The city of Albuquerque has approved its first application for a "safe outdoor space" encampment that will house up to 50 residents, the maximum allowed under law, KOB 4 reported.
The application was submitted by the newly formed corporation called Dawn Legacy Pointe for an encampment at 1250 Menaul NE, a parcel just west of Interstate 25 and approved by the city's planning department.
The application was opposed by the Santa Barbara Martineztown Neighborhood Association.
“The association is tired of the discrimination and racism toward the neighborhood," Loretta Naranjo Lopez said in a recent statement. "The city has imposed on the residents' methadone clinics, crime, property destruction and filthiness throughout the neighborhood. The residents and their properties have been under threat for a long time. This needs to stop now.”
The Santa Barbara Martineztown Neighborhood Association sent a letter to Family and Community Services Director Carol Pierce on July 24 expressing outrage as the proposal was not discussed with them.
“The Santa Barbara Martineztown Neighborhood Association (SBMTNA) was informed that you attended a westside neighborhood meeting and informed them about providing homeless outdoor spaces in or near their area and the Martineztown Santa Barbara boundaries at 1250 Menaul NE," the letter said. "This location is at the corner of Menaul NE and the Frontage Road. This news was disturbing because your office has never approached us to discuss this proposal.”
According to the letter, the Santa Barbara Martineztown Neighborhood Association has been discriminated against by the city when it comes to providing the single-family dwellings the correct R-1 zoning, preserving their historical residential single-family dwellings and programs and services for the youth and elderly in the neighborhood. The neighborhood has faced many safety issues with homeless persons in their neighborhood, including monthly burglaries and auto thefts, and their park has been destroyed multiple times.
According to community activist and former city council member Pete Dinelli, there is a vacant building and at least three large vacant lots located at 1250 Menaul, NE. A recent article in the Albuquerque Journal reported the address of the homeless encampment, however it did not report the surrounding businesses nor the school in the area, which is less than a half mile from the location and holds sixth to 12th graders.
A consultant for the project at 1250 Menaul NE said the site could be ready for tenants in the next 30 to 45 days, the Journal reported.
It will cost an estimated $120,000 to $180,000 to operate safe outdoor spaces in its first year, which will fall on Albuquerque taxpayers, Dinelli said. Though the project’s budget is not final, the city of Albuquerque is planning to help cover the operating costs, according to Family and Community Services Director Carol Pierce, Dinelli wrote, referencing the Journal article.
Three other applications for more homeless encampments are currently awaiting review and the city council is nearing a vote on legislation intended to outlaw them, the Journal reported.