Affordable housing goal of Bernalillo project

This rendering shows how Bernalillo’s 40-year-old affordable-housing project homes look now and how they will look when rehabilitated under a proposed project. (COURTESY OF SANTA FE CIVIC HOUSING AUTHORITY)

BERNALILLO — The town of Bernalillo’s growing population and slow pace of new homebuilding has put pressure on young families seeking an affordable place to live.

Town leaders are hoping a project that will revamp and expand a 40-year-old housing project will help ease the situation.

“It’s just the tip of the iceberg, but we’re making a concerted effort to keep people in Bernalillo,” Mayor Jack Torres said. “It’s better to have them living and working in the community than having to commute.”

Bernalillo councilors recently approved an ordinance establishing an affordable-housing program after a recent study conducted for the town by Albuquerque-based Sites Southwest concluded that Bernalillo had a lower median-income level and a higher percentage of people living in poverty than the rest of Sandoval County.

The study quoted U.S. Census Bureau figures, which show the town’s population grew 26 percent from 2000 to 2010. It also showed the median household income in Bernalillo was $39,167 compared with $57,158 for the rest of the county.

Meanwhile, housing prices in the town are higher than in nearby Rio Rancho. The Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors 2012 report on the housing market showed the average home sales price in Bernalillo was $244,841 compared with $202,538 in north Rio Rancho.

“There’s not a lot of inventory available in the price range that young families or working families can afford,” Torres said.

He believes the income and pricing mismatch is leading young families to chose homes in Rio Rancho instead of their own town.

The town has hired Santa Fe Civic Housing Authority to manage its affordable-housing program and the organization’s first major plan is to tackle the 1970s-era housing project at 857 Calle los Mayores near Rotary Park. The plan includes renovating 68 of the 76 homes, modernizing kitchens and bathrooms and adding energy-efficient features such as solar electric-generating panels and water-wise landscaping. The remaining homes would be demolished to improve street access to homes, said Santa Fe Civic Executive Director Ed Romero.

The plan also includes refurbishing a community center and building 30 additional homes, some of which would be designed for seniors.

The project hinges on funding via a federal program overseen by the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority.

Santa Fe Civic has applied for funding through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program that provides federal tax credits to companies or institutions that invest in the project.

The organization has successfully used the program for three affordable housing projects in Santa Fe.