Hi Neighbors, I know a lot of folks in Nob Hill have been wondering about the stalled development at Wellesley and Silver. We ran a story in today's issue of Nob Hill News with an update. Since so many people have asked, I'll go ahead and share it with the listserve. I always like to say that journalism is part of a healthy community ecosystem. If you want to support us in doing more stories like this in your area, please consider subscribing today at www.abqnobhillnews.com. And many thanks to our nearly 200 paid subscribers so far! You make these stories for your neighborhoods possible!
Work Moves Slowly at Wellesley-Silver Apartment SiteDeveloper mum on project’s timeline By Damon Scott
A stalled Nob Hill apartment project at 208 Wellesley Drive SE that’s been in the works for years looks like it might finally be progressing. Months after demolition work was completed on the southeast corner of Wellesley and Silver Avenue to make way for about 40 apartments, the site has sat empty—except for trash, weeds, debris and signs of illegal camping. The walled grounds, which are about an acre in size, used to feature four homes built in the 1930s which had been deteriorating. Developer Rex Cohen bought the property with the intention to create a three-story complex with around 40 pueblo-style apartments. About a year ago, he said site preparations would begin in the first quarter of this year. While it didn’t happen, there are signs it might before the end of 2025. A fence was installed around the site a couple of weeks ago by TriWest Fence including signs with arrows to direct pedestrian traffic. When reached by Nob Hill News, Cohen said he’d provide an update on the project when it was closer to completion, without divulging further details.
“Neighbors have assuredly noticed the increased activity at the site,” he said in an Aug. 25 email. “We’ve been busy getting the site ready for grading. We should be starting in the next few weeks and things should progress even quicker from there.” The city’s Planning Department, meanwhile, said it received a permit for the project Aug. 1 and that it’s under review. The review is designed to ensure the work will meet codes and regulations prior to approval. In a message on the Nob Hill Neighborhood Association listserv about a year ago, Cohen said he’d been “waiting to see where interest rates would settle,” before starting work in earnest at the site. The message also said he was moving forward on a parking plan and other aspects of the project. Since then, Nob Hill residents have expressed concerns that construction hasn’t started and that the site resembles a landfill. “There is at least one homeless man living back by the concrete, cleverly camouflaged between the concrete pile and the wall,” Nob Hill resident Catherine Hubbard said. “He has put up a tent and has been there all summer.” Nob Hill Neighborhood Association president Gary Eyster attended a public meeting at the site about six months ago when Cohen presented drawings of an in-progress project plan.
“The indication was that they’re moving along. I really hope they are. If they are not, they really need to clean that site up a lot and the sooner the better,” he said. Eyster, Hubbard and others also have concerns about trees on the site. Many have been cut down since the demolition work, but there are still five mature pine trees standing. “I'm hoping they continue to get water and trees and root zones are protected during construction. They were not during demolition,” Hubbard said. City forester Bonnie Strange said the developer was asked to preserve the remaining pine trees. Located in the right-of-way, the city has the authority to ask that they be maintained, she said. “They were also asked to water those trees every other day, deeply, so that roots can absorb the water,” Strange said in an email. “The trees that were cut down were mainly tree of heaven (invasive) and some locust and elm trees that weren’t in great shape to begin with.”
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