ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – In an effort to entice developers to build homes in downtown Albuquerque, city councilors are proposing a resolution that would make it easier to put up new housing in the heart of the city.
“Whether you want a house or an apartment, there is just not enough housing for anybody,” said city councilor Joaquin Baca, sponsor of the resolution. With the resolution, Councilor Baca is hopeful it will spur developers to build more housing downtown. “It opens up the door for all types of housing,” Councilor Baca explained.
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The proposed bill would create a two-year policy requiring the city’s planning department to prioritize permit applications for permanent housing development. These applications would go through the FasTrax program, a quicker and more efficient approval process compared to other land-use application processes. “It would streamline, or fast-track is a better term, any developments for housing downtown or along major corridors such as Central,” Councilor Baca added.
Any fees normally attached to the program would also be waived. Baca says mixed-use housing, like the ones already located downtown is the kind of development the area needs. “Ideally this is what we’d get more of,” Councilor Baca said. “You have housing there, you have a grocery store, you have a pharmacy, I mean it’s an anchor to a neighborhood.”
If an applicant is not approved through the proposed policy, they will then move through the normal approval process, which is “first come, first served”. It’s unclear how much time or money developers would save through this application process as of now. However, there are systems in place to keep track of how well the program does moving forward.
“These numbers have to be tracked and reported back to city council every 6 months,” Councilor Baca said. The resolution is expected to be introduced to city council next week.
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