Albuquerque Mayor and City Council Accused of Selling Out Neighborhoods in Sweeping Zoning Overhaul
In a biting opinion column, Pete Dinelli argues that Mayor Tim Keller and the Albuquerque City Council sold out local neighborhoods by enacting the controversial “Better Neighborhoods” package.
Passed on a narrow 5-4 vote following a two-week push without committee hearings or community discussion, the legislation reshapes how residents can challenge development projects across the city. The package consists of two ordinances and two memorials.
The most contentious measure in the package is Ordinance O-26-61. Signed into law by Mayor Keller, the ordinance eliminates formal city recognition of neighborhood coalitions and eliminates automatic development notices to them. It also eliminates the requirement for developers to act in good faith and cooperate with the neighborhoods they seek to develop in, while stripping these coalitions of standing to appeal projects.
Thirteen neighborhood associations will now lose city recognition or will have to kick out their county neighbors as members. Republican councilors Dan Lewis, Dan Champine, and Renee Grout joined with Democrats Stephanie Telles and Tammy Fiebelkorn to pass the measure. Voting against the ordinance were Democratic City Council President Klarissa Peña, Democratic councilors Joaquín Baca and Nichole Rogers, and Republican Brook Bassan.
Mayor Keller signed O-26-61 into law, arguing that neighborhood coalitions were legally representing neighborhood associations without their consent, a justification Dinelli rejects in his critique.
Increased Appeal Fees and State Interventions Threaten Local Voice
The legislative package also includes Ordinance O-26-60, which increases fees for appealing certain projects. The measure hikes filing fees to $300 for anyone appealing a development application that was denied, and $1,000 for appealing an approved project.
Compounding these financial hurdles, the council enacted two memorials sponsored by Dan Lewis. While these memorials do not officially end Albuquerque’s Home Rule authority, they undercut the “quasi legal” review process for appeals within the city by inviting the New Mexico Legislature to define who has standing and the right to appeal developments. Dinelli argues this move clears the way for fast-tracked developments while making it much harder and far more expensive for regular people to have a voice in how their neighborhoods develop.
Established and historical neighborhoods will bear the brunt of these changes. When a new apartment complex or commercial development is proposed in neighborhoods that will have a detrimental impact, individual property owners often look to neighborhood coalitions to help appeal or challenge the projects because the individuals do not have the financial resources of their own to oppose developers. By dismantling these coalitions and raising appeal fees, the city has tilted the playing field in favor of the development, real estate and investment community.
