Overview:
Another hurdle, this time from neighbors of a Downtown section
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — A small group of West Old Town residents is challenging the City of Albuquerque over a segment of the ABQ Rail Trail, a multimillion-dollar marquee project. Although the group wants to halt the planned extension through their neighborhood, the city owns the property, forcing residents to navigate municipal bureaucracy to pause construction.
The seven-mile trail is intended to connect Downtown to Old Town in a pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly, heart-shaped loop. While the city hopes the project will spur $220 million in economic development, it is exactly what some residents in a historically quiet Old Town neighborhood don’t want.
According to the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency, the $3 million project would turn the former farm — now a weed-filled lot between homes on Hollywood and Edna avenues NW — into a paved, landscaped section of the ABQ Rail Trail. The segment would connect the existing trail to the Bosque Trail near the BioPark, attracting an estimated 20 to 50 users daily in its first year. As planning moves forward, author Debra Montoya has emerged as a chief opponent, speaking for an opposition group. City officials and the West Old Town Neighborhood Association say the trail would improve safety. The neighborhood association’s secretary, Neri Holguin, said the board is “excited to see it start to move forward.” However, Montoya — whose parents live in the area — told City Desk that poor outreach left neighbors unaware of a project that could alter streets, impact homes and create safety hazards.
According to a 2024 report, the city spent years on public outreach for earlier trail segments, emailing about 9,500 subscribers and mailing 4,000 surveys to downtown residents. After losing federal funding, officials shifted focus to a shovel-ready section in West Old Town. For this segment, the city sent notices only to the 36 properties directly bordering the vacant lot instead of using the broader mailings of earlier phases. At a May 19 informational meeting, MRA Director Terry Brunner told residents the trail was “not a done deal.” However, public records show the state notified the city on March 17 that it had won a $1 million grant, though the project still required City Council funding approval. Brunner said the meeting was a courtesy.
After the group asked Councilor Joaquín Baca for a town hall, he agreed to a meeting instead but wanted it at the vacant lot. Montoya rejected the outdoor location, citing mobility and safety concerns for elderly residents. She sent a letter to Mayor Tim Keller and Baca requesting an indoor, climate-controlled meeting. “I’m not going to do a town hall,” Baca said. While he declined the request, he told City Desk before publication that he went door-to-door and spoke with affected residents face-to-face this past weekend. However, city officials say that it is unlikely to stop construction plans scheduled for the fall.
With no town hall planned, the neighborhood coalition is exploring a citizen petition to try to halt the project. According to a City Clerk’s Office spokesperson, residents’ only remaining option is a direct voter initiative to propose new legislation, which requires 26,846 signatures within 60 days. Faced with that hurdle, the coalition is regrouping to decide whether to launch a signature campaign. “At this time, I am reaching out to all residents [to ask] how they would like to proceed,” Montoya said.