelopment Code, the Council caused to be twice published in the Albuquerque Journal, a newspaper of general circulation in the metropolitan redevelopment area hereinafter identified, with the last publication no less than 20 days before any hearing on this matter, a notice containing a general description of the proposed metropolitan redevelopment area and date, time and place where the Council will hold public hearings to consider the adoption of this resolution and announcing that any interested party may appear and speak to the issue of the adoption of this Resolution; and
WHEREAS, in 1982, the City of Albuquerque (“City”) and the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency approved a study of blighted areas within the City, and submitted findings and recommendations concerning the area generally located between Central Ave. and Grand Ave., I-25 and University Blvd. and between Central Ave. and Hazeldine Ave., I-25 and Sycamore St.; and
WHEREAS, since the original Sycamore MR Area boundary was established, five lots (the “Subject Area”), generally located just outside the southeast corner of the Area, have become blighted, vacant and increasingly dilapidated; and
WHEREAS, the Subject Area is legally described as: LOTS 7 THRU 11 BLK 64 TERRACE ADD & N 10FT VACATED GOLD AVE; and
WHEREAS, the Subject Area exhibits signs of blight including vacancy, encampments, fire damage, dilapidation, weeds, litter and debris, and having no commercial or residential activity, which impairs the growth and economic vitality of the Sycamore MR Area and the City; and
WHEREAS, in an application dated January 2, 2025, the applicant, Juniper Properties Southwest LLC, a local developer, submitted a complete application to the MRA for a boundary amendment to include the aforementioned Subject Area; and
WHEREAS, based on an analysis of the Subject Area by MRA staff, it was found that the Subject Area suffers from, and is contributing to, blighted conditions and that the redevelopment of the Subject Area is necessary to reduce or eliminate the blight conditions, which is in the interest of the public health, safety, morals, or welfare of the City and its residents; and
WHEREAS, on February 20, 2025, the ADC recommended to City Council that the Subject Area be included within the Sycamore MR Area boundary.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
Section 1. RATIFICATION. All actions not inconsistent with the provisions of this Resolution previously taken by the Council and the officials of the City directed toward approval of the Plan and the Project should be approved and the same hereby are ratified, approved and confirmed.
Section 2. FINDINGS. In accordance with State Statutes Sections § 3-60A-7 and 8, the following findings are made:
1. The applicant’s request includes five lots, located at 1701 Gold St., SE, legally described as Lots 7-11, Block 64, Terrace Addition & the North 10 feet of Vacated Gold Ave. SE, to be designated as blighted and included in the Sycamore Redevelopment Area and Plan.
2. In order to be designated as blighted, the areas/lots must meet the definition of “blighted area” per 3-60A-4, NMSA 1978.
3. As illustrated in the enclosed pictures, the building and land exhibit conditions of blight such as long-term vacancy, fire, vandalism, encampments, and illegal dumping and therefore meet the definition of “blighted area”.
4. Due to the blighted conditions at the subject property the rehabilitation, conservation, slum clearance, redevelopment or development, or a combination thereof, of these areas is in the interest of the public health, safety, morals or welfare of the residents of the city.
5. The City Council, the governing body of the City, after notice and public hearing as required by the Metropolitan Redevelopment Code, duly passed and adopted Council Resolution R-161-1982, which expanded the University Neighborhoods Community Development Area to include the Sycamore Metropolitan Redevelopment Area and established its boundaries, and R-171-1982, which approved the Sycamore Metropolitan Redevelopment Area Plan.
6. The proposed designation advances the goals of the Sycamore Metropolitan Redevelopment Area and Plan by creating new opportunities for the elimination of blighted conditions in this area.
7. Comprehensive Plan goals related to Land Use are furthered by the inclusion of the subject property into the Sycamore Metropolitan Redevelopment Area.
8. Notice of the proposal was published in the Albuquerque Journal, a newspaper of general circulation in the city, on January 25, 2025 and February 1, 2025, which contained a general description of the designated area and the date, time and place of the Albuquerque Development Commission public hearing on February 20, 2025, where public comment could be heard.
9. On February 7, 2025, which was at least 10 days prior to the public hearing as required by Section § 3-60A-8, NMSA 1978, notice was mailed (first class) to property owners of lots subject to designation.
10. As a courtesy, notice was emailed to Neighborhood Associations registered with the City’s Office of Neighborhood Coordination on February 7, 2025, which was at least 10 days prior to the public hearing. These included the District 6 Coalition, Silver Hill and Sycamore Neighborhood Associations.
11. Comments were received as a result of the legal notice and were considered by the ADC and the City Council.
Section 3. Because of their blighted conditions and the findings incorporated in this resolution, the Subject Area is hereby included within the Sycamore Metropolitan Redevelopment Area, and the boundary of said area is hereby amended to include the Subject Area lots with the aforementioned legal descriptions.
Section 4. The MRA is hereby authorized and directed to prepare updates or amendments to the Sycamore Metropolitan Redevelopment Area boundary and Plan which, without limitation, shall seek to eliminate the problems created by the blighted conditions at the Subject Area, and shall conform to any general plan for the City as a whole, and shall be sufficient to indicate the proposed activities to be carried out or encouraged in the area and Plan’s relationship to the defined local objectives respecting land uses, improved traffic patterns and controls, public transportation, public utilities, recreational and community facilities, housing facilities, commercial activities, or enterprises, and other public improvements.
Section 5. REPEALER. All bylaws, orders, resolutions and ordinances, or parts thereof, inconsistent with this Resolution are repealed by this Resolution but only to the extent of that inconsistency. This repealer shall not be construed to revive any bylaw, order, resolution or ordinance, or part thereof, previously repealed.
Section 6. SEVERABILITY. If any section, paragraph, clause, word, or provision of this Resolution shall for any reason be held to be invalid or unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of this resolution.