Jun. 12—Bernalillo County is using $3 million in state grant funding to purchase property for future affordable housing projects, according to county spokeswoman Melissa Smith.

The county had two state grants to acquire land for affordable housing — one for $550,000 and one for $2.45 million.

On Tuesday, the Bernalillo County Commission approved spending $725,274 to buy land at the corner of Fourth Street NW and Vineyard NW and authorized buying land at 10705 Central NE for $560,000.

During the May 14 commission meeting, the commissioners approved buying two other properties with the same goal: a plot at 704 Wyoming NE for $1.1 million and a property at the northwest corner of Alvarado SE and Acoma for $498,000.

The four purchases will use the majority of the grant dollars, and there are no plans for future land bank purchases at this time, Smith said.

Affordable housing is a priority for the commission, as reflected by its 2024 state legislative priorities, which labeled support for housing initiatives as the commission’s top priority.

At the same May 14 meeting, the commissioners also approved $400,000 in American Rescue Plan Act dollars to purchase property at 317 Wyoming NE to develop the site into open space for community urban agriculture.