Latest news with #MetropolitanRedevelopmentAgency
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
New mixed-income housing project underway in Albuquerque
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Construction is underway for Sol Housing, a new mixed-income apartment complex in Albuquerque. The building called 'SOMOS' is located near Central Ave. and Alcazar St., which is east of Louisiana Blvd. City officials say it is designed to provide affordable housing for older adults and those with accessibility needs. The city said it's part of their Near Heights Metropolitan Redevelopment Plan, which aims to stabilize low-income neighborhoods. The Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency donated the land for the project. Funding came from: $4 million from the New Mexico Housing Trust Fund in the form of a loan; Approximately $1.6 million annually in 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits for 10 years; $5.18 million in HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds from the U.S. Department of Treasury; $158,756 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for infrastructure improvements. The complex will offer 70 homes, 80% of which will be reserved for people age 55 and older. Also, 59 will be income-restricted and 11 will be market-rate units. Construction is expected to be completed in December 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Construction starts at problematic Central Ave. bridge underpass
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – It's been on pause for around a year, but the city is finally restarting work, fixing one of the most notorious stretches of sidewalk in Albuquerque. Story continues below Crime: Parent speaks out after gun found on Albuquerque Public Schools campus Don't Miss: Which ABQ restaurants has Guy Fieri visited on 'Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives'? National: Pope Leo XIV celebrates first Mass, calls his election both a cross and a blessing It's been around for almost 100 years, but these days, not a lot of people dare to walk under the railroad tracks on Central Ave. because of problems with campers, drug use, and vandalism. The revamp to fix that is now kicking into high gear. The first step in fixing the downtown portion of the ongoing 'Rail Trail' project is to replace the Central Ave. underpass with a new pedestrian bridge and crossing ramps. 'People for years have crossed at an underpass there, or maybe you've ridden your car under the bridge. We'll now have two ramps that take you up and over that bridge area,' said Terry Brunner, Director of the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency. On Friday, crews started removing unused railroad tracks at the Central Ave. crossing, where eventually people will be able to walk over. In the coming weeks, they'll pour concrete to form a new 18 to 22-foot-wide ramp up to the bridge, alongside the Alvarado bus station. The updates also include an interactive 'Neon Tumbleweed' art piece that lights up at night.'It's going to provide a lot of very interesting shadowing images, and like I said, we would have images on the pavement that people can ride their bike over, they'll be able to ride and walk through the middle of the sculpture,' said Brunner. Albuquerque City Councilor Joaquín Baca said the project is a big deal. 'Whether you know it's people walking between businesses, between hotels, whether it's people biking across connected to the rail trails or other bike trails. Just general business being able to walk back and forth, it's going to have a huge, huge impact,' said Baca. Some people at the station on Friday said they're also excited for the change, saying the old underpass was not ideal. 'Because it's really hard right now to get to it, you only have one area to get here. If they open up the bridge over here, it's going to give us more access,' said Danny Hardage, train rider. 'Very dangerous down there because there was homeless people staying under there, and at night you didn't know who you were going to run into,' said Matthew Cordova, train rider. The city said the project is estimated to cost between $16 and $18 million. That money is a combination of city and state funding. ABQ Ride said the construction work will also impact at least three of their routes along Central and First Street, starting the week of May 19. To see what routes will be impacted, you can visit their website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Is there progress being made on major housing developments in southeast Albuquerque?
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The city has given some nice tax breaks to four big housing projects in southeast Albuquerque, but months down the line, some of those projects have yet to see much work. Almost all of these projects are located on Central Ave., many of which have funding to start but still have more permitting, hiring, and funding challenges to meet. Story continues below Education: 'Distraction-Free Bill' to curb cell phone use in schools set to go into effect Crime: Santa Fe man accused of killing wife during an argument Resources: How New Mexico families can get money for groceries this summer 'We've had a huge historic underinvestment in this area, and absolutely, before things get more expensive or the landscape gets more uncertain, it's time to act and do what we have to do now,' said Nichole Rodgers, Albuquerque City Councilor. She is pushing to get more housing in her district, including four projects for which the city already approved redevelopment tax breaks that could collectively save millions. 'These all happen to be kind of off the Central corridor, which is really nice to see, too. That's very important for access to the art transit route and reinvigorating central a bit in preparation for the centennial,' said Terry Brunner, Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency Director, CABQ. But each of those projects still has a long way to go, including the 'SOMOS' development, which will mix affordable apartments with commercial space at Central Ave. near Louisiana Blvd. The developer, Sol Housing, said their permits and contractor are set, but they need nearly $5 million to close the gap. 'Our target date is kind of early May, so hopefully within 30 days we should be breaking ground and going vertical,' said Felipe Rael, executive director of Sol Housing. Another project, the Highlands Central Market and Residence Inn, would be across from Presbyterian Hospital with a food hall and long-stay hotel. Titan development is still working on permits. 'This one is really about local economy, business development, economic development,' said Rogers. Near Nob Hill, the 16-unit Garfield townhomes have started utility work. Meanwhile, one of two towers on San Mateo near Central Ave. is looking for contractors before work begins to convert offices to apartments. 'These are out-of-state developers that are kind of new to the New Mexico market, so we want to get them in the game as soon as possible. And those towers are also something that the community is just really interested in seeing get done,' said Brunner. Across the four projects, if they come to fruition as planned, the city says it will add around 313 new units of housing. None of the projects has solid dates so far for completion. A funding boost for the 70-unit SOMOS project is slated for city council review next week. Developers are looking for $6 million from federal grants. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City leaders seek compromise for Rail Trail, Westside Indoor Sports Complex funding
