CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY SIXTH COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. R-25-162 ENACTMENT NO. ________________________
SPONSORED BY: Nichole Rogers
RESOLUTION
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Approving An Amendment To The Boundary Of The Central/Highland/Upper Nob Hill Metropolitan Redevelopment Area To Include 58 Additional Adjacent Lots Totaling 23+/- Acres; Approving A Corresponding Amendment To The Central/Highland/Upper Nob Hill Metropolitan Redevelopment Area Plan (Rogers)
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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, NMSA 1978, Sections 3-60A-1 through 3-60A-48, 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 NMSA 1978, Section 30-60A-8 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 the Council’s 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 2002, the Council designated the Central/Highland Area as blighted (R-82-2002) and, in 2005, approved an expansion to include the Upper Nob Hill Area (R-05-377); and
WHEREAS, since the expansion in 2005, an additional adjacent area, consisting of 58 lots (23 acres+/-), the “Subject Area”, has demonstrated characteristics of blight; and
WHEREAS, the Subject Area includes l with the following Uniform Property Codes (UPC):
101805701329520701, 101805701829520702, 101805701430720709,
101805701831820708, 101805701233421701, 101805701235021708,
101805701237822301, 101805701040623301, 101805701242723317,
101805701246224301, 101805701248825315, 101805701250525313,
101805701251125312, 101805701052025307, 101705752745412211,
101705752844912210, 101705752844412209, 101705752843912208,
101705752843412207, 101705752842912206, 101705752841712204,
101705752840912203, 101705752840412202, 101705752839912201,
101705752738811608, 101705752838211607, 101705752837611606,
101705752735611602, 101705752733611601, 101705752831510806, 101705752830310805, 101705752829910804, 101705751628310802,
101705751429310814, 101705751429910813, 101705751430310812,
101705751531510811, 101705749431910711, 101705749431310710,
101705749430910709, 101705749430410707, 101705749430210722,
101705749430010708, 101705749429310705, 101705748928310704,
101705749927310703, 101705748727310702, 101705747528010719,
101705747929310717, 101705752829310803, 101705749429810706, 101805701831820708CA, 101805702131120706, 101805702130820705, 101805702030420704, 101705752842412205; and
WHEREAS, the Subject Area exhibits characteristics of blight including vacancy, dilapidation, and deterioration of buildings, signage and site infrastructure, inadequate and obsolete platting, weeds, litter, and debris and declining commercial activity, which impairs the growth and economic vitality of this area and the City as a whole; and
WHEREAS, in an application received by MRA on March 21, 2025, the applicant, Council Services on behalf of Councilor Rogers (District 6), requested and justified a boundary amendment to include the aforementioned Subject Area; and
WHEREAS, based on an analysis of the Subject Area, MRA staff found that characteristics of blight are pervasive and that redevelopment of the Subject Area is necessary to reduce or eliminate the blight conditions; and
WHEREAS, redevelopment of the Subject Area might not occur but for the application of MRA incentives and such redevelopment is in the interest of the public health, safety, morals, or welfare of the City and its residents; and
WHEREAS, on May 15, 2025, the Albuquerque Development Commission (the “ADC”) recommended to City Council that the Subject Area be included within the Central/Highland/Upper Nob Hill Metropolitan Redevelopment Area boundary, based on several findings.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
Section 1. RATIFICATION. All actions consistent 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 are hereby ratified, approved, and confirmed.
Section 2. FINDINGS. In accordance with NMSA 1978, Sections 3-60A-7 and 8, the following findings are made:
1. This request is to designate the Subject Area, to include the 58 real property lots(approximately 23 acres), generally located on the east and west sides of San Mateo Boulevard between Copper Avenue and Lomas Boulevard, as blighted, and for inclusion of the lots in the Central/Highland/Upper Nob Hill Metropolitan Redevelopment (MR) Area and Plan, in accordance with Metropolitan Redevelopment Code, NMSA 1978, Chapter 3, Article 60A.
2. The Central/Highland/Upper Nob Hill Metropolitan Redevelopment Area was designated by Council in 2002 (R-82-2002) and the MRA Plan was adopted in 2003 (R-03-230). In 2005, the Council approved an expansion to include the Upper Nob Hill Area (R-05-377).
