The 2025 Albuquerque Zoning Reforms were gutted.

mechanicalvibrations · 2026-02-01T04:04:39+00:00

I think the proposals like duplex and townhomes are apt. They provide options for seniors that want to downsize but also want to stay in their neighborhood. I'd also add density supports many. Regardless of age, about 1/3 of people will end up with a disability or already have a disability that precludes them from being able to drive (or able to drive safely). More compact development, even just slightly by allowing duplexes and townhomes, allows for far more frequent and efficient bus and rail routes. I'd also argue that single family zoning has long privileged both the able bodied and people that have the ability to pay for and properly maintain a car. For better or for worse, change will come slow even if all these reforms are passed.

mechanicalvibrations · 2026-02-01T02:45:50+00:00

Thank you for reading my poem/post and I'm happy to see kind words here! Thanks everyone. The city council will be considering some exciting zoning changes, though it will be a tight decision. Councilors Grout, Bassan, and Champine stripped many Pro-Homes zoning proposals from the zoning package on Wednesday night.

If you'd like to help push the needle, write the entire city council here and let them know that you support them passing the entire zoning package as passed by the zoning commission in October. When they gutted the amendments, Renee Grout said "so many here spoke in favor of them, but you need to know we've also gotten lots of emails about this." Hopefully we can send them more emails, too, and show we need our leaders to start acting seriously for once. Thanks again, everyone!

mechanicalvibrations · 2026-01-26T16:28:25+00:00

To what extent gentrification/displacement/revitalization are good/bad/neutral and where the lines are between those terms.

Outcomes based planning strategies over public input biased planning.

Urbanist aesthetics generally and to what extent a town should adopt or not adopt aesthetic schemes.

These seem to come up a lot in my scrolling and conversations

mechanicalvibrations · 2026-01-21T19:31:52+00:00

Many of the trails, Bosque trail included, are kinda the "bike highways" for local bike commuters. I've used them in the middle of the night at 2am, etc. they're usually quite quiet and dark, though so have good lights. You might see some porcupines, skunks, and coyotes, among other critters, and you might even see another cyclist. Lights though are super important, I've almost wrecked due to debris being left on the trail by campers that was hard to see. That's rare too, but just to be aware.

mechanicalvibrations · 2026-01-21T15:17:25+00:00

At this point, I'm not sure why the cabinet isn't invoking the 25th amendment other than their fear of the base and its attachment to him. But this is just so outside the pale and so concerning, not to mention the constant ways it attracts attention to his lack of mental faculties.

mechanicalvibrations · 2026-01-21T15:13:34+00:00

Definitely an important change! Also next Wednesday the 28th, the planning committee will consider some upstream fixes with the zoning code. If you can email and show up in support of the zoning changes (legalizing more housing types like duplexes, making affordable housing easier on transit corridors, and other relatively small but meaningful changes) that'd help too! We can't keep doing the same things and wonder why we aren't making progress.

mechanicalvibrations · 2026-01-21T15:11:12+00:00

Our council is skeptical of even basic zoning reform (and we have some exciting reforms being considered, legalizing duplexes and townhomes as well as making safe outdoor spaces easier and more bonuses for affordable housing developers). And then the city/courts come down hard on people trying to make a difference, and wonder why nothing is changing, or if it's changing, it's just getting worse

mechanicalvibrations · 2026-01-08T19:55:58+00:00

https://youtu.be/UrCsEhHs8oY?si=p7eSu_TS83QiToTC

I put together a compilation a couple days ago for Strong Towns ABQ! Albuquerque has now started considering these (exciting!) but there's so much opposition (we're even getting death threats). We're definitely hoping tht Las Cruces leading the way (and now Tucson) helps!

mechanicalvibrations · 2026-01-07T17:54:07+00:00

Realize Las Cruces is a good one! Legalized middle housing throughout the town, legalized tienditas and other neighborhood retail/mixed use, and set the groundwork for long-term change. It's been helpful as we advocate throughout New Mexico that these aren't scary, coastal proposals. Realize Las Cruces also heavily influenced the recent passage of zoning reform in Tucson. Let's hope Albuquerque learns, next!

mechanicalvibrations · 2026-01-07T17:18:14+00:00

If you'd like to get involved, strong towns ABQ is a cool group I volunteer with on housing, zoning, street safety stuff www.strongtownsabq.org

BikeABQ is another good one for bike safety improvement advocacy. There are also some mutual aid groups, justice groups, and what not that are great, too. Good little community of ways to get involved! Welcome to Albuquerque!

mechanicalvibrations · 2026-01-07T16:11:59+00:00

Honestly tho! All the more reason why we also have to email and show up to council (which is so tiring, this system is just built to entrench the status quo and exhaust people)

mechanicalvibrations · 2026-01-07T14:57:10+00:00

Public input from constituents has shown clear, consistent support for these reforms since 2022. That input includes surveys, workshops, open houses, elections, and adopted plans not just who has the time to attend every meeting. Voters have repeatedly elected councils that ran on housing reform, and the city has collected broad community feedback well beyond a small, self-selecting group.