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A recent Albuquerque City Council decision has put a portion of funding for the Rail Trail project in jeopardy. Now, city leaders are aiming to reach a compromise. 'One of the strong things we have is this bike community, and building up this infrastructure; I just think it's a positive thing,' said Cyndy Bowra, a local bicyclist. It's the latest shakeup in the progress toward building one of the biggest projects in Albuquerque, a 7-mile-long multi-use trail in the heart of the city called the Rail Trial. 'A $500,000 cut by the City Council really hurts,' said Terry Brunner, Director for Albuquerque's Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency. 2 high school students receive Navajo Nation Bilingual Seal of Proficiency The Rail Trail project is already under construction near the Sawmill District. However, earlier this week, councilors voted to move half a million dollars from the project to fund the Ken Sanchez Westside Indoor Sports Complex. Mayor Tim Keller vetoed that decision. 'I'm a cyclist here in Albuquerque and I strongly support all the trails that we are doing here,' Bowra explained. The city says they plan on introducing a new piece of legislation in hopes of reaching a compromise that would fund both projects. 'Hopefully, by the end of the summer, into the early fall of 2025, we'll have people traversing this trail from Tiguex Park over to Sawmill Market,' says Terry Brunner, Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency Director. Black History Month celebrated at Electric Playhouse According to the city's Government Affairs Office, councilors would first need to uphold Mayor Keller's veto with a majority vote, which would free up the $500,000 for use. The city could then reappropriate the $500,000 back toward the Rail Trail, and another $500,000 for the sports complex. 'The extra $500,000 would come from city council neighborhood set-asides,' said Government Affairs Official, Josh Anderson. While city leaders debate on how the funding should be used, the next part of the Rail Trail could soon come to life near the downtown Alvarado Station on Central. According to the city, they have 90% of the design for that portion of the trail complete and are waiting for the green light from the state to begin construction. 'We're starting construction any day now to remove one of those railroad tracks to give us a little bit wider berth,' Brunner added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mayor vetoes measure that would reallocate funding from the Rail Trail
Feb. 20—Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller vetoed a City Council vote Thursday that would redirect 1.5% of the funding for an urban trail to a sports complex. The Rail Trail is a seven-mile urban trail the city broke ground on last August and has been allocated nearly $40 million. Councilors on Feb. 3 voted 8-1 on an amendment to reallocate $500,000 from the project to be used for the Ken Sanchez sports complex on the West Side. "It's really important that the mayor stand up for this project. We need to have money in hand to start construction," said Terry Brunner, Keller's chief of staff and director of the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency, which is overseeing the project. "We can't come to the table with money that hasn't materialized yet. That makes funding a construction project pretty difficult." The City Council would need a 6-3 vote to overturn the mayor's veto and Keller acknowledged that with the support on the amendment, it was possible his veto could be overturned. "We would have to get really creative and find money in a source we haven't found it in yet. So it would put us in a difficult spot," Brunner said of a possible veto override. Councilor Louie Sanchez — who introduced the vetoed amendment — declined to comment about the veto Thursday. Council President Brook Bassan did not respond to a request for comment. The Rail Trail was designed by New Mexico-based architect Antoine Predock, who died in March, shortly after finishing the design. The project broke ground in August, starting at the Sawmill corridor and is expected to be completed in 2028. Brunner said the reallocation of funds would stall the construction of a pedestrian ramp that would cross Central. "The mayor wants to show through his veto that he's 100% committed to getting the Rail Trail done and done as quickly as possible," Brunner said. Councilor Dan Lewis, a vocal critic of the Keller administration, said, "The mayor seems to have forgotten that the council approves the budget and spending." "This is nothing but misinformation from the mayor's office. Both of these projects are funded by the council," he said. While blocking the council amendment, Keller said he is seeking a middle ground to get state funding instead for the sports complex. "We've been working with the council, and I think they're coming around to the fact that there's just a better way to do all this funding, including working with folks in the Roundhouse and get some capital outlay," Keller told the Journal in an interview Thursday. The council's aim to reallocate funding isn't the only hiccup the project could face. More than $14 million of the project's funding is federal and was secured during President Joe Biden's administration. In his first few weeks in office, President Donald Trump has slashed and frozen federal spending. "We don't see any reason for impact to those funds, but I know there's just so much uncertainty right now with D.C.," Keller said. Concerned that the federal grant environment is changing and the funds might be less accessible, Brunner said, "We're really working hard to get them in hand as quickly as possible." The Rail Trail is estimated to cost anywhere from $60 million to $90 million in total.
