Bernalillo County Commissioners have housing on their minds.
Commissioners are considering a pair of bond issues that would pave the way for the construction and renovation of almost 300 new housing units.
The West Mesa Ridge A project would consist of 128 units of affordable housing, providing homes for about 448 people, according to the agenda.
Monica Roybal-Gaitan of the county’s economic development department wrote in a memo included in the agenda that the project will include several energy-saving features, including planned solar power cogeneration and electric vehicle charging stations.
West Mesa Ridge would be built at 707 Coors Blvd. NW.
Chelsea Investment Corp. has submitted an application for $28.9 million in project revenue bond financing for the project. The company will also seek state approval for the project.
The bonds are a tool to help the project attract private investment. No county or taxpayer money will be used to support it.
County staff say the project will not go forward if the bonds are not issued, citing high interest rates.
The renovation of Encino Senior Gardens, 412 Alvarado Drive SE, would take the final $4.8 million of $24 million in project revenue bonds approved in 2023. The 165-unit senior affordable housing complex was built in 1978.
Encino Development & Management Inc. plans to upgrade all the resident rooms, and corridors, each of the interior common-use amenity spaces, mechanical systems and lighting and plumbing fixtures, among other improvements.
The renovation is expected to include changes designed to reduce energy and water consumption such as LED lighting, Energy Star appliances and low-flow faucets and shower heads.
Other work to be done includes north parking lot repairs, new signage and landscaping, new outdoor fitness areas and community raised garden beds, and any upgrades needed to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The renovation will be done in phases, so residents can move into temporary housing while their rooms are being worked on.
Commissioners will also consider $34 million in industrial revenue bonds that would go toward replacing the vacant Hiway House Motel in Nob Hill with a new boutique hotel.
Roybal-Gaitan wrote in that memo that the motel had become blighted after years of disrepair and disuse and was “evaluated and found to have significant asbestos remediation requirements that made demolition difficult and expensive.”
The plan now is for a 112-room Tribute by Marriott Hotel. County staff say the hotel will fit seamlessly with the neighborhood’s character, patronize New Mexico artists and businesses and create 77 new jobs, including 14 full-time positions.
County staff say the bonds will provide partial tax relief to offset the startup costs of the project.
Also on the agenda are approval of a lease transfer of the Silver Moon and La Cantera affordable housing properties to buyer Guardian Real Estate Services LLC and a $6.5 million funding request for healthcare programs at the Metropolitan Detention Center.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
WHEN: 5 p.m. May 27
WHERE: Ken Sanchez Commission Chambers in at Alvarado Square, 415 Silver Ave SW VIRTUAL: GOV-TV, on the county’s website or on Bernalillo County’s YouTube channel