A middle ground

The Albuquerque City Council voted down zoning changes that would have allowed townhomes and duplexes in single-family neighborhoods citywide, as well as loosening other regulations.

The measure failed on a 5-4 vote.

Another proposed amendment would loosen requirements for Safe Outdoor Spaces, which are sanctioned homeless encampments on private property. The program has existed for more than three years, but only one site has received a permit due to onerous and expensive requirements.

That measure also failed on a 5-4 vote.

An additional amendment that would have legalized small grocery stores and retailers like bodegas in neighborhoods also failed on a 5-4 vote.

The city councilors who voted against the proposals were Renée Grout, Dan Champine, Dan Lewis, Brook Bassan and Council President Klarissa Peña. The supporting group included Councilors Stephanie Telles, Nichole Rogers, Joaquín Baca and sponsor Tammy Fiebelkorn.

Opposing Councilor Lewis said he voted down the measure on behalf of homeowners in his suburban district who intentionally bought property in less dense parts of town and are against zoning changes.

In contrast, Fiebelkorn said that the current zoning code is discriminatory against low-income residents, saying that single-family zoning only exists to “keep ‘those people’ out of your neighborhood.”

Though a host of zoning changes have been proposed, one change has drawn the most praise and ire.

A push to allow multifamily homes, like townhomes and duplexes, on lots zoned for single-family homes has been amended in, amended out and is said to come back in tonight’s council meeting.

For some, the zoning change is about more than development but the trickle-down effect that the lack of housing causes by worsening poverty and homelessness.

“In my work I see the downstream effects of your policy,” said Brandi Thompson, an emergency room nurse and founder of the Albuquerque chapter of advocacy group Strong Towns. “I see people mowed down on streets designed for speed rather than safety. I see isolation, instability and too many people without shelter.”

Proponents say that removing regulations will create more housing in a city that is estimated to be short tens of thousands of housing units.

However, opponents say that the zoning changes could gentrify and disrupt their neighborhoods.

“This is the American dream,” said public commenter Keith Allen. “People work for 30 or 40 years for a (residential) zoning place. We want to keep those requirements."

Councilors are set to discuss controversial amendments to the Integrated Development Ordinance shortly.

With more than 70 people signed up for public comment on the zoning change and discussion to follow, it's likely to be a long night.

A vote on the measure isn't expected until late in the evening.

Dressed in bright blue tactical gear, Skyline, Albuquerque's local superhero, sat in the council chamber's front row Wednesday.

Skyline recently went viral on social media for assisting homeless people and attending protests while dressed in a head-to-toe superhero outfit and helmet.

Councilor Joaquín Baca briefly interrupted the meeting to give the vigilante Good Samaritan a quick shout-out.

"My teenage sons asked me to give a shoutout to Skyline if he showed up to Council again," Baca said.

Skyline posts his "missions" online, hoping to inspire empathy and mutual aid in the community.

Ahead of Wednesday's City Council meeting, where controversial zoning changes are up for debate, the council chambers are packed with attendees.

The crowd includes proponents and opponents of a change to the city's Integrated Development Ordinance that would change zoning for single-family neighborhoods.

That change would allow duplexes and townhomes to be built in much of the city where previously only single-family homes were allowed.

Supporting councilors have said that the changes are crucial to addressing what they call Albuquerque's "housing crisis."