The Silver Median Project is a joint community effort to install green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) features to irrigate climate-ready trees and plants in order to turn an an underutilized public space at the intersection of Silver and Solano into a beautiful garden.

A Collaborative Design Meeting was organized by project proponents to gather input from neighbors about plantings and other features they wished to see in the final garden design and to provide an update on the design process.  The meeting was held on October 16, 2025 at City on a Hill church.  You may have seen announcements about this meeting in recent weeks on the NHNA Neighbors listserv.  A small group of neighbors was in attendance.

Landscape designer Linley Green (PLAND Collaborative) provided information on the opportunities (e.g., an abundance of rainwater flows over the site) and constraints (e.g., clear lines of sight are needed for drivers) of the location. Project leads Shelby Stimson (Program Manager, Resilient Cities, SIG-NAL) and Anthony Luketich (Bernalillo County, Natural Resources Scientist) shared insights from their previous experiences with GSI projects in Albuquerque. Attendees then discussed features they wished to have included in the final design.

A draft of the conceptual design is attached here. Once finalized, designs will be submitted to the City for approval, likely in early 2026.  Current grant funding only covers the planning, design, community engagement, and City of Albuquerque Approval components of the project. The project team submitted a proposal in October for installation funding and expects to have an update on that proposal in the next few months. If funding is awarded, the project team can begin to plan for construction. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments about this project.  Viva Nob Hill!

Terri DeBacker

NHNA Tree Canopy Restoration Committee