[Neighbors] Biennial IDO Update, 2025

[meyster1 at me.com]

Friends and Neighbors. After much input, your board of directors has adopted this statement of position. We have emailed it to councilors at https://www.cabq.gov/council/find-your-councilor/contact-all-councilors
You are welcome to email your personal views to them there. You can participate in their Jan. 28 meeting as outlined at https://cabq.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx
Thank you for your thoughtful, constructive dialogue. #VivaNobHill
Gary Eyster, NHNA Urban Planning Team
Chair and Councilors,
Nob Hill Neighborhood Association developed this statement after significant community input. It was adopted 7-0 by our board of directors.
1…IDO 2-3(B)(1) adding additional uses in the R-1 Single Family Zone District, namely duplexes and triplexes. The views in our community are evenly split. Those in support note that it can help property owners who could use the income or housing for family. One neighbor near a triplex recently built without permit notes there are 8 cars at that one house and all but one park on the street. We ask, “Why the rush? Why not try just duplexes for a period and see how they work out?”

2…Section 4, Legislative Zoning Conversions: People are troubled that CABQ has not provided direct notice to property owners. In addition, we are concerned about the tax lightning implications. On the particular zones:

Convert R-1 to R-T in Major Transit Corridor Areas and Activity Centers; As best we can figure this is redundant to proposal 2-3(B)(1) adding duplexes or triplexes in the R-1 district citywide.

Convert R-T to MX-T in Major Transit Corridor Areas and Activity Centers; We strongly oppose this proposal.MX-T properties are not protected by neighborhood edge provisions which limit height to 30 ft. within 100 ft. of a R-1 or R-T property. Without that protection, new construction next to R-T properties could be up to 62 ft. high in most of Nob Hill.

Convert R-ML to MX-L in Major Transit Corridor Areas and Activity Centers;
The biggest concern here is that MX-L removes several housing options and does not add any, effectively losing housing.

3…A change to 4-3(B)(8)(e) that Council made earlier this year in O-24-69 says the R-ML use is prohibited in the R-1 and R-T zone districts except in or within ¼ mile of Main Street or Premium Transit areas north of Central Ave. and east of the Rio Grande. EPC recommended changing that to either north of Central Ave. or east of the Rio Grande. That means R-ML apartment cubes 30 ft. tall can be built on any R-1 property in the entire city east of the Rio Grande.

We don’t want houses surrounding our houses demolished for 30-foot-high apartment cubes. Neighborhood character isn’t just stucco and tile roofs. It includes the context of the community. There are countless vacant sites on East Central for multi-family building. How about adopting incentives for that? R-ML in the middle of neighborhoods is not gentle. We request that you introduce an amendment to remove 4-3(B)(8)(e) from the IDO.

4…Table 4-2-1 Allowable Uses and Use-Specific Standards; The update proposes allowing General Retail, Small in residential zone districts including R-1; on corner lots abutting at least 1 collector or arterial street this would be permissive. On corner lots abutting at least 2 local streets this would require a conditional use permit. The use could not exceed 5,000 sq ft.

Table 4-2-1 Allowable Uses and Use-Specific Standards; The update proposes allowing Grocery Store in residential zone districts including R-1. On corner lots abutting at least 1 collector or arterial street this would be permissive. Otherwise, it is prohibited. The use could not exceed 5,000 sq ft.

We do not pick up significant opposition here, except these uses need modest guardrails. Matters like hours of business and solid waste disposal need to be addressed in Use-Specific Standards since these could be as little as 10 ft. from the neighboring house.
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