OPINION: Council was correct to reject forced upzoning

On Feb. 18, the Albuquerque City Council voted 5 to 4 to reject a series of amendments Mayor Tim Keller sought to the city’s zoning laws, mandating upzoning in all established residential areas of the city. The debate highlighted and exposed the public’s tensions between those wanting to increase density to boost housing supply and those concerned about preserving neighborhood character.

Voting to reject were counselors Klarissa Peña, Dan Lewis, Renée Grout, Dan Champine and Brook Bassan. Voting in favor were councilors Tammy Fiebelkorn, Nichole Rogers, Joaquín Baca and Stephanie Telles. Activists continue with aggressive efforts demanding citywide upzoning by disparaging city councilors who voted to reject upzoning and actively opposing their reelection.

A study by Root Policy Research found that Albuquerque is 13,000 to 28,000 housing units short of meeting the existing housing demand for low-income residents. City Planning claims existing zoning restrictions contribute to exclusionary patterns limiting housing options for lower-income households. The goal is to double or triple the city’s housing inventory of 120,000 homes to increase affordable housing.

The proposed amendments mandated upzoning of all existing residential properties to increase density to allow casita, duplex development, townhouse and apartment development in established neighborhoods. The upzoning would allow existing homes to be converted into retail establishments known as “bodegas,” ignoring the risk that they  would be magnets for crime. Parking requirements would be reduced to enable denser occupancy. All existing rights of adjoining property owners or neighborhood associations to prevent upzoning would have been abolished.

The term affordable housing is a false narrative. When the term “affordable housing” is used by elected officials, investors and developers, what they mean is “subsidized government housing.” It is a term often used by politicians, elected officials and developers to promote their own political agendas to secure government funding and support for their development projects.

The proposed amendments by Keller and the four city councilors mandating upzoning were a pathetic attempt to address the city’s “housing crisis.” They argue that “flooding the market” with more housing will result in making more affordable housing available for sale or rent. They argue existing property owners want and can afford to build on their own properties whether they own their home outright or if there is a mortgage. Their arguments are false and misleading. They simply ignore market forces motivated by profits that will only benefit investment developers and that will lead to neighborhood gentrification.

Construction costs are consistent when it comes to building a new house or adding a free-standing casita or converting a residence to a duplex or town home. There is no differentiation between the basic construction costs to construct “affordable housing” and other types of housing. According to the Homebuilders Digest, construction costs covering everything from materials to the actual construction average between $175 to $225 per square foot. To remodel or add 750 square feet would therefore carry a cost of $131,000 to $168,750, amounts only developers and investors can afford.

Under the property tax code, taxable value of a property is 33.3% of the assessed value and may not rise more than 3% per year unless the property changes ownership, is improved or is rezoned. Upzoning would result in the Bernalillo County assessor increasing property values and increasing property taxes.

Upzoning efforts are nothing more than giving investment speculators and developers carte blanche to buy up residential properties to destroy existing neighborhoods by increasing density leading to gentrification. Keller and the City Council need to keep their hands off neighborhoods. They need to seek better and more informed ways to create affordable housing.