3. The subject properties meet the definition of a “blighted area” per NMSA 1978, Section 3-60A-4, as demonstrated by analysis and images presented in the Designation Report.
4. Blighted conditions are evident in the area, including aging building stock, vacant and underutilized lots, fragmented and inefficient lot layouts, inadequate pedestrian infrastructure, sidewalk disintegration caused by auto-oriented access points, and broken pavement.
5. Neighboring properties have required redevelopment assistance from the City of Albuquerque, as evidenced by the adoption of R-24-75 (Enactment # R-2024-066), which provided redevelopment tools for rehabilitating the obsolete office tower at 300 San Mateo Blvd. NE.
6. The subject properties are appropriate for inclusion in the Central/Highland/Nob Hill Metropolitan Redevelopment Area and Plan because they are similar in size and development condition to other properties in the Area.
7. Due to the blighted conditions present, the rehabilitation, conservation, clearance of slum conditions, redevelopment, or a combination thereof, is in the interest of public health, safety, morals, and welfare of city residents.
8. Inclusion of the subject properties in the Central/Highland/Upper Nob Hill Area furthers City of Albuquerque Comprehensive Plan goals related to Land Use.
9. Inclusion of the subject properties in the Central/Highland/Upper Nob Hill Area furthers the policies of the Central/Highland/Upper Nob Hill Metropolitan Redevelopment Area Plan by creating opportunities for eliminating blighted conditions.
10. The request does not constitute a substantial change to the approved Central/Highland/Upper Nob Hill Metropolitan Redevelopment Area Plan. The scope and policies of the Central/Highland/Upper Nob Hill Metropolitan Redevelopment Area Plan remain intact with the inclusion of the Subject Area.
11. Notice of the proposal was published in the Albuquerque Journal, a newspaper of general circulation, on April 30, 2025 and May 7, 2025. The notice included a general description of the subject area location and details of the Albuquerque Development Commission’s public hearing on May 15, 2025, where interested parties had the opportunity to comment, in accordance with NMSA 1978, Section 3-60A-8.
12. On April 7, 2025, which was at least 10 days prior to the public hearing as required by NMSA 1978, Section 3-60A-8, notice was mailed (first class) to property owners of lots subject to this proposed designation.
13. On April 7, 2025, which was at least 10 days prior to the public hearing notice was emailed to Neighborhood Associations registered with the City’s Office of Neighborhood Coordination. These included the District 6 Coalition, District 7 Coalition, Fair West, Highland Business, Mile Hi, and Pueblo Alto Neighborhood Associations.
14. Comments received as a result of the legal notice were considered by the ADC.
Section 3. Because of their blighted conditions and the findings incorporated in this resolution, the Subject Area is hereby included within the Central/Highland/Upper Nob Hill Metropolitan Redevelopment Area, and the boundary of said area is hereby amended to include the Subject Area, to include lots with the aforementioned UPCs as illustrated on the map in Section 7.
Section 4. AGIS UPDATE. Within 30 days of Enactment of this Resolution, the Albuquerque Geographic Information System (AGIS) and the City’s Metropolitan Redevelopment Areas map shall be updated to reflect the revised boundaries of the Central/Highland/Upper Nob Hill Metropolitan Redevelopment Area.
Section 5. PRIVATE PROPERTY NOTIFICATION. Within 30 days of Enactment of this Resolution, the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency shall notify all property owners of record for all lots within the Subject Area, via first-class mail, of the new designation. The notification shall include information on how to access a copy of the applicable redevelopment plan, contact information for the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency, and information regarding incentives and programs offered by the Agency and/or available within the Central/Highland/Upper Nob Hill Metropolitan Redevelopment Area.
Section 6. EXHIBIT A. Central/Highland/Upper Nob Hill MRA expansion.
Section 7. PLAN AND BOUNDARY UPDATE. The Central/Highland/Upper Nob Hill Metropolitan Redevelopment Area Plan is hereby amended to include the Subject Area in the boundary in accordance with this Resolution. The Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency is directed to replace the map on page iii of the Plan with the following and renumber the Plan pages accordingly.
Section 8. 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 9. SEVERABILITY. If any section, paragraph, clause, word, or provision of this Resolution is 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. The Council hereby declares that it would have passed this Resolution and each section, paragraph, sentence, clause, word or phrase thereof irrespective of any provision being declared unconstitutional or otherwise invalid.