March 2025 Meeting Minutes
6:30pm | Preservation Station | Bonnie Anderson presiding | Prepared by Secretary Howard Dobin
APD Report
Brittany Martinez, Lt. Amanda Tapia and Lt. Sean Higdon gave the crime statistics for the neighborhood. David Cooke inquired about a car broken into near his residence. Carlos Michelen related issues with late night loud cars on Broadway and Central daily. There were concerns about a mentally ill ex-resident of Arno who has broken many windows in neighbors’ houses and now may be living in Highland Park. Lt. Tapia pledged to report this to the Crisis Intervention unit. 17 newly graduated cadets have been assigned to the Valley Area Command which covers our neighborhood.
I-25 Stop Freeway Expansion
There will be a protest walk on Saturday March 8th from 11am to noon starting at the Imperial Inn Motel. The walk is approximately 1.3 miles. Strong Towns and South Broadway are also advertising the event. A reminder to please sign the petition to address our concerns at Rethinki25.org.
Picnic in the Park
Fiona Cooke reported that we will have our first bring your own food/blankets/pets “Picnic in the Park” in Highland Park on Saturday April 5th from noon to 2pm. Enjoy our spring weather and meet your neighbors. See attached flyer.
119 High St SE
This is the property that burned down on High. Homewise, which until recently had plans to develop the land and had presented plans to our association, has listed the property for sale. They pin blame on the Landmarks Commission for design restrictions, but this did not ring entirely true to many in attendance.
701 Coal Ave SE
Santiago Aceves is still waiting on a reply from Star Paving regarding the potential sale of an adjacent lot he plans to use as a landscaping buffer for his proposed building.
Jane’s Walk 2025
Krista reported that Bob has reworked the 1990’s text from Ann Carson’s booklet into a more friendly narrative. Krista will be meeting with Jane’s Walk organizers. The proposed date is Saturday May 3rd, the first Saturday in May, to coincide with the walk’s namesake Jane Jacob’s birthday, May 4th. This year the Albuquerque Press Club will be the gathering point and walk kickoff. The walk will be free with two time windows. Check our website and social media pages on Facebook and Instagram for more information and how to register.
Mayor Keller
Mayor Tim Keller dropped in our meeting.
Crime
He admitted that while crime and homelessness have been on the rise, homicides, break-ins and car thefts have been down two years in a row. The mayor praised the gunshot/license reading system that has greatly improved APD’s ability to apprehend suspects in homicides. APD has been using civilians in positions that do not require sworn officers. There were more than 80,000 calls referred to Albuquerque Community Safety (ACS) in the last year. Both changes have freed sworn officers to focus more on crime and patrols, and this has helped lessen the impact of the understaffing at APD. Under his administration APD has grown from less than 750 officers to more than 900, but it is still short of the 1,200 target.
Homelessness
There are more than 5,000 persons unhoused in our city, much of which is due to Fentanyl addiction. They have implemented 24/7 drop-off at the Gateway Center where they have 100 beds for men, 100 beds for women and 100 beds for families. The westside shelter, Gateway West, has 700 beds and serves an average of 600 people a night in winter. Mayor Keller said the city’s current capacity can sleep 1,000 people, and they have plans to expand to 5,000. There are homeless people who will not accept housing under the current restrictions. He believes a way to entice them to accept is to find a way to offer immediate addiction treatment with the housing. Mayor Keller believes that the city is underhoused by over 20,000 housing units. His policies to address this include modifications to zoning, such as permitting the building of casitas, and buying hotels/motels and converting them into housing units. He related that because of current court rulings, APD can cite homeless for breaking certain laws, but they can no longer arrest them.
Downtown
The former Downtowner Hotel will be soon reopening as Arrive Albuquerque on Central and 8th. Nearby development includes the new Ex Novo brewery and Sammy’s Café and Deli. UNM is in the process of moving their law school downtown to be closer to the courts. A restaurant plans to open where the old Gizmo store used to be. CNM and the city are transforming part of the historic Albuquerque Rail Yards into a world-class film production training center.
Central Overpass
Mayor Keller claims that construction should begin shortly after objections from some of the stakeholders have been addressed. Many of the attendees related how the promised clean-up operations have stopped. With only one tunnel now open, the smells are worse, human waste is often present, and there are passed out homeless frequently observed. He promised to have this addressed immediately.
321 Arno St SE
As noted above to APD, there is a former resident of the 300 block of Arno SE who is mentally ill and has been hearing voices. This has led the person to smash windows and vandalize nearby properties. One residence has been vacated due to the ongoing harassment. He is believed to be living in Highland Park and returning to the area of his former home on occasion.