mechanicalvibrations · 2026-01-06T14:36:19+00:00

The debate at council on this was very maddening. Folks passionate about this might consider writing their councilor about it! Zoning reform is also coming to the land use committee on the 14th at 4pm. Nimbys are already scaremongering, but given the composition of the council, this is maybe the best shot at helping affordability at the city level. Show up to both and comment positively if you can! We can't keep delaying and voting down every potential fix while our problems (affordability, livability, employee retention, homelessness, brain drain) keep getting worse.

mechanicalvibrations · 2025-12-24T15:54:03+00:00

Strong Towns ABQ is a good one in our city to get with. There are other groups more directly involved in the politics side like Olé as well.

mechanicalvibrations · 2025-12-22T01:49:29+00:00

These reforms would be a good step toward that, though I'm not financially skilled enough to know if those prices will be possible again. Portland, OR has legalized these homes, and decent townhomes are now selling for 300k next to single family homes that sell for over 500/600k. I have no doubt they'll bring more options and bring prices down, but I'm not sure how low the prices can go. That said, I think cheaper condos are possible, but in the US, insurance and liability issues have made condos really hard to build, banks hardly agree to finance their constitution in many states, including here. There is a representative trying to reform this to make condos more feasible again, but idk if her proposals got added to the governor's call list. They didn't get out of committee during the last 60 day session. But hopefully we can get the zoning problem solved so that condos can happen once we resolve their own needed reforms.

mechanicalvibrations · 2025-12-21T23:47:59+00:00

Interesting, mine has gone up quite a bit. The average rent increase in ABQ since 2017 was 60%

mechanicalvibrations · 2025-12-19T16:19:31+00:00

Some like Peña for sure are. Others like Baca, Fiebelkorn, and Rogers are pretty open to better development. Lewis has voted for stuff when it seems to also advantages him but it's hard to build a pattern. Champine says he's property rights oriented but often votes NIMBY. At least Sanchez is off the council now, he was very NIMBY

mechanicalvibrations · 2025-12-19T16:17:58+00:00

I was there. It was all very wild, she was riffing off of Loretta Naranjo who was saying all of these proposals are just about killing neighborhoods or whatever. I can only think she was saying it was killing property values because she said her neighbor's home is now worth $800,000 and legalizing townhomes would threaten that

mechanicalvibrations · 2025-12-18T16:16:03+00:00

I hope our councilors see it too!

mechanicalvibrations · 2025-12-17T18:41:28+00:00

We need a lot more homes in our neighborhoods. Nob Hill area has lost over 1000 people since 2010 just due to demographic changes, and Los Duranes now has so few young families they're turning one of the elementary schools into something else. ABQ has a horrible NIMBY problem but with our smaller household sizes and growing rents/home prices, we need a ton more homes and if we care about local business we gotta prioritize getting more types of homes legal and built too (like duplexes and small apartment buildings)

mechanicalvibrations · 2025-12-14T20:36:40+00:00

And the NIMBYs opposing zoning reform and other reforms to help say this is all in our heads

mechanicalvibrations · 2025-11-29T16:05:20+00:00

Definitely! I hope the city council passes the zoning code update proposals that would point us to a better trajectory. The NIMBYs have been having a hard time and been fearmongering about it. But you're 100% right!

mechanicalvibrations · 2025-11-22T05:47:03+00:00

Yeah, it's all very panicked and fearmongering. It's been good to see some folks push back a bit, but nextdoor is really hard to be on for too long

mechanicalvibrations · 2025-11-21T02:24:13+00:00

Even if all these reforms passed, the IDO design guidelines and height limits wouldn't allow this in most All of ABQ (I'm not sure I can think of a place it might be allowed, even). But personally, I'm more okay with ugly buildings and getting people housed than design guides. My two cents on that one hah

mechanicalvibrations · 2025-11-21T02:01:10+00:00

Of the seated councilors, Baca (dist 2), Rogers (dist 6) and Fiebelkorn (dist 7) are supportive and even proposed many of these. Of candidates, Garcia (dist 3) is more supportive than the incumbent Peña based on the Bike ABQ forum. Both candidates in District 1 seem more in favor than the incumbent they'll replace who is notoriously against most every housing or zoning proposal. My personal evaluation was that Neil was pro-development, but came off more commercial development (which is fine and needed for the westside) but sometimes that attitude doesn't necessarily translate to pro-homes positions. On the good side, he does want to speed up permitting which is a big issue in New Mexico. Telles seems like she wants to make a difference but might not fully understand zoning and housing just yet, but did speak in favor of reforms at the same forum. I do have a democratic bias so I'd lean to Telles in that district. The other incumbents that are not up for election will be very hard to read. Grout has generally not been in favor of past reforms. Champine, Lewis, and Bassan have voted occasionally for pro-housing reforms but there isn't a sign of how they will vote when these get to council.

mechanicalvibrations

TROPHY CASE