Latest news with #MetropolitanRedevelopmentAgency
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
City of Albuquerque looking for input from business owners about downtown parking
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – There might be plenty of high-rise parking garages, but there are still plenty of complaints about a lack of downtown parking. Now, the City of Albuquerque is asking for ideas on how to fix it. 'That's kind of a big debate amongst the public and our businesses. Some folks think there's not enough parking and some think there's too much,' said Director of Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency Terry Brunner. Story continues below New Mexico Crime Files: Grocery store worker hands out semen-tainted yogurt Film: These productions were filmed at White Sands. Have you seen them? New Mexico News Insiders: Who Will Fix New Mexico's Mental Health Problems? News: Governor's Office: Operation Zia Shield is different than situation in California The city hopes to soon settle that debate by getting answers about what is or is not working with downtown parking. Now in the middle of their first major parking survey in almost a decade, the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency said there are plenty of gaps the city needs to fill in for drivers. 'They want to know about pricing, they want to know about safety. About convenience and when parking is available and where it's available,' said Brunner. The action comes as part of the Downtown 2050 Redevelopment Plan. There are at least 21,000 parking spaces downtown, but the city said a big part of the issue comes down to how and where people like to park. 'We're looking at also trying to understand what people's desires are around walking and parking to understand how far away they're willing to park from a place that they want to go,' added Brunner. After conducting a public survey, next week the city will get feedback from downtown businesses and organizations virtual meetings on Monday June 16 at 4 p.m. and Tuesday at 12 p.m. It's something local performing arts center, FUSION, hopes to weigh in on. 'The more parking we have, the more people will come downtown. We have parking, we just need to better utilize it,' said Executive Director of FUSION, Dennis Gromelski. Another priority, adding more way-finding kiosks downtown to help get people to places they can easily park and eat. There will be another meeting next week about that topic. The downtown parking study should be done by summer. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- 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.
