ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – It’s the end of the road for neighbors fighting the plans to build a huge apartment complex just off Paseo del Norte near the Petroglyphs. Monday night, Mar. 6, the Albuquerque City Council rejected their appeals saying the proposal for the development didn’t violate any rules.
With the three-story and 238-unit apartment complex on the way, neighbors worry both their views of the city and the petroglyphs will soon be gone. “I know development is inevitable but it’s sad,” said Cathy Cable.
The series of appeals started after the city’s Development Review Board (DRB) approved the site plan for the three-story complex near Paseo and Kimmick that would house 238 units. After the city’s planning rules for height and density changed for that neighborhood in 2019, so did the developer’s plans to bump up the building height to 38 feet. That led to more appeals from neighbors, some of which included the Laguna Pueblo and the Westside Coalition of Neighborhood Associations. “Even the open land is pretty, the flatlands are pretty, the deserts are pretty but we won’t see it anymore if I’m contemplating to move,” added Cable.
Neighbors argue the city’s planning department handled the approval improperly saying it needs to review the height and view impacts. But the city says the land use hearing officer was right to recommend denial on their appeals. The LUHO concluded that the appellants did not meet their burden of proof on their claims and did not identify any errors in the DRB’s review of this application.
After a unanimous vote during last night’s city council meeting, the plans to build the apartment complex were approved. Neighbors say they are also concerned about the increased traffic the new development would bring. KRQE reached out to the developer for comment on the neighbors’ concerns but did not hear back